SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — After receiving two tickets in two Bay Area counties, Khaled Elsakkor stopped helping. He paid the San Francisco-based law firm a fixed fee for representation in court. But the lawyer never showed up. And Elsakkor is just one of many drivers who now face even bigger fines and problems. Elsakkor admits he received two tickets for not completely stopping at stop signs in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. He said he went to California Traffic Defenders and was charged $450 in the hope that the tickets would be published. Schwenk went to California Traffic Defenders for help with three different tickets he had received in Newark for not stopping completely at a red light where there was a camera. Zitrin said California prosecutors should step in and investigate, but they haven`t done so quickly — if at all, in the past. Adam Cohen, a traffic attorney and owner of Ticket Crushers, said he took some of Amparan`s former customers with him to solve the cases or present them to a judge.
“It was obviously an incredibly negligent act on the part of a lawyer not to appear in court,” Schwenk said. Most of those identified by KTVU as victims said they had filed complaints with prosecutors, but these complaints are not public. Prosecutors declined to say whether an investigation into Amparan had been opened or not. Amparan`s San Francisco office, which ironically sits across the street from the Hall of Justice, seemed abandoned. “The Office of the Trial Council, which is responsible for enforcing the law of lawyers, does a very bad job of doing it effectively and really prosecuting the big bad guys — the people who hurt the little people,” he said. “Don`t wait until it`s too late,” he said. “If you are in this situation, call a lawyer and have it repaired immediately.” The prosecution said only in a statement that it was “committed to identifying and correcting deficiencies in the disciplinary system” and that it was “actively and diligently working to improve the efficiency and fairness of the disciplinary system.” He left his clients,” said Richard Zitrin, a veteran attorney and retired UC Hastings professor of legal ethics. “There`s nothing worse.” Attorney Robert Amparan has disappeared from the courtroom in recent months. He is the owner of California Traffic Defenders, which handles traffic crime cases and presents itself online as “experienced and trustworthy” and has offices in San Francisco and south of San Francisco. He and several other victims told KTVU that they had filed complaints with the California State Bar in the hope that Amparan would be held accountable. Despite phone calls, emails and even visits to Amparan`s offices, Elsakkor said he hadn`t heard or seen anything from him since.
“I was betrayed,” Elsakkor said. “He took the money and kept it. This is simply outrageous. State audits, including a recent one from April, show that prosecutors are not effectively investigating and punishing delinquent lawyers. Khaled Elsakkor said he received two civil notices of nearly $900 because the lawyer he hired did not show up in court. Two months later, Elsakkor received two civil warrants worth nearly $900 for failing to appear in court. Before that, he said he had no idea that the lawyer he hired had never appeared in court on his behalf. Zitrin said it was more effective to sue a lawyer for money in small claims court than to hope the state would expel or sanction a lawyer. He offered these tips to help those in this situation. “Do it in court,” Cohen said.
“Don`t try to do it yourself.” “It`s unbelievable,” Elsakkor said. “These are the people you go to to trust.” Defense attorney Robert Amparan speaks at a press conference in 2011 outside his California Traffic Defenders property. KTVU has not been able to track him down in recent weeks. Despite repeated calls, emails and visits from KTVU to Amparan`s home and offices, he never responded to requests for comment. Nevertheless, his California attorney license is still active, no disciplinary action is currently in place against him. Cohen said transportation courts in California tend to be stricter and less helpful to defendants if issues aren`t resolved quickly. Since this story was first published, other drivers say they have been harassed by Amparan and his company. “The state bar doesn`t have a good way to sort out the big important things, to do them immediately with those who can wait until later for the decision.” Citrine. Investigative journalist Brooks Jarosz spent weeks trying to find lawyer Robert Amparan, including at his home, but he was never found or heard.
KTVU investigative journalist Brooks Jarosz follows an investigation into a traffic lawyer accused of defrauding customers. Once again, Amparan did not show up for his court appearances and Schwenk faces additional fines. It also failed to reach Amparan and is close to $1,000. “I called at least 100 times,” said driver Tory Schwenk of Milpitas. “I was completely shaken because my driver`s license is quite indispensable for me.” A memo to his South San Francisco office shows he owes more than $12,000 in rent, and the landlord confirms he is taking legal action against Amparan. Attorney Robert Amparan is currently licensed to practice law at the California State Bar.