Dennis Paul Block

My experience with Dennis Block & Associates involved specific issues that potential clients should be aware of: In February 2025, I retained Dennis Block & Associates for an Ellis Act filing for my property, paying a $17,000 retainer via two ACH transfers ($10,000 and $7,000). After two months, n...o substantive work was completed on my case - only a few emails requesting basic documents were exchanged. When I needed to pause the process to address a REAP issue with my building and requested a refund, I encountered several concerning issues: The retainer agreement was never countersigned by the firm, which appears to violate California Business & Professions Code § 6148 requiring mutual execution of fee agreements over $1,000. The agreement contained contradictory language: one section stated "Client has the right to a refund of any amount of the fee that has not been earned in the event the representation is terminated," while another claimed the fee was "not refundable." When I requested a refund, Block's office refused to return the unearned portion of my retainer, offering only $1,000 for costs. When I cited the legal requirement for signed agreements, I received an email stating my request was "in bad faith" and suggesting legal action against me if I pursued the matter. Despite my requests, I never received an itemized accounting showing how $16,000 worth of services could have been performed when no actual work was completed on my Ellis Act filing. I have since filed a complaint with the California State Bar regarding these issues. I recommend that potential clients carefully review and retain copies of all agreements, ensure they are properly executed, and clarify refund policies in writing before making payments.

Worst, most detrimental Attorney, and most dishonest Attorney representation we have ever experienced. I am an attorney, but I do not practice Eviction / Unlawful Detainer law. So my partner and I retained Dennis Block’s office to handle an Eviction Trial to evict a non-paying Tenant. Huge mista...ke, unfortunately. Attorney Block charged a high retainer, we received very little representation services, and they were largely useless. Especially considering that Block’s Office charged us many thousands of dollars and then promised us a partial refund which we never received. Despite many requests fir the refund, all we received were broken promises and lies. Their Office clearly and repeatedly breached their agreement to refund us the promised funds. Our complaints to the State Bar, requests for Arbitration, and requests for our promised refund have so far been fruitless. So we now have no choice but to sue the Block Office for Breach of their Agreements and to get our refund. The Block Office and the State Bar oversight have let us down for months.

Horrible experience. Don’t hire this group. Paid him $7500 and all I needed was a lawyer to represent me the day of court everything else I did. Two lawyers showed up late with a long list of people to represent, not the lawyer that they said would show up. They were unprepared. I had to ask who’s wi...th Dennis Block in the court hallway over and over again. Random person pointed to a man. They never asked for me personally. One was rude telling a man to not speak or he wouldn’t represent him. They didn’t do anything and knew nothing about my case after charging me prep time, traveling time and court time. A court appointed a mediator, she helped me and the tenant come to an agreement. One lawyer wrote the agreement and presented it to the judge. He spent 45 minutes on my case. I could have just used the Mediator. I was never sent an Itemized Statement and when I called they sent me an inflated bill of services I never recieved, such as reading about my case, lawyer prep time, 4 hours court time, travel time, sheriff paperwork, etc. All BS. The Itemized Statement said I had a $1600. Refund due to me, BUT when I requested that refund my phone calls were never answered and I have yet to receive my Refund. My emails and phone calls are ignored or never answered.

While no other Landlord Lawyers during Covid were willing to take my case because legitimate fears of losing, Dennis P Block was the only one willing to take my money. I asked him about the chances of winning my illegal Sub-Tenancy case and that day hungry Dennis Block himself answered and told me "...People do not pay me for my good looks" so I thought I was going to win. He typed up everything about my case over the phone, and collected my money without sending me a complete engagement agreement to sign. He wrote a up a letter/notice to the tenant and sent it that same day, while I had not yet signed his engagement agreement. I did not know he was that desperate for money. The tenant received his notice the Feb 8 the same day after he had paid me and went crazy on me. The tenant then got California State Sponsored Attorney Basta firm to represent him. The case I thought was going ok, but they kept charging me frivolous court appearances while the tenants attorney was appearing remotely Dennis P Blocks attorney were going in to court to rack up the bill. Fast forward, I was at the mandatory settlement conference in June 2021, the tenant offered to pay all back rent and asked to stay, I asked Dennis Blocks attorney what do do, all he said was "Whichever path you take, you cannot turn back" what kind of answer is that? So I refuse the settlement, and I regret it now, we were set for what I thought was a trial which was set for 08/26/2021. On 08/25/2021 I flew from Maryland where I live currently for trial, but guess what there was no trail and I did not need to be there because the tenant asked for Jury Trail and Dennis Block knew this information before hand and did not tell me that It was a Non-Jury Trail and chances are tenant will ask for Jury trail, or that I could have appeared remotely. In fact the day before 08/26 Melinda (whatever her name is) who sounded like an attorney but knows how to get you to pay, called me, asking for more money "so that Dennis Block could be ready for trial" she said "we need to be ready for trail so we need a minimum of $3000." She was lying. A trial which they knew was not going to happen. I mean are they naive? Do they not know the games tenants will play? I kept asking her on the phone, if I needed to fly down or not, but she had no idea. In fact no one replied back to my emails, so I took an emergency flight that night for $500 to LA for the trial next day. I was looking forward to getting justice the next day, but the next day when I went to court for the so called trial lol there was an young attorney there with a 2 page file in his hand who tells me there is no trial today, huh?? Why did I come down? Why did they not simply reply back to my email telling me I did not need to come? The attorney at this point asked me about Evidence against the tenant? Now, all these thoughts in my mind were going crazy, I started to cry, I hardly ever cry, I said you are barely asking me for evidence now after 7 months? I came ready for trial and now the tenant wanted Jury Trial? Per the attorney, cost of Jury trail $2500 a day and could last 5 days. That's $12500 I no longer had plus the jury trial date for sometimes in February 2022 6 months later. So he asked me about settling. There is so much more to this.. Due to character limitation, I cannot write and tell you the entire agony this firm has put me through. They need to be reported. Call me if you need more info on them 3108972699 check out my review on google and yelp also...

Hired firm to evict tenant in Lancaster. Firm still owes us $600 for services billed but not provided. This does not include the ten weeks of rental revenue lost because of their total lack of knowledge of our case. Prior review is true, Dennis Block himself is the worse. Phoned him to discuss th...e money still due our company and he hung up on me. Billed us $1,310 for work never performed. I asked eight times for a conformed copy of a filing but never received it. Also attorneys showed up for two hearing completely unprepared forcing us to get a continuance. They then had the nerve to bill us $350 each hearing for incompetent representation. They then refused to take these charges off our bill. I will be filing a complaint with the California State Bar.