The Oakland Defense Group

I have seriously debated whether I should post this review. I have ultimately decided to post it with the intention of possibly preventing anguish and a life sentence. If you need representation for a particular category of charge, your case will be assigned to Summit’s attorney with the initials J.R., as he is the only one there that handles these cases. While Mr. R. is an affable gentleman, I believe his effectiveness in a courtroom defending highly incendiary charges is very lacking. This review, therefore, applies only to his skills in the courtroom defense setting. In this setting, I, as a lay person, believe you must fight fire with fire. A District Attorney will have all barrels blazing. A robust Defense is as much about style as it is substance. Mr.
R is heavy on substance but highly lacking in style. By «style,» I mean… the jury at times had to strain their ears to hear him. His delivery flatly lacked emotion. He did not bring to light salient points which the entire crux of the case hinged on (more of a substance issue here, actually).
Mr. R told me he disagrees about the «meet fire with fire» philosophy, believing that a softer approach is the antidote to diffuse D.A. arguments. Perhaps this gentle style worked well at some point in the past, but no more. I wish I had asked this ONE question before making the decision to hire this firm. «What is the lawyer’s courtroom style against his opponent?» Had I known to ask this question, and had I received an honest response, I’d like to think I would have gone elsewhere. Having been through this process recently, in my opinion what is needed is a robust, aggressive defense. Neither word describes Mr. R in a courtroom setting. I would also want my lawyer to ensure there was at least one face on the jury that was similar to my own (a jury of one’s peers?) The case of which I write was that of an african american defendant, yet not one african american juror sat in the juror box. That alone is a travesty in such a racially diverse area as the Bay Area. Had a different firm been hired, of course there’s no way to know what the outcome might have been. I’ve got to think he’d at least been given a fighting chance that he was not afforded at Summit Defense.

Robert Preskill is a true advocate and superior negotiator. He is thorough with his questioning as well as setting expecations with regard to next steps. I would recommend him to anyone in need of a true team leader.
Steve

I recommend Robert Preskill who is an excellent problem solver, manager, and advocate.

I just wanted to reaffirm everything I said previously about this firm and, in particular, Rabin. They appear to have a new name now, but as long as they have him, they’re golden.

This is in regards to Robert Preskill of Summit Defense in Oakland. How do I know his full name? He was supposed to represent me in my upcoming DUI case. I have never hired an attorney before, and I’ve always heard of the horror stories of people being represented by attorneys they should have done more research on. So, I got online and « Unilocaled» a bunch of firms and came to Summit Defense. I was connected to a lady who transferred me to the first attorney available. Robert seemed a little rushed when speaking to me about my case but I just thought if you’re busy you must be doing a good job as an attorney. We agreed on $ 2000 to represent me. He told me he is doing a huge favor for me and I told him I appreciate it.
Not only did he not return my calls like he said he would, but also cancelled the first meeting in his Oakland office and didn’t reschedule. Then, he let me know that he’s very busy and happy that I could be so flexible with my schedule. So he decided to do a phone interview with me instead. Well that didn’t matter as of today… I give him a call today, three days before my court case. I left a message and his machine asked me if I wanted to send it with normal delivery or urgent. I had not heard from him in a while so I sent it with urgent delivery. I received a call maybe 20 minutes later. I answer stating my name and he answers back angry. He asks me if I’m a client of his and I reply «yes». May I add this has to be the fourth or fifth call I have given him and every time I have to repeat my story. I should’ve known then I wasn’t that important to him. Anyways back to the phone call. I once again remind him of my court and case. He asked if I had signed any papers with him or paid him. I said «no» and reminded him of the instructions he gave me, which was to come up with $ 1000 before my court date and $ 1000 more after. Also, an extra $ 500 if it went to trial. By then I thought he would remember.
Instead he starts yelling at me about ‘getting him out of court and that I am not one of his clients and how dare I make him lose it (his temper)’. Then, he starts going on and on about what I didn’t do and how I’m «not serious if I didn’t pay him yet» and told me that «You don’t even have the money!» By then I got really upset. I reminded him that I have never been in trouble with the law before so how am I supposed to do something if I’m not told what to do or how to proceed. I told him I don’t appreciate his tone and that he was making me feel bad for not following THE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS HE TOLD ME TO DO. He then started back-​pedaling, stating he was «sorry». I told him I’m going to write a letter on how unprofessional he was to me and that yelling at me and making me feel bad didn’t help either of us. I apologized about «making» him have to leave court and told him I have nothing else to say to him. Thanks, it’s already stressful to have to go to jail and court for something that should have never happened. But to make someone feel worse because of your unprofessionalism, just takes the cake. Never hire Robert Preskill as your attorney, he expects you to know the system even though it’s his JOB to do so. Plus, he probably won’t remember you anyway.

Very bad experience… If you are an imigrant never ever think of hiring them. They will never attend your call and will shout at you if you call them.
For them your case is small, they are the worst people to hire.
Rabin thinks he is a Robin hood, very inconsiderate.
I hope everyone gets their case resolved at a better place than summit defense.