Within
our
ranks,
some
attorneys
want
not
only
a
low
profile
but
no
profile
in
the
media,
social
or
otherwise.
But
many
have
no
trouble
when
it
comes
to
getting
and
retaining
clients.
There
are
others
who
have
a
modest
presence
on
line
and
may
do
some
advertising,
and
then
there
are
those
who
have
a
gigantic
media
presence
of
their
own
making,
be
it
radio
or
television
advertising,
billboards,
call
centers,
or
any
other
means
to
reach
the
public.
Some
crave
attention
in
whatever
format,
and
I
have
a
particular
person
in
mind
as
I
type
this.
However,
regardless
of
our
personal
preferences
for
publicity,
I
think
we
have
all
cautioned
clients
to
beware
of
landing
on
a
newspaper’s
(yes,
some
still
do
exist)
front
page.
Rarely
does
anything
good
ever
come
of
that.
Just
ask
California
disbarred
attorney
Tom
Girardi,
whose
front
page
LA
Times
stories
of
a
few
years
ago,
eventually
landed
him
in
prison
and
resulted
in
well-deserved
shakeups
in
the
State
Bar
of
California’s
discipline
processes.
Now
comes
another
front
page
LA
Times
investigation
about
a
law
firm
that
has
made
a
name
for
itself
in
plaintiff
personal
injury
practice.
The
article
should
have
law
firms
that
have
similar
kinds
of
practices
using
similar
techniques
pause
for
a
moment.
The
deets
are
in
the
link.
(And
please
don’t
use
the
excuse
of
TL;DR.)
Why
is
this
news?
The
Downtown
LA
Law
Group
has
represented
many
clients
in
Los
Angeles
County’s
$4
billion
(not
a
typo)
settlement
of
thousands
of
sexual
abuse
cases
in
various
county
government
facilities.
Juvenile
sexual
abuse
victims
spanned
decades,
especially
at
various
probation
department
facilities
and
at
McLaren
Children’s
Center,
a
facility
where
sexual
abuse
was
common,
and
which
was
finally
closed
in
2003.
Children
who
were
in
the
dependency
court
system
ended
up
there
until
placement
in
a
foster
home.
Imagine
the
trauma
of
being
removed
from
your
home
through
no
fault
of
your
own
and
then
ending
up
in
a
place
that
was
worse.
There
are
no
words.
In
2020,
California
enacted
legislation
that
provided
a
three-year
window
for
such
claims,
the
majority
dating
from
the
1980s,
1990s,
and
2000s,
thereby
waiving
the
applicable
statute
of
limitations.
While
that’s
helpful
to
plaintiffs,
it
made
it
much
harder
to
defend
such
cases,
given
the
passage
of
time
and
lack
of
available
evidence.
DTLA
Law
Group
is
also
now
the
subject
of
an
investigation
by
the
LA
County
District
Attorney’s
office
into
the
firm’s
alleged
misconduct
in
recruiting
clients
and
other
potential
misdeeds.
The
DA’s
investigation
is
a
“head’s
up”
not
only
for
DTLA
Law
Group
but
for
others
who
may
have
been
involved
in
false
claims,
that
is,
lawyers,
recruiters,
and
health
care
professionals.
Not
a
good
look
if
the
allegations
are
true
and
which
the
law
firm
has
emphatically
denied.
Some
clients
claim
that
they
were
approached
at
various
locations,
and
were
paid,
in
varying
amounts,
to
join
the
sex
abuse
litigation.
As
the
Times
investigation
notes,
California
law
prohibits
“capping,
which
the
firm
has
denied.
In
some
cases,
the
law
firm
advanced
money
to
clients,
which
is
not
illegal
in
this
state.
At
the
end
of
2024,
one
of
the
firm’s
former
paralegals
sued
DTLA
Law
Firm
for,
among
other
things,
ignoring
her
complaints
about
illegal
solicitation
of
clients,
misrepresentation,
and
unethical
and
deceptive
practices.
If
any
of
the
allegations
in
the
paralegal’s
complaints
are
proved
to
be
true,
that
could
create
more
trouble
for
the
law
firm,
which
has
said
that
the
complaint
is
baseless.
What’s
also
in
the
settlement
stew
are
private
investors.
One
of
the
five
county
supervisors,
Kathryn
Barger,
was
contacted
by
a
private
investor
who
wondered
if
investing
in
Los
Angeles
County
litigation
would
be
a
good
investment.
On
which
side,
I
wonder?
Meanwhile,
the
county
has
hired
a
retired
judge
to
vet
the
DTLA
settlements
and
county
counsel
has
requested
that
the
State
Bar
investigate
the
allegations
the
Times
has
raised.
This
situation
is
not
just
a
kerfuffle;
it
goes
beyond
that
to
the
very
essence
of
lawyering
and
our
ethical
and
professional
responsibilities.
Jill
Switzer
has
been
an
active
member
of
the
State
Bar
of
California
for
over
40
years.
She
remembers
practicing
law
in
a
kinder,
gentler
time.
She’s
had
a
diverse
legal
career,
including
stints
as
a
deputy
district
attorney,
a
solo
practice,
and
several
senior
in-house
gigs.
She
now
mediates
full-time,
which
gives
her
the
opportunity
to
see
dinosaurs,
millennials,
and
those
in-between
interact
—
it’s
not
always
civil.
You
can
reach
her
by
email
at [email protected].