Lisa was immediately helpful and provided actionable advice over my first phone call with her.

We ended up using Lisa and she was FABULOUS! Seriously.... Responsive, Smart, Tough Negotiator, Kind, Honest, and Understanding of my elderly neighbor needing things explained a few times. The type of lawyer you wish all lawyers were like. No regrets at all contracting with her legal services. read more

I'm really surprised with all the great reviews and especially the last one. New owners bought our triplex and we had requested they complete repairs such as adequate heat (it's 59 in our apartment most mornings and we have two small children), holes in our wood floors that have given us splinters and cuts (that we usually duck tape because we have children running around) and our 2year olds wall cracking and crumbling. After no action, we demanded they address these concerns or we will. 2 days later I received a notice to cease. The reason? For having a few toys (small sandbox, seasaw and water table) in our huge backyard that's not obstructing any walkway or other use of the yard. Her response? It's reasonable that the new owners who now live above us are excited about their new house and want to use their backyard, so we should comply! At least she admitted it was retaliation! They've also been harassing us (failing to perform due diligence while completing repairs or ignoring our requests altogether, asking for multiple "inspections" slamming their drawers and moving furniture at 5am every morning and waking my children up so we are all sleep deprived to which she said they just have different schedules...so I guess as paying tenants we can suffer sleep deprivation and my children's development can suffer but they get to "have a different schedule," and lastly, an unprovoked verbal attack heckling us and threatening to throw all of our stuff away) but I guess because we aren't being physically harmed it's no big deal? She even went in on me when asked if we were on good terms with our previous landlord and I told her I wasn't sure because when he was selling the property we had been asking him to work with us so we could nap our children. I was told how unreasonable (how dare I want my children to sleep in their home that we pay for!) that was and "no, that's absolutely unreasonable." I was in tears and didn't even understand how shoving that in my face had anything to do with our current situation. If you want an opinion and she believes you're deserving of the law on your side, call this woman. If you're looking for someone to lay out the law and help you fight your unreasonable and illegal eviction notice and being threatened and harassed, please go elsewhere. I am seriously shocked she was a volunteer for the SF Tenants Union and that she's a tenant lawyer. I thought I was speaking with a landlord lawyer. Her website even says, "That's called retaliation and it is ILLEGAL. A landlord that retaliates against a tenant for asserting their legal rights is breaking the law." She did talk with me for free for an hour but I've been beating myself up that I didn't hang up the minute she said I was completely unreasonable for wanting the previous landlord to work with us in regards to schedules so my babies can use their room that I pay for to sleep. read more

She may be a little acerbic for the tastes of some, but when it comes to finding an attorney who is going to make your case a personal issue, Lisa is the attorney to go to. As a tenant dealing with a landlord who had the potential to evict me from my home of almost 10 years, I am happy to have someone as passionate about tenants' rights giving me advice. Lisa made it clear from day one that she only represents tenants (some attorneys will represent tenants today and landlords tomorrow, just to keep the revenue streams open). She knows what tenants are going through because she has been through most of it herself. read more

Lisa was honest and straight forward when discussing matters of my situation. No matter the petty harassment I endured she was clear that unless I was served an eviction notice there was nothing to do. Six months later, when an eviction notice was served, Lisa jumped into action. Lisa swiftly defused a number situations with this landlord (and lawyer) with powerful, masterful letter/email communications that demonstrated her knowledge of law and keen use of language. Always sensitive to my financial limitations, Lisa advised against fighting an Unlawful Detainer (UD) in court--often risky, expensive and time consuming--rather suggested we draft a Petition to the Berkeley Rent Board. I have no doubt that without Lisa's representation at the hearing and prior, I would not have received the conclusion of a reduction of rent! Lisa is a no-nonsense, very pro-tenant "pit bull" with great enthusiasm and passion for the cause of protecting tenants! I highly recommend her for advice and representation when going up against an unreasonable landlords, threats of eviction or aggressive, bullying landlords. THUMBS UP for Lisa! read more

To cut to the chase, Lisa is awesome. She will fight like hell for you and is honest to a fault when discussing your case with you. She is very direct and will almost not allow you to take any legal action without first knowing the facts of your case and your honest, realistic chances of success. Some people just want an attorney who will do what they want because they think they know what needs to be done and how to do it. Lisa will disabuse you of those assumptions and guide you down the path most likely to get you the resolution you're seeking. And if you don't think you know what needs to be done she'll tell you honestly and then tirelessly work on your behalf to win your case. She may be too direct and blunt for some personalities, but I think it stems from her experience and comprehensive knowledge of housing law. Trust her and you can't go wrong. I had a problem that other housing attorneys told me was "easily winnable" but who wouldn't take my case, (maybe there wasn't enough money in it for them? I don't know). Lisa agreed to take it after a phone consultation and I am SO HAPPY circumstances landed me on her virtual doorstep. She went to bat for me and I'm happy to say it was quickly resolved in my favor. Also, while she may be listed as a San Francisco housing attorney, it seems like her knowledge of Oakland rent ordinances and housing law was as good or better than anyone working here, FYI. Thank you Lisa!! read more

First off - going through a list of tenant lawyers in SF Lisa was one of the most responsive. She took the time to talk through our issue when many other places just didn't respond or wouldn't even have a conversation without a basic fee. Lisa was immensely helpful working with us on an issue with a difficult landlord. She gave lots of great advice and helped us with the confidence we needed to get through the issue. She was very transparent with us about our not paying unnecessarily for services. I hugely appreciated that - we easily would've spent whatever someone said to address the issue. She had the integrity to tell us we really didn't need to be spending a lot of money resolving this. She clearly puts what's best for her clients first. Would absolutely work with here again and enthusiastically recommend her to others. read more

I had a terrible situation with my landlord giving me an Owner Move In eviction notice. I was terrified, upset and didn't have a clue what I was going to do. I found Lisa and she took control of the situation. She is incredible, working tirelessly to get me out of my predicament. She is completely transparent and honest with fees and your situation. If you're reading this you probably have trouble with your landlord and I can wholeheartedly recommend Lisa to fight your corner. Seriously, if you're having landlord problems, hire Lisa. read more

Over the past year, I have spoken with every single tenants rights lawyer in San Francisco. Lisa Giampaoli is the best. Her response time is lightning quick. We spoke three times over the phone before I signed a contract for her services as attorney. Its seemed like she did not want me to hire her until she could be useful. My situation was complicated, she hacked it up into manageable pieces which enabled me to deal like a functioning adult human. She was able to negotiate with my landlord's attorney, who has unanimous reviews of terrible. Lisa is honest, direct, intelligent and ethical. She is good at her job. I highly recommend Lisa Giampaoli. read more

We has the pleasure of working with lisa and have been nothing but 100% satisfied with her hard work and dedication. We were given her name from friends of ours who used her and we have nothing but good things to say about her. We had an issue with our landlord and we asked lisa to help us sort it out. I met her for an hour one morning and from there I explained my story and she agreed to represent us. Thankfully we never had to go to a mediator or to court but yet we got a settlement that we were very happy with and we couldn't have done it without Lisa's help and dedication. She is an amazing lady and is very very good at her job and always kept us in the loop of what was going on with numerous emails and calls. I cannot say enough of good things about lisa. I wholeheartedly recommend her for your needs read more

Lisa Giampaoli is amazing. I had called to inquire about a particular rent controlled housing situation and figured I would get an appointment. Lisa pleasantly surprised me with a very detailed assessment and insight into the situation over a 30 min call. She clarified everything for me and gave me guidance on exactly what do to next. All of this for free. I was pretty stressed out before my call and have been feeling light and resolved since the call :) thank you Lisa! You are truly someone who likes to help others. You will be the first person I refer to when I or someone I know has a housing issue. read more

Lisa Giampaoli has been tireless in her efforts for me. She did an extremely thorough job in informing me of what my rights were, and then in working on my behalf. She was extremely responsive, communicative and clear. Lisa went above and beyond for me. I feel extremely grateful to have had her help. I highly recommend her! read more

I've never met an attorney who wasn't just out to get paid. After the first few seconds on the phone with Lisa I could tell she was coming from a genuine place. She's very knowledgeable, and her direct approach was refreshing. If you need an attorney who is familiar with landlord/Tenant Law you would be doing yourself a favor to contact Lisa. I would like to thank her publicly for the professional service she provided me. read more

One initial phone call to Lisa immediately prevented me from being evicted. She is a great communicator who is in this business for the right reason: she is a people person who helps people. read more

After being contacted by my landlord's extremely aggressive attorney, another highly rated tenant lawyer recommended I contact Lisa. He said that she could deal with the type of personality my landlord had hired, and that she knew San Francisco rent ordinance and relevant law very well. His exact words were "she's your attorney". And he was absolutely right. I feel extremely lucky to have found Lisa, and would highly recommend her for any SF tenant law or eviction issue. read more