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State Bar Seeks Owners of Valid Work Permits, Green Cards, and Social Security Cards Seized from Unauthorized LA-Area Immigration Consultant

The State Bar of California is looking for the individuals who have yet to claim dozens of valid work permits, green cards, and social security cards from the offices of Judith Gil, a purported immigration specialist whose office was shut down in February because of the unauthorized practice of law.

State Bar investigators found  work permits, green cards, and social security cards among thousands of active client files it seized from Gil’s office after the Los Angeles Superior Court granted a February 11 order assuming jurisdiction over the unlawful law practice and delegating the duties of shutting down the practice to the State Bar of California.

“We haven’t been able to locate the rightful beneficiaries of these valid working permits because Gil put her office address on them,” said Leah T. Wilson, State Bar Executive Director. “That’s why we’re putting out this appeal. We are asking these individuals to contact the State Bar and get what’s rightfully theirs.”

The State Bar moved to have Gil’s unauthorized law practice shut down after the Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs found that she deceived a multitude of immigrants into believing she could secure legal residency for them by holding herself out as an attorney. Gil also falsely represented that she had special connections at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS.)

Gil was charged by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer with multiple criminal counts based on alleged operation of an illegal immigration consulting business that has preyed upon individuals seeking residency, asylum, and other forms of legal status in the United States. The charges range from grand theft and immigration consultant statute violations to the unauthorized practice of law. Gil is alleged to have charged thousands of dollars while posing as an immigration consultant and offered false information and improper legal advice.

Arraignment for Gil is scheduled for April 18 in the Los Angeles County Criminal Justice Center.

A unit at the State Bar is devoted to investigating and addressing the unauthorized practice of law, unlicensed dissemination of legal advice, and anyone who unlawfully poses as attorneys or, as is known in Latino communities, “notarios.”

The State Bar encourages anyone who has been victimized by the unauthorized practice of law to file a complaint with them. There is no charge for filing a complaint and being a U.S. citizen is not a requirement.

The State Bar advises anyone in California to avoid fraud from attorneys and unlicensed legal providers, including non-attorneys using the title notario, by taking some of the following steps:

• Ask for the attorney's full name and State Bar number. Before hiring the attorney or paying any sum of money, look up the attorney on the State Bar website (www.calbar.ca.gov), or the state in which they are licensed, to see if their license is active and whether they have any history of discipline. Consumers can also call the State Bar at 800-843-9053.
• If the attorney is representing you in immigration matters, make sure they are licensed to practice before the Executive Office of Immigration Review.
• Make sure to get your contract in writing as well as receipts for payments you make.
• Be wary if someone requires cash payments. If you must pay in cash, be sure to have a written receipt.
• Also be wary of those who threaten to report your immigration status if you do not pay them immediately.
• Keep a paper trail. If you don't have a bank account, use a cashier's check, and insist on a written receipt. If you've already made a payment, you are entitled to ask for an accounting of your bills.

Additional State Bar resources for consumers:

• File a complaint about the unauthorized practice of law
• (complaint forms are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian)
• File a complaint about an attorney
• Check the status of an attorney

If you think you have been a victim, contact the State Bar of California at 213-765-1644.

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The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.