>> >>PEGGY: IF YOU WANT TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY IN SAN DIEGO, YOU CAN EXPECT TO PAY ABOUT
200 TO 600 DOLLARS AN HOUR.
IF IT'S A CRIMINAL OFFENSE, YOU MAY HAVE ACCESS TO A PUBLIC DEFENDER, BUT IN MOST CIVIL CASES
YOU PAY YOUR OWN LEGAL FEES.
NOW THERE'S A NEW OPTION THAT AIMS TO GET THE STEEP PRICE OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION DOWN.
ERIC LAGUARDIA AND ROBIN SASSI ATTORNEYS FROM THE CALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW, THANK
YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.
ROBIN, EXPLAIN HOW THIS INITIATIVE WORKS.
>> >>ROBIN SASSI: IT WORKS IN A COUPLE OF WAYS.
THE BENEFIT TO NEW ATTORNEYS COMING OUT OF LAW SCHOOL, GIVES US SOME TIME TO BUILD OUR
PRACTICE, BUT THE WAY IT ALSO HELPS WITH THE COMMUNITY IS THAT PEOPLE WHO NEED LOW COST
OR PRO BONO LEGAL HELP, THEY CAN COME TO US GO THROUGH THE INITIATIVE OR THROUGH SOME
OF THE OTHER REFERRAL PROGRAMS AND COME TO SOME OF THE LAWYERS THAT HAVE OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL
PRACTICES AND GET HELP.
>> >>PEGGY: WE'LL TALK ABOUT DETAILS OF THAT, BUT FIRST I WANT TO ASK START WITHING ERIC,
WHAT KIND OF LAW DO YOU PRACTICE?
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: GENERALLY Y PRACTICE CONSUMER RIGHTS LAW.
SO THE WAY TO DESCRIBE THAT IS THAT I REPRESENT THE LITTLE GUY, IT'S TYPICALLY PLAINTIFFS
WORK AND USUALLY I'M REPRESENTING SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN WRONG BID EITHER THEIR EMPLOYER
OR AN ABUSIVE DEBT COLLECTOR.
>> >>PEGGY: SO VERY ON THE GROUND.
>> >>ROBIN SASSI: I DO CORPORATE LAW, CIVIL LITIGATION AND TRUST AND ESTATES.
>> >>PEGGY: SO IT'S A WIDE RANGE.
TELL ME, AIR, WHAT ARE THEÊ WHAT IS AN INCUBATOR?
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: THE WORD RELATES TO THE IDEA ONCE YOU'RE DONE WITH LAW SCHOOL, YOU'VE
LEARN AD GREAT MANY THINGS YOU'VE PROBABLY CLERKED OR INTERNED SOMEWHERE, BUT IF YOU'RE
LIKE ONE OF US OR MANY OTHERS AND YOU WANT TO START YOUR OWN SOLO PRACTICE IT CAN BE
DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING TO GO OUT THERE ON YOUR OWN.
>> >>PEGGY: MAKE YOUR NAME FOR YOURSELF.
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: YOU ALSO NEED A NETWORK BASE AND OTHER ATTORNEYS TO COLLABORATE WITH
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ALL ATTORNEYS DO.
SO IT'S KIND OF A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO HELP YOU MAKE SURE YOU'RE ON TOP OF EVERYTHING THAT
YOU NEED TO BE ON TOP O F. >> >>PEGGY: YOU ACTUALLY GO TO A PLACE, SYMPHONY
TOWERS, THIS ISN'T A VIRTUAL WORLD WHERE A BUNCH OF ATTORNEYS COME IN.
>> >>ROBIN SASSI: NO, IT'S A GREAT OFFICE WITH A BEAUTIFUL VIEW.
>> >>PEGGY: THE ATTORNEYS THAT ARE THERE, THEY'RE ALL NEW ATTORNEYS, KIND OF INEXPERIENCED?
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: SOME MORE THAN OTHERS, TRUE.
BUT THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF THE PROGRAM IS WE ARE CONNECTED WITH NOT ONLY A LAW PROFESSOR
AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR SCHOOL, BUT WITH SEASONED ATTORNEYS AND YOU'RE GIVEN
RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T HANDLED
AND TYPICALLY WE ARE WELL TRAINED SO WE KIND OF JUST GET VERIFICATION THAT WHAT WE THINK
IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO ACTUALLY IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
>> >>PEGGY: SORT OF A SUPPORT SYSTEM IN THERE.
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: RIGHT.
>> >>PEGGY: GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE ROBIN OF SOMEBODY THAT YOU'VE HELPED AT THE INITIATIVE.
>> >>ROBIN SASSI: FOR EXAMPLE, LAND LORD TENANT ISSUES.
WE HAVE A LOT OF TENANTS IN SAN DIEGO THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW THEIR RIGHTS.
MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING THERE'S A LEAKY TOILET, FOR EXAMPLE THERE WAS A SINK THAT WAS LEAKING,
A SHOWER THAT WASN'T WORKING AND THE TENANT IS CALLING AND CALLING THE LAND LORD, I CAN'T
GET THIS GUY TO FIX IT, WHAT CAN YOU DO?
WELL, THEN I CAN STEP IN, IT'S VERY SIMPLE FOR ME TO DO IT AND IT CARRY AS LITTLE BIT
MORE WEIGHT BECAUSE I'M AN ATTORNEY TO HELP THAT PERSON FIX THAT PROBLEM.
A LOT OF TIMES THEY DON'T KNOW THEIR RIGHTS.
THEY DON'T KNOW THEY CAN HAVE THE LAND LORD FIX THAT.
>> >>PEGGY: HOW DOES IT ERIC, HOW DOES IT WORK?
HOW DO YOU GET PAID FOR THIS?
WHO PAYS FOR THIS PROGRAM IF THE CLIENT ISN'T PAYING FOR IT VERY MUCH?
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: WELL, UM, JUST TO BE CLEAR, WE'RE ALL SOLO PRACTITIONERS, INDIVIDUAL
ATTORNEYS WITH OUR OWN FIRMS.
THE ACCESS TO LAW INITIATIVE IS A PLACE WHERE PEEP KL GO IF THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY
TO PAY 2 TO $600 FOR AN ATTORNEY, AND THE ACCESS TO LAW INITIATIVE CAN DIRECT THOSE
PEOPLE TO US.
IF WE'RE ABLE TO HELP THEM ON A PRO BONO BASIS, WE WILL.
BUT BECAUSE WE'RE NEWER ATTORNEYS WE PROBABLY HAVE LESS ON OUR PLATE AND ARE GOING TO BE
MORE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE 75 TO 50 DOLLARS AN HOUR WHICH IS SORT OF UNHEARD OF IN THE
GENERAL MARKET PLACE.
AND WE ALSO WANT TO HELP THE REASON WE'RE THERE IS TO HELP THE UNDER SERVED COMMUNITY.
>> >>PEGGY: HOW DO PEOPLE FIND YOU SOMEBODY WHO'S WATCHING THIS AND NEEDS SOME HELP?
>> >>ROBIN SASSI: WELL, SOME OF THE OTHER VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS WE WORK THROUGH CAN
HELP, THERE'S A LOT OF WORD OF MOUTH GOING THROUGH.
IF I HAVE A FRIEND WITH A LAND LORD TENANT ISSUE, I CAN REFER THEM YOU HAVE THIS OTHER
PROBLEM, I CAN SEND THEM TO SOMEBODY ELSE WHO'S IN THE GROUP.
JUST BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE AREN'T ABLE TO AFFORD LEGAL HELP OR THEY NEED TO PAY LESS, DOESN'T
MEAN THEY DON'T HAVE POTENTIAL FOR THINGS LATER ON.
THEY MIGHTÊ >> >>PEGGY: GOOD NETWORKING GOING ON.
>> >>ROBIN SASSI: THEY MIGHT KNOW SOMEBODY AND THAT'S THE WAY YOU BUILD YOUR PRACTICE.
>> >>PEGGY: SO WORD OF MOUTH RIGHT NOW.
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: AND BOB SIDEL IS THE GUY TO CONTACT, THROUGH CAL WESTERN.
>> >>PEGGY: CAL WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW?
>> >>ERIC LAGUARDIA: THAT WOULD BE THE WAY TO GO, WE'LL HAVE A PHONE NUMBER AND WEBSITE
IN SHORT ORDER BUT THOSE THINGS ARE KIND OF IN PROCESS.
>> >>PEGGY: THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.