Orange County District Attorney seeking public’s help regarding fake attorney

The Orange County District Attorney is seeking the public’s help in identifying potential additional victims of a fake attorney who solicited to clients his legal services and handled cases despite being unlicensed and unauthorized to practice law. Amardeep Singh Gill, 44, Artesia, is charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of the unauthorized practice of law and faces a maximum sentence of 13 years in jail if convicted. The People will be requesting Gill be held on $100,000 bail on the amended complaint at a hearing this morning, Friday, July 29, 2011, in Department C-47, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

In order to be an attorney authorized to practice law in California, a person must pass an examination administered by the State Bar of California and be a registered member. State law prohibits unlicensed practitioners and business from offering unauthorized legal services to protect consumers from being defrauded. The law also seeks to uphold the public’s trust by protecting peoples’ legal rights to be represented by an attorney having the specialized knowledge and skill required to practice law. Gill is accused of retaining clients seeking legal services despite never being an active member registered with the California State Bar as required by law.

Beginning in 2003, Gill is accused of fraudulently owning and operating Gill & Associates, P.C., by misrepresenting himself as a licensed attorney in the State of California, including adding the suffix “Esq.” to his name. Gill is accused of having fraudulent law offices in Orange and Los Angele Counties located at:

Artesia Office: 17127 Pioneer Boulevard, Suite M3

Lakewood Office: 5150 E. Candlewood Street, Suite 17E

Bakersfield Office: 1603 California Avenue, Suite 115

San Jose Office: 888 North First Street, Suite 214

Gill is accused of offering his unauthorized legal services at www.gillassociates.webs.com and claiming to have 11 years of experience with legal specialties including immigration, corporate, contracts, information technology, business and tax, civil litigation, and criminal defense. He is accused of requiring a non-refundable $2,000 fee to initially review a case in addition to a minimum $10,000 retainer, which is subject to increase on a case-by-case basis and does not include expenses or costs incurred to try the case. The defendant is also accused of advertising that he charges an additional fee of $100,000 for his minimum retainer if a client’s business address is between South Street and California State Route 91 in the cities where his offices were located.

Beginning in May 2010, Gill is accused of meeting and falsely representing himself as an attorney to a person who was looking for legal representation to sue his employer due to injuries he had sustained while working on a job site. Gill is accused of acting as the victim’s “attorney” in the case by filing several legal documents with the court and making court appearances and participating in proceedings. On Jan. 3, 2011, at a hearing on the case, Gill is accused of being unable to provide a State Bar number when requested by the Superior Court Judge. On three separate Notices of Appeal forms for judgments entered against his client, Gill is accused of pretending that his Bar number was protected by State law when the form requested his State Bar number.

On Jan. 21, 2011, the Court reported Gill to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, who investigated the case. Gill turned himself in to the court on July 12, 2011, and was arraigned on seven misdemeanor counts of the unauthorized practice of law. Gill will be arraigned today on an amended complaint charging Gill him with six additional misdemeanor counts of the same violation.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim or has additional information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Katherine Kriskovic at (714) 347- 8817.

Deputy District Attorney Andrew Katz of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.