Gloria Allred
Civil rights attorney Gloria Allred’s firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, is the latest high-profile target of a State Bar disciplinary investigation, coming on the heels of cases involving such well-known lawyers as John Eastman and Tom Girardi.
The State Bar probe was first disclosed earlier this year by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that investigators were looking into complaints from some of Allred’s clients that alleged the law firm was engaging in aggressive tactics aimed at getting the clients to settle their cases – or urging them to enter settlements or else face high legal bills in the future.
Allred has since portrayed news media reports about the State Bar probe as attacks on her law firm.
“We have not been informed by the State Bar of any investigation,” she said in a statement in June. “Our law firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, has been practicing law for almost 50 years. We are proud of our success and the confidence and trust that thousands of clients have placed in us.”
The law firm has a record of acting ethically and in accord with the Rules of Professional Conduct, according to Allred.
“At this time, it is well known that law firms across the country are being attacked,” she said in her statement. “We are proud to defend our record of protecting, asserting and vindicating the rights of women and minorities, and we will not be deterred by unjustified accusations which seek to discredit us.”
Bloomberg Law reported one of the Allred firm’s former clients taking part in the State Bar probe is Efrosina Angelova, who alleged that Hollywood star Armie Hammer sexually assaulted her. Angelova said her relations with the firm were “emotionally, verbally and psychologically abusive,” according to Bloomberg Law.
Legal observers have criticized the State Bar for not filing charges in past decades to counter former Los Angeles attorney Girardi’s long record of financial crimes, but attorneys familiar with State Bar investigations told the Southern California Record that today the State Bar treats complaints against high-profile attorneys the same way they treat lesser-known sole practitioners.
A specialist in legal malpractice law, Samuel Bellicini, said he is confident the State Bar is adequately investigating each complaint it receives.
“I don’t think famous attorneys get a break at all,” Bellicini said. “... John Eastman and Michael Avenatti got disbarred. No, I don’t think the State Bar changes its tactics for high-profile cases.”
State Bar investigations are confidential until formal charges are filed, he said, adding that the complaints investigated come not just from clients but from people who may never have met the attorney.
“You can imagine how pernicious that process would be if investigations were made public,” Bellicini said.
The threat of prosecution is not what keeps attorneys in line, he said, adding that, “Most want to do the right thing, and an overwhelming majority of attorneys know about their fiduciary responsibilities and meeting the requirements of the profession.”
Ethics attorney David Carr, who is based in Arizona, also agreed that famous attorneys receive the same treatment from the State Bar as lesser known lawyers.
The State Bar’s 2024 Attorney Discipline Disparities Study, however, did find that solo practitioners had the highest rate of State Bar cases (41%) forwarded for investigation.
“As firm size increased, investigation rates generally decreased, with attorneys working in large firms (firm size > 200) reporting that only 17% of their complaints were forwarded to investigation,” the report states.
Allred, Maroko & Goldberg attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.
