I write this not as a malicious act and I will not even waste my time to request for my money nor file a complaint. But I write this just for people to be aware of how Jonathan Mandel ripped-off a desperate mother.
Mr. Madel was the second attorney that I hired to defend my son in the San Fernando Court system. I was desperately seeking to hear better news and blinded to move forward with Mr. Mandel's words that made me feel he was going to change the outcome of my son's case and I decided to switch to a attorney. Mr. Mandel and I spend many hours on phone calls taking about my son case; I email Mr. Mandel a complete package including the prelim hearing and police report to ensure he had all the necessary information to move forward from where the first Attorney had left off and that began our business relationship. Through the process, he would send me emails that were very hopeful, where he stated that he could get my son a disposition.
As the time started getting near to the court dates, our conversations began to decreasing and now, (looking back) I see that half of our conversations were spent by Mr. Mandel bad mouthing the Judge, the Co-Defendant's Attorney, and my first Attorney.
Mr. Mandel charged me 15k to represent my son and claimed he would get a reasonable plea bargain. At the beginning of this process, I was very naive and inexperienced as to the Court System. I went along with the assumption that he would work on ethics and assist us better than a court appointed Attorney.
During the begging of the process Mr. Mandel did convince the Judge to allow him permission to take charge of the case until October 2012 because he wouldn't want to be stuck going to trial.
Well, the October court date came and we found out that he hadn't even met with the Prosecutor for the District Attorney! I had been made to believe that he had made many attempts to meet with the Prosecutor but had been turned down every time. That was all a LIE!! It was until that day in court, while he addressed the Judge that he made false statement and notified the Judge that he couldn't precede with the representation of my son's case because I had fired him! I had no idea what he was going to state and I had NOT fired him as he stated!! Complete and FALSE statement was made to the Judge by Mr. Mandel. Without warning, to my son or myself!! Mandel took it upon himself to drop our case immediately after I made my last payment to him and without any ethics; flat out STOLE my money with his false representation and statements. He saw my vulnerability and my inexperience and abused me and my family. He told my son, "This case is harder than I thought it was" How can any ethical attorney NOT estimate his knowledge and capacity? This statement only further proves that he took our money without any remorse or consideration, not to say without using ethics. He knew that I had to borrow money and put my car in a title loan to obtain his services! He worked out a payment plan because I was very truthful about my financial status.
Mr. Mandel, proved with his actions, had no intentions on serving my son and assist us in settling the case; He specifically asked the Judge to allow him to work ONLY through October! He had all intentions of taking our money without actually doing anything for our case. He only asked permission for the case to be released to him until October!
I implore to you, who seek legal counsel, to NOT allow yourselves to be "brain washed" by attorneys like Mr. Mandel! Again, I do not write this to destroy his reputation, but to make everyone aware that he does not represent himself correctly. His prior experience as a Public Defender or Prosecutor means NOTHING when he is working without ethics. He has taken my money and my son's opportunity to have had an attorney who really cared to help our case.
At the end we were blessed with a good public defender and he got a lower disposition. read more
