Jonathan Baxter Lafrance

Jonathan Baxter Lafrance

3.4
Rating: 7.0

Licensed for 29 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Santa Clarita, CA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Family

25060 Avenue Stanford, Suite 245, Santa Clarita, CA

About Jonathan

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 29 years

State: California

Acquired: 1997

Active

No misconduct found

Location

The Law Offices of Jonathan B. LaFrance, P.A.

25060 Avenue Stanford, Suite 245, Santa Clarita, CA, 91355

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Jonathan Baxter Lafrance's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

3.4 /5.0

18 Client Reviews

Showing 6 - 10 of 12 reviews | Professionalism

Posted by anonymous | February 09, 2022 | Hired Attorney

Horrible Person

I had the exact same experience the other 1 star reviewer shared. Hired Jon for child custody matters and all he did was charge me non stop for supposed work he was doing. So then why on the day before court and working on my case you kept moving up so you could work more on it did you have nothing a...nd tell me the Client I had to prepare everything for you and your office. He’s a fraud! And he’s rude and demeaning. I’m a single mother and spent around 14,000 for him to show up once to court and not have anything prepared for my judge. The judge in my case told me I needed to file a complaint with state board. So I did. Disgusting

Posted by Erika | October 06, 2021 | Hired Attorney

Hired Lafrance on June 16, 2021

I retained Lafrance on June 16, 2021, and I had such an awful experience with this man. He never wanted to actually do any type of work to settle my divorce but just continued to deduct money from the $6,000 retainer. He was wasting time and meanwhile continued to deduct more money from the $6,000 b...ased on the emails that I was sending him, asking if he had read anything with the 2 months that I had given him. In order to be updated with my divorce case. He needed to take over where my first attorney had left off but his intentions were never to do any actual paperwork. He would respond to few of me and I asked him if he doesn't respond to emails much? Then he said..."we can go through each and every one of your emails to me, so,, that you feel thoroughly satisfied that you are being be heard". I was in SHOCK!! Because I did not pay him $6,000 just for him to tell that he just wanted to listen to me. I wanted him to do some actual paperwork such as spousal support proposal and legal fees but he never did anything like that. He was deducting more more money from the $6,000 retainer and then I told him that the Board of Attorneys of California clearly says that if a client has an objections regarding the bill, to speak to the attorney about it and try to resolve it but when I told him this. This is when he Kick Me to the Curb and told me to find myself another attorney. Then he said..."you should find yourself another attorney because you and I are not a good fit". I said...that's fine, I just want you to return all my original divorce documents as soon as possible so that I can find another attorney to take over bit I would like for you to return my $6,000 retainer because you didn't do any actual paperwork for my divorce. Then, he wouldn't respond for days after I kept sending him emails. Then later on August 31, 2021, I wrote a complaint against him with the Board of Attorneys because he refuses to return all my original divorce documents. Which he said..."you are not at any disadvantage because you told me that these were copies and you also said that you 2 flash drive". I told him that it doesn't matter whether I have 2 flash drives or not. Because I paid $4,148, to my previous attorney to print them out for me. When I called him on August 31, 2021, I told him that I would like to stop by his office the next day to sign the Credit Card Authorization-Refund and pick up my divorce documents. This is when began to scream at me over the telephone and said..."I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU HERE IN MY OFFICE" "I JUST WANT TO SIGN THE SUBSTITUTION OF ATTORNEY AND CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION-REFUND RIGHT NOW TODAY ". I was trying to talk but he would continue to raise his voice at me and which is something that I never had experience with an attorney, except my soon to be ex-husband who would verbally and physically abused for 35 years. I told him that the Substitution of Attorney already had my signature because he made sure that this paper was signed on the very day that I retained him. Which I didn't make anything of it. I thought that this was something that maybe some attorneys do? Because my first attorney never did it when I first hired her. I asked him...can I record our conversations because I don't want the same thing to happen again. Because my first attorney would things over the telephone and on her emails would be something very different. Then, he said..."No, I don't authorize the recording of Attorney-client telephone calls". I should of FIRED this attorney because all he has done is harass me til the present day. I even had to file a small claims against him, which it will take place in November 4, 2021. Everyone speaks very well of this man but he is not honest but he is deceitful. Especially when I told him that I was verbally and physically abused by my soon to be ex-husband. I truly believe that he is on my soon to be ex-husband side and this is why he did not want to do any paperwork to end my divorce

Posted by Adolph | May 04, 2020 | Hired Attorney

Quick witted, Clever, very personal, fast, & gets it handled

I was involved in a rear end auto collision on the 405 Freeway. I was recommended by a friend to contact Jonathan Lafrance. What I was looking for and liked about this law firm is its personal touch. I had contacted other law firms with 10 or 20 partners and Jr associates and felt like I was just goi...ng to deal with a non personal processing plant that would just stretch out the case. I found his office was very pleasant and very easy to deal with including Mr Lafrance. He settled my case just like I imagined a very good attorney would. A short time later I was being personally sued. This was a fraudulent law suit and had to prove this in court. Mr Lafrance took the bull by the horns and handled my case very efficiently resulting in me winning the case. Jonathan Lafrance handled my case and got it done. I am now going to let his Law Firm incorporate a LLC for me and handle my future legal business dealings. I highly recommend this law firm.

Posted by Advanced | April 29, 2020 | Hired Attorney

Great attorney

Attorney Jonathan la France did a great job defending me in a civil suit filed by my next-door neighbor in city of Malibu. As I was building my new ocean view home. The next neighbor filed a civil lawsuit to stop me from building my home. My neighbor felt that my house would block a small portion of ...his view. I had an approved set of plans stamp by the city of Malibu to build. The lawsuit was extraordinarily complex regarding lot lines, surveying, ancient landslides and lot line markers. Special surveyors had to be hired to be mitigate property lines. Mr La France and his team work extremely hard, day and night even weekends to get paperwork filed with the courts on time. Mr La France determination and attention to details resulted in the dismissal of the restraining order. This resulted in money saved and a brand-new home. Thanks Mr La France!!!

Posted by anonymous | April 28, 2020

awful! !!! steer clear!!!

I had previously been a client of this attorney for years. My case was not handled professionally AT ALL. Attorney/client privilege was never respected. Acts like he's doing you a bunch of favors yet, in reality won't do a thing for you except charge you through the roof and give you the run around. ...He is very shady and conniving. If you care enough about yourself, your case, your family or your children, than steer clear from this attorney and choose someone more respectable and competent to handle your case and hopefully with more professionalism.

Jonathan Lafrance

Replied last April 28, 2020

I do not recall any client that would have a legitimate complaint like this one. As you are anonymous I invite you to contact me to try to resolve this if I can. I can only say that I care deeply about my clients, their families and the economics of going through litigation. I strive to be more than fair and very competent in all client matters. I know it can be very hard on everyone involved in a lawsuit. Like all attorneys, I sometimes have to tell clients things that are hard for them to hear but I am duty bound to by truthful and hold confidences. Sometimes clients will bring 3rd parties into their case as percipient or character witnesses and in doing so certain information is necessarily relayed. But, as most attorneys, I am extremely protective of client privileges. I address this issue with each client on the onset of representation to protect the client's interests, and even include such boundaries in writing in all my legal services agreements. Again, without knowing more I can only make these general statements.

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Jonathan Baxter Lafrance's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Jonathan
Mark Rubashkin headshot
Mark Rubashkin

Family lawyer | Sep 24

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Jonathan LaFrance is a fantastic attorney, and I refer him family law and criminal defense cases from our farm. Our clients that we were for our always extremely satisfied and give John the highest reviews. He has a wealth of knowledge in both areas, is an outstanding person, and a great lawyer."

Brian James Breiter headshot
Brian Breiter

Criminal defense lawyer | Sep 24

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I have been referring Criminal-Defense. to John LaFrance for over 15 years. He is an outstanding attorney and advocate for his clients. He never gives up, treat them with respect, and gets amazing results. John LaFrance is my go to guy!"

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Experience

Rating:  7.0 (Very Good)

Education

1996

Florida State University College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1991

University of Central Florida

BS - Bachelor of Science

Languages

English

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