Back in September the California Bar announced a state wide crack down on attorneys who were under investigation for using or should I say renting out their law licenses to allegedly operate illegal loan modification operations. One of those law firms, the United Law Group and attorney Robert Buscho were named by the Cal Bar in the September press release that you can view here.

“In my 21 years in attorney discipline, I have not seen a crisis of this magnitude. It is truly unprecedented,” said Interim Chief Trial Counsel Russell Weiner, who is waiving investigation confidentiality in favor of public protection. The waiver, allowed by law, is used only occasionally, but Weiner said the seriousness of the problem demanded a strong reaction by the bar in order to protect consumers. This is the first time the names of more than a few lawyers being investigated have been made public.

“The number of attorneys using their law licenses to essentially take money from unwary but trusting consumers is astounding,” Weiner added. “There are literally thousands of victims who have lost money they could not afford to lose. Under the circumstances, the need for public information and protection is paramount.”  

In the same release you can find many attorneys who are under investigation. Two of these lawyers are Robert Buscho, Bar No. 122556 and also Sean Rutledge, Bar No. 255938. Both acting attorneys at the time for the United Law Group.

Shortly after the investigation started, Sean Rutledge stepped down from the United Law Group and eventually surrendered his license to the California Bar. He is now no longer eligible to practice law. In light of the controversy surrounding this law firm and the facts that Rutledge surrendered his license, the other people involved in this loan modification firm still appear to be aggressively marketing their legal services across the nation.

Below is a press release that just came out today from the United Law Group. I am not sure who is marketing for them, but they are either ignorant buffoons or they actually do have attorneys who are licensed in the states that they operate outside of California. But no where on their website does it list the addresses of these other offices, nor do they list the lawyers that are authorized to practice law in these states.

To the best of my knowledge, this is in clear violation of California Bar rules in regards to deceptive advertising and proper licensing disclosures.

Here are the laws in regards to advertising from the California Bar:

6157.5. (a) All advertisements published, distributed, or
broadcasted by or on behalf of a member seeking professional
employment for the member in providing services relating to
immigration or naturalization shall include a statement that he or she is an active member of the State Bar, licensed to practice law in this state.

If the advertisement seeks employment for a law firm or
law corporation employing more than one attorney, the advertisement shall include a statement that all the services relating to immigration and naturalization provided by the firm or corporation shall be provided by an active member of the State Bar or by a person under the supervision of an active member of the State Bar. This subdivision shall not apply to classified or “yellow pages” listings in a telephone or business directory of three lines or less that state only the name, address, and telephone number of the listed entity.

6158.2. The following information shall be presumed to be in
compliance with this article for purposes of advertising by
electronic media, provided the message as a whole is not false,
misleading, or deceptive:

(a) Name, including name of law firm, names of professional
associates, addresses, telephone numbers, and the designation
“lawyer,” “attorney,” “law firm,” or the like.

(b) Fields of practice, limitation of practice, or specialization.

Here is today’s press release from the United Law Group:

In addition to loan renegotiation services, United Law Group also represents consumers in cases involving debt settlement, IRS settlement, auto loan payment relief, breaches of contract and violations of state and federal laws. They have several class action lawsuits pending against major lenders.

About United Law Group
United Law Group is a national law firm with offices in California, New York, Florida, Ohio, Nevada & Arizona. The firm represents consumers in complex litigation concerning abusive banking practices, breaches of contract and violations of state and federal laws. United Law Group also litigates cases involving bankruptcy, IRS settlements and debt settlements in state and federal courts across the nation. Employing a team of top-notch attorneys, United Law Group leverages leading-edge technology to manage cases, support investigative efforts and ensure accurate, frequent communication with its clients. The firm is forming class action lawsuits in cases where order to provide the best legal counsel to individuals who might not be able to resolve their issues without representation.

For further information on United Law Group, visit: UnitedLawGroup.com or call United Law Group at (800) 680-5717.

When you go their website on the About Us page there is a link to check out the lawyers who run the law firm. The only two lawyers that they list, Robert Buscho and Ruel Caneda are licensed only in California with no mentions of the actual office locations and attorneys in these other states where they claim to have offices and as well as lawyers.

I do not work for the Bar and I am no lawyer, but this appears to be blatant misleading advertising by a law firm who is already in hot water with the California Bar. This also can be a case of complete legal ignorance fueled by loan modification greed. Either way,  these guys better fix these deceptive marketing pracitices fast before the California Bar sees this blog post and officially puts these attorneys our of business.

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