Law Practice Management

New Pacific Law Center is Dealing With Old Problems

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A lawsuit filed by an attorney earlier this year claims Pacific Law Center participated in unethical practices. Another onetime firm lawyer reportedly admitted in court that his client was guilty in a gang-related shooting case, allegedly forcing the client into a plea deal. Meanwhile, another former firm lawyer reportedly denies the claim that he had a several-month relationship with this same client’s sister, but admits he gave her a 10-year-old BMW.

These are among the issues faced by the San Diego consumer law firm as it struggles to move on, under new leadership, from an array of problems that led the San Diego Better Business Bureau to revoke its membership after 47 complaints in 36 months, writes the San Diego Union-Tribune. Additional issues were discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post.

Kerry Steigerwalt, a well-known local criminal defense attorney, last month purchased a controlling interest in the firm, which is now known as Kerry Steigerwalt’s Pacfic Law Center. Claimed problems, he says, arose at the “old” Pacific Law Center, which is undergoing significant changes under his leadership. Among them: some lawyers have been eliminated from the firm’s attorney roster, others have been hired, and some client complaints have been settled.

“I’m taking care of business and trying to do the right thing here,” he tells the newspaper.

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