News Releases

State Bar Seizes the Practice of South El Monte Nonattorney Who Victimized Immigrants

The State Bar of California has seized the unauthorized law practice of a South El Monte woman who victimized immigrants by claiming that she could help them with their immigration matters. Elena Orizabal, doing business under a variety of names, including Unity Immigration, Unity Immigration Law Office, and Unity Immigration Office Corp., misled immigrants, convincing them that she was an attorney or otherwise qualified to practice immigration law and charging them thousands of dollars for immigration legal services that she was not authorized to offer. Orizabal has never been admitted to practice law in California or any other state.

On June 15, 2020, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County assumed jurisdiction over Orizabal’s unauthorized immigration practice after granting the State Bar’s request for an interim order and injunction. This allowed the State Bar to immediately seize her unauthorized immigration practice and several hundred client files, freeze business-related bank accounts, disable business-related telephone numbers and websites, and redirect telephone calls and mail to the State Bar.

The State Bar has a unit dedicated to investigating and addressing the unauthorized practice of law, including those who give legal advice without a license or otherwise pose as attorneys.

The State Bar received several complaints about Orizabal’s unlawful practice. The agency filed its petition with the superior court in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic spread and impacted court operations.

The State Bar will again appear in superior court on July 16, 2020, to request that the court grant a permanent order and injunction prohibiting Orizabal from providing unauthorized immigration legal services. Orizabal is expected to appear at the hearing.

The State Bar is seeking to return client files to their owners and has established a dedicated phone number for Orizabal’s former clients who wish to reclaim their files or documents: 213-765-1679.

Orizabal had been registered with the California Secretary of State as an immigration consultant, although her registration expired in May. Immigration consultants can translate answers to questions on state or federal forms, obtain copies of supporting documents, and refer their clients to an attorney. Immigration consultants cannot provide legal advice, represent a client in court or pretend that they are a licensed attorney. If they do, they are breaking the law and can be criminally prosecuted for the unauthorized practice of law. If an attorney practices law while their license is suspended, or they have been disbarred, it is also considered the unauthorized practice of law.

People who have been targeted by someone who is not licensed to practice law can file an unauthorized practice of law complaint with the State Bar. There is no cost, and U.S. citizenship is not required; the State Bar will not ask complainants about their citizenship or immigration status. The online complaint form is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

In 2019, the State Bar opened more than 900 cases in which a nonattorney was alleged to have engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, a 24 percent increase over the previous year. A portion of these cases involved the unauthorized practice of immigration law. The State Bar also reviews immigration-related complaints about attorneys and received more than 400 such complaints in 2019.

The State Bar advises anyone in California on steps they should take to avoid fraud from attorneys and unlicensed legal providers, including those using the title notario, by taking the following precautions:

• Ask for the attorney's full name and State Bar number. Before hiring an attorney or paying any sum of money, look up the attorney on the State Bar website or the state’s website in which they are purportedly licensed, to see if their license is active and whether they have any history of discipline. You can also call the State Bar at 800-843-9053 for information.
• If the attorney is representing you in immigration matters, make sure they are licensed to practice before the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The office posts a list of practitioners who are not currently authorized to practice or have been disciplined by the office.
• Get your contract in writing, and make certain to get receipts for payments you make.
• Be wary if someone requires cash payments. If you must pay in cash, be sure to get a written receipt.
• Do not hire anyone who threatens to report your immigration status if you do not pay them immediately or for any other reason.
• Keep a paper trail. If you do not have a bank account, use a cashier's check, and insist on a written receipt. If you have already made a payment, you are entitled to ask for an accounting of the fees and a description of the services being provided. 

Additional State Bar resources for consumers:

• Immigration legal resources
• Fraud alert for immigrants seeking legal aid to avoid family deportations English | Spanish

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The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.