Foreclosure Break-In Lawyer’s License Revoked
April 29th, 2011
Michael T. Pines, the attorney who advised his clients in foreclosure to “break in and retake their homes” has had his license to practice law revoked and been branded by the State Bar of California a “substantial threat of harm to the public”[1]. The measure is temporary, however, and will be reconsidered when the bar hears other disciplinary measures against Pines. “It won’t affect me at all, or my clients,” said Pines, who claims that clients in foreclosure whose homes have been “stolen” through faulty foreclosure processes essentially have the right to steal their homes back[2]. He advised around 70 clients to illegally reenter their homes after being evicted by banks. Pines has said that while he will continue to advise clients to break back into their old homes, he will not, himself, participate in any break-ins that could result in his arrest. He also is engaged in encouraging fellow attorneys to stop paying bar association dues and is investigating what he believes is a conspiracy to implicate him in a murder plot.
Do you think that Pines has any ground to stand on, or has he simply, as a member of the bar put it, “lost his ability to distinguish between zealous advocacy and lawlessness?” Should he be suspended or given a medal?
Thank you for reading REJournalOnline!
Let us know what you think of this unusual approach to allegations of faulty foreclosure practice in the space below.
[1] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/lawyer-who-advised-homeowners-break-into-their-forclosed-homes-has-law-license-revoked.html
[2] http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/28/pines-suspended-law-practice/
April 29th, 2011 at 11:17 AM
If something is done to you that is illegal, then does that fact make your reaction to it illegal also? If the banks actions are illegal, then they should not have taken the property in the first place, so i don’t see the owners going back into the house as a illegal act. The thing they should do to cover their behinds is to file a law suit as soon as possible, and make it a legal action and the courts will figure it out.
April 29th, 2011 at 2:46 PM
The Right wing that has captured the Republican Party from the self-employed professionals that formerly formed the Republican backbone claim that destruction of the protections afforded by Glass-Stegal, “allows for more competition in the Financial marketplace, a better condition for all Americans!” This then, is a prime example of what their “increased competition” provides! Bravo to the Attorney for advising a little Robin Hood against B of A, Goldman Sachs and other Nottinghams!