California Bar issued an alert about an attorney during an investigation.

 

The alert was issued on August 24. It is about San Francisco attorney,  Robert Amparan. He "allegedly owns the firm California Traffic Defenders." The State Bar explained why this exception was made during an ongoing investigation.

Alert:

The State Bar is alerting Bay Area consumers regarding a San Francisco attorney, Robert Amparan, who allegedly owns the firm California Traffic Defenders (CDT), with offices in San Francisco and South San Francisco. The State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel (OCTC) is investigating numerous complaints that, after people hired CDT and paid Mr. Amparan to represent them in traffic matters, he failed to appear in their traffic cases and failed to respond to attempts to communicate with him. Complaints also allege that he has failed to appear on behalf of clients in a number of misdemeanor criminal matters.  

According to Interim Chief Trial Counsel Melanie Lawrence, “These complaints are still allegations and under investigation, and no charges have been filed. Mr. Amparan is entitled to due process and a fair hearing. However, we believe that the allegations are of such breadth and potential harm to the public that consumers need to be alerted. Abandonment of a law practice and other issues alleged in these complaints are serious matters warranting discipline. We are seeking to complete our investigation and take action as soon as possible.”

Some of the clients have received court notices regarding their failure to appear on their citations and have been assessed substantial fines. OCTC has attempted to locate and contact Mr. Amparan, including at his office locations, but to date has been unsuccessful.   

While State Bar complaints and investigations are confidential by law, the Chief Trial Counsel can waive confidentiality when warranted to protect the public, pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 6086.1(b)(2) and Rules of Procedure of the State Bar 2302(d)(1)(A).

If you are a client of Mr. Amparan who has had similar experiences and have yet to file a complaint, the State Bar wants to hear from you.