Joseph Tobener

Like everything else in life, there are good lawyers and bad lawyers, but Joe Tobener is a GREAT lawyer. He's about as knowledgeable, honest, and strategic as they come. He should be your first call.

Joe Tobener at the Tobener Law Center is one of the most dedicated attorneys I've met. His dedication to tenants is clear from his prompt responses to client questions and impressive knowledge of state and local laws. He focuses on landlord/tenant law and has become one of the premier Bay Area tenant lawyers but still offers very reasonable fee rates and structures. I have recommended him to many friends with tenant issues and would do so again.

Tobener was very kind and thorough in helping me discuss the pros and cons of my issue with an illegal eviction notice, helping me make the decision that was best for me. When it became clear he was not the right lawyer for the case, he referred me to a very able attorney who had been a great help so far.

Attorney Tobener is one of the best! He was super helpful -- he explained my rights, set my expectations based on the strength of my case and even shared the relevant Civil Code statutes. We ended up winning!

We cannot express how grateful our family to Mr. Tobener’s help! We were renting a house in SF, paying our rent on time and had a lease until June 2016. However, in late August, 2015, we suddenly received a letter which stated that our landlord has been confirmed of bankruptcy and our lease was no longer valid. The disbursing agent, who is the attorney of the bank, told us by phone that we would have to vacate by November, and that he would get a court order to evict us. We were shocked and distressed. We have two small children who had just started their new school. How can we find a good school and move them in the beginning of a new school year? One of us just started a demanding job. Looking for a new home and moving will take too much time to put the new job at risk. The eviction threats caused both of us to lose a lot of sleep. We began to search for a tenant rights lawyer. We made a lot of phone calls and talked with several firms. However, most firms rejected us because our case is too complicated with the involvement of bankruptcy issue. We found one attorney who was willing to give it a try. However, he charged us a lot of money for legal search and asked us to pay more for further search. We felt that we may end up to wasting a lot of money, but still be evicted by November. We finally found Mr. Tobener, who was referred to us by a tenant lawyer. He told us Mr. Tobener can help us, but warned us that Tobener Law Center is a high-end firm. In the first 15 minutes call, Mr. Tobener immediately told us the law and the controlling case in this situation. He wrote a letter to the bank attorney the second day, which completely turned the situation around. We were amazed by his familiarity with the law and the power of his letter. The bank attorney immediately withdrew his threats in writing after he received Mr. Tobener’s letter. At that point, we knew we are in good hands. Surprisingly, Mr. Tobener’s legal fee is much less than the first attorney we hired since he spent substantial less time. During the next ten months, Mr. Tobener helped us in every step. He fiercely protected our tenant rights and diligently negotiated the settlement offer for us. He carefully listened to our needs and gave us great advice. He always answered our emails and phones promptly. He is very nice, and he is competent and strong at the same time. The bank attorney and his agents were not reasonable, but Mr. Tobener eventually turned this difficult case into a victory and successfully negotiated a buyout agreement at the right time for us. We are so happy about Mr. Tobener’s service. If you have tenant law issues, please take the lesson we learned in the hard way: hire the best in the business. Mr. Tobener is the best tenant rights lawyer from our experience and we know that he will give you the best results possible. We highly recommend Mr. Tobener without any reservation.