Hat tip to RE for sending in this from Eric Wolff on Attorney Pines – here are excerpts:
The break-ins generated widespread news coverage, including from The Wall Street Journal, “Inside Edition,” and this newspaper, in part because of the public relations efforts by Pines that preceded each one.
The publicity generated interest from a slew of potential new clients and nonstop media requests for interviews, Pines said.
“My goal, frankly, is that I will get a TV show or radio show where once a week I can appear in the media, or be a guest on a show,” he said. “I can do a lot more good if I can inform millions of people.”
The lawyer appears to be in urgent need of the accompanying revenue: Pines —- who has instructed other attorneys on the subject —- has seven properties in the process of foreclosure, a bankruptcy judge considering holding him in contempt, and a pair of temporary restraining orders.
Meanwhile, the publicity from his take-back-the-house approach may be launching Pines back into solvency. Pines takes $5,000 up front in retainer, current and former clients said.
Before he started his publicity campaign, Pines posted to a message board that he would “probably be on TV and radio a lot soon.”
Before his foreclosure break-ins, he hired a public relations professional, and print and TV reporters typically knew the day and time of each scheduled break-in before the real estate agents or current owners of the home, although Pines makes it a practice to call the real estate agents for each home just before the lock gets picked.
He spent last week in court and doing interviews with Bloomberg Radio, “Inside Edition,” and a wide swath of local TV, print, Web, and radio reporters.
The result has been phones ringing constantly in his Encinitas office.
“They’re driving us crazy,” Pines said.
http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_83736414-b103-523b-90f7-b7cc440a865a.html
America has too many idle lawyers, bankers, and real estate agents (no offense) that seem to depend on opacity and endless paper shuffling to turn a profit. We need more creators solving big problems or the quality of life for future generations is going to be terrible. I’m on a horse.
Wait a minute! Pines has seven properties in foreclosure, restraining orders and maybe contempt of(bankruptcy) court and he’s advising clients re: their foreclosures @ $5,000 each? Yeah, sounds like a real expert. He’s nothing more than an “ambulance chaser” in real estate land…
Pines is just another pig who ate too much at the buffet.
He should get a sex change and sub for judge judy.
Can’t see the forest for the pines
Looks like his contempt of court hearing in his bankruptcy is coming up on October 28th.
The order to show cause issued by the court raises the possibility of incarceration for continuing to refuse to appear for examination by his Chapter 7 trustee.
This is not the normal course of proceedings for most bankruptcy cases.
<soapbox>
I don’t know what it is, but if you stop paying your mortgage it doesn’t give you the right to stay in that house. No free homes. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.
Ask Habitat for Humanity to build you a home and then you can stay its yours, but I’m not going to pay for you to steal a home.
All the rest of us who still pay a mortgage are paying for your transgressions.
Shame on you.
</soapbox>
Deadbeats defrauding deadbeats. Who could have known?
Meanwhile I’m just sitting with money and good credit waiting to buy.
OMG, a crooked lawyer? I thought all lawyers were honest. What a disappointment. Of course he’s now qualified to run for the House of Representatives, or maybe even become Secretary of the Treasury.
Basically the scam counts on it being years before anyone’s thrown in prison, and in the meantime he’s collecting everybody’s money. Think of today, not tomorrow.
Doesn’t work out so well when tomorrow comes.
Funny thing… I have seen a few very astute comments on here that keep being removed. If you cannot intelligently discuss the topic at hand, maybe you shouldn’t post about it. Removing accurate comments is dishonest. If one cannot trust you to be truthful on your site, why would one trust you as a realtor?
Thanks Nick.
It is my standard policy – nobody gets to promote their business here.
If he wants to comment without providing links back to his website that’s promoting his services, then fine.
Up until now, 100% of the people who comment on old posts are trying to promote their business.