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State Bar Seizes Unlawful Practice in San Diego
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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Pictured above is the office of Maria Leanos who, the State Bar alleges, engaged in practicing law without a license. |
The State Bar of California announced yesterday the seizure of the practice of Maria Leanos, an El Cajon woman who is accused of operating a law office without a license and misrepresenting herself as an attorney to clients on immigration and family law matters.
Tuesday’s seizure was authorized by San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert C. Longstreth who granted the petition by the Office of Chief Trial Counsel (“OCTC”) to execute the seizure. Seven boxes of client files were recovered during the raid.
In December 2023, an unnamed niece of Leanos filed a complaint with the State Bar reporting that her aunt repeatedly misrepresented herself as an attorney, operated a business under the name “Law Office of Maria Leanos,” and advertised her services on Facebook.
An OCTC investigator visited Leanos’ San Diego-area office in May, observing a sign outside the building that read, “The Law Offices of Maria Leanos.” Inside the office, business cards identified Leanos as an attorney and a sign declared, in Spanish:
“In the law office of Maria Leanos, first you pay and then services will be rendered.”
Responding to the inquiry by the State Bar, Leanos identified herself as an immigration consultant and denied holding herself out as an attorney. OCTC discovered that she was registered as an immigration consultant between May 2017 and June 2020, but no corresponding records could be found for the last four years.
In yesterday’s press release, Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona remarked:
“From her law office business signs to firsthand accounts and inconsistent statements, Ms. Leanos’s actions provide ample evidence that she engaged in the unauthorized practice of law.”
Cardona continued:
“As reported to the State Bar, it appears that she misrepresented her status and qualifications to immigrants in need of legitimate legal representation.”
Copyright 2024, Metropolitan News Company