Louis Peter Pilato

Louis Peter Pilato

also known as Lou Pilato, Louis Pilato

3.0
Rating: 8.3

Licensed for 52 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Rancho Mission Viejo, CA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Litigation ... +2 more

36 Lomada Street, Rancho Mission Viejo, CA

About Louis

Biography

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 50%

38 years | 7,500 cases

50%
DUI and DWI 15%

38 years | 2,500 cases

15%
Litigation 15%

38 years | 500 cases

15%
Sex Crime 10%

38 years

10%
Violent Crime 10%

38 years

10%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 60 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 18 years

State: California

Acquired: 2007

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in New York for 52 years

State: New York

Acquired: 1973

Currently Registered

No misconduct found

Location

Pilato Law Offices

36 Lomada Street, Rancho Mission Viejo, CA, 92694

James McConvill & Associates Orange County

5000 Birch Street, Suite 3000, West Tower, Newport Beach, CA, 92660

James McConvill & Associates Tri Valley

6200 Stoneridge Mall Road, 3rd Floor, Pleasanton, CA, 94588

James McConvill & Associates Silicone Valley

228 Hamilton Ave, 3rd Floor, Palo Alto, CA, 94301

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Louis Peter Pilato's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

3.0 /5.0

8 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (8) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 8 reviews

Posted by anonymous | October 24, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Beware!

Man, where do I even begin with this guy? First thing things *STAY FAR AWAY* from this guy, my family dished out 10k for this guy and he did nothing but fill my head with lies/tell me things I wanted to hear only for none of those things to come to fruition, he is extremely uncommutative and uninform...ed. "I" myself had to tell him in the jury box that a better deal had been worked out between the DA and someone more competent at the law firm he represents and Mr.Pilato had no clue what I was referring to, on top of that, Mr.Pilato had completely forgotten we had met during our second time meeting with each other, in his exact words: "he didn't want to know the details of my case and when it did come time for me to finally sign a deal he informed me I'd be getting released 2 months sooner than I actually was. I genuinely feel my family wasted 10k on this guy and that I could've got a better deal representing myself and or going with a public defender, please do your research and save yourself as well as your loved one some time and money and don't hire this guy. These 5 star reviews I am seeing are bullsh!t and maybe at one point in his younger days he was somewhat competent but now I genuinely feel it's time for him to retire. BEWARE

Posted by Lola | May 23, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Hands down the best

I am extremely happy with the results. When he walked into the courtroom it was evident he was well known. It took nearly a year to fight the case, but he was able to lower the felony to a misdemeanor with no jail time. You will not regret hiring this attorney. He has over 40 years as a criminal defe...nse lawyer and was a former DA. He knows how the DA's think. He was expensive, but worth it! The firm let me make payments after paying a down-payment.

Posted by Darlene | March 27, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

MRS

if you want to be in prison for the rest of your life hire Calabria Law Group and Louis Pilato. Si usted quiere estar en la carcel por el resto de su vida contrate a Calabria Law Office and Louis Pilato. La Sra. Rosa le dirá maravillas del bufete y dsps que pague no le contestarán mas. Si usted tuvo ...un problema con este bufete escriba a mi email [email protected]

Posted by Tanisha | January 20, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Scum Bucket & Crooks

Louis Pilato & law firm he works for Calabria Law Group. To the money I put down & ran with it. My son is facing serious charges against him and has been since Sept 2021. I hired Louis Pilato for my son case. The courts were in the process of determining if my son was competent or incompetent. due to... his disability. I had asked Louis about getting charges reduced or dropped & also the bail reduced. He said 2 cases were being looked at in my sons case. To see if he was competent or incompetent. No bail reduction motion was ever file nor charges dropped. He never went to visit my son while in Riverside County jail & it was so hard to get in contact with him. I have emails trying to reach him. One email he sent he thought it was going to the law firm he works for. It just so happened I was included in it. He was basic letting he= know he don't have time to talk to me because he is very busy. That was very upsetting to me because I was paying him. He only showed up to 3 of my sons court appearances & the 3rd one he relieved himself. He never put up a fight for my sons case. The public defender that was appointed to my son that day, told me I should report Louis Pilato to the State Bar because he had my son going straight to the state hospital. I am still fight this case for my son 1 yr 4 months later. If he was that good then my son would be out of this mess. DO NOT HIRE LOUIS PETER PILATO OR HIS LAW FIRM CALABRIA LAW GROUP.!!!!!

Posted by Audrey | December 27, 2021 | Criminal Defense

Honest, knowledgeable.m

Mr. Plato was not our Defense Attorney. I consulted with him post conviction after firing our Attorney for lying throughout the ordeal of our lives, and for doing nothing at all in my son's case. Nothing. 3 years and we had to push to start trial and our *great* Attorney didn't even know the case and... texted his way too young girlfriend all thru trial. Distracted much? I was traumatized by this man. He verbally abused, lied and had more than enough evidence to get a not guilty, and he presented nothing. There's so much more but I'm not here about him. I'm here out of gratitude for Mr. Pilato. Like I said, it was post conviction. My son was convicted by the lies of 1 witness and a detective for the arresting agency. Now he testified as an amazing social media expert. Dude didn't know what an activity log is. Real good expert right? His every word had a lie attached. The court appointed another attorney, who ignored us 11 months and still does. He only responds about court dates. So after conviction, there's a new trial or an appeal. Those are the 2 chances we have to get the truth out. Nobody will help us and the first Attorney took every dollar I had, and then some, so I couldn't hire anyone else. I would've found a way to hire Mr. Pilato. Unfortunately, he couldn't take on our case because he's got others and so obviously, didn't have the time it would take for our case. I can't tell you how much I appreciated his honesty on that. Our other attorney didn't have time for our case, so he pushed trial back for 3+ years and was angry to start trial. He should've told me he didn't have time for our case. He didn't look at evidence, didn't interview witnesses. No time. Here, I've got a non-retained Attorney telling me honestly that he didn't have the time needed. That's Honest. I consulted with Louis Pilato several times. I found him to be very patient with my many, many questions. He is very knowledgeable in criminal law. I got so much more information from him than the Ghost of an Attorney that I had paid $70,000 to...again, , to sit and text his GF sitting with me in the hallway. Mr. Pilato answered my questions outright which is something I've never experienced before. Every other attorney was incredibly vague in answering anything until after retained I suppose. Even when they advertise, "free consultation" , all answers are, well, I'd have to be retained to answer that. Their free consults are a waste of time. Thanks to Mr. Pilato I understand a little better and have more knowledge as to what we need to do. I wouldn't have to do all the work I am doing now. All we needed was an Attorney. This would have been done already, and my son would be home. I know this is long. Bottom line is I'd recommend and hire Mr. Pilato in a heartbeat. You can't go wrong with that kind of Attorney.

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Louis Peter Pilato's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Louis
Sapana Grossi headshot
Sapana Grossi

Litigation lawyer | Nov 14

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. I have had the opportunity to work with Lou on several matters. Not only is Lou extremely dignified and professional, he is also a highly experienced and skilled attorney who is very comfortable in the courtroom. He is tough when necessary and always seeks to obtain the best result for his clients."

Geoff A. Dulebohn headshot
Geoff Dulebohn

General practice lawyer | Jun 01

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse Mr. Pilato as an exemplary attorney and a true professional. I had the opportunity to work with him on a range of difficult cases, both civil and criminal, and to learn from his expertise. I regard him as thoughtful, experienced, and ethical. In fact, very few other lawyers can deliver such quality results. Having worked with hundreds of other lawyers, Louis is surely one of the best. For all of these reasons and more, you want Louis Pilato with you in court, confident in your selection of such a worthy advocate."

View All Endorsements
Sapana Grossi headshot
Sapana Grossi

Contracts and agreements lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.3 (Excellent)

Honors

2019

Distinguished, Martindale-Hubbell

2018

Distinguished, Martindale-Hubbell

2017

Distinguished, Martindale-Hubbell

2016

Distinguished, Martindale-Hubbell

2015

BV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2005

Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in American Law -Marquis

Work Experience

2007 - Present

Owner, Pilato & Associates

1996 - 2005

Managing Partner, Fero, Pilato & Ingersoll

Associations

2007 - Present

State Bar of California

Member

1974 - Present

New York State Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

People v. Client

NG Verdicts after trial

See More Legal Cases

Education

1974

Buffalo School of Law

Juris Doctorate

1967

Universtity of Miami

Bachelor of Arts - Magna Cum Laude

Languages

English

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