Linh Thiet Nguyen

A couple years passed since I retained Linh Nguyen’s service. To this day, it still makes me absolutely sick in my stomach when I think about retaining his service. Here is what happened to me and will likely happen to you. • He persuaded I had a strong case. • He gave me examples of “strong de...fenses”, giving me confidence to retain him for the pre-hearing settlement. • I retained his service for the pre-hearing settlement. He did not say much in my defense during the hearing. I had to defend myself during the pre-hearing settlement. He claimed he was saving the strong defenses for the hearing. He persuaded me to settle (meaning resignation). If I settled, he will take $3000 for his time at the settlement hearing (keep in mind, there was neither preparation work on his part nor much of a defense statement from him). • During/After pre-settlement hearing, he convinced me the opposing counsel was incompetent and sounded inexperienced. Again, he gave me a false sense of hope. • He charged around $15,000 to do absolutely nothing (my honest observation). I had to write and organize all documents myself. The only visible work he did was submit the documents to the opposing counsel. Although I requested to be included in this process, he excluded me each time, leaving me to believe there was collusion. He did not edit or format the documents. He submitted the drafted documents exactly how I submitted the documents to him. • He did not work with me to solidify my defense, such as my responses when questioned by the opposing counsel. • Months passed and he did not spend a minute on my case. I have called multiple times and have often received return calls weeks later. Often times, he showed no signs of working on my case. I have even received an “explanation” that he was busy babysitting his kids. • If you should email him a question where his answer might jeopardize his career with the BAR, then he will (most likely) not email you back. Instead he will call you to protect himself, leaving nothing in writing. • The week (approximately 7 calendar days) before the hearing, he will start to schedule meetings with you. He was extremely disorganized and unprepared for the hearing (my honest observation). • At this point, he told me that I did not have a case and should settle. He started to recite everything the opposing counsel accused me of at the pre-settlement hearing. • I asked about the “strong defenses”, and he responded he never made such comments. • He will most likely become irate and belittle your character. At least, that is what happened to me. He said I was acting illogical and stubborn and was wasting his time. • He spent more of his time and effort trying to get me to settle, rather than prepare for the case. Like everyone else I settled, because I felt like I did not have a chance. I retained an unethical and incompetent attorney that took at least $18,000 of my time and money. I did not get much from the settlement, because he convinced me that I did not have a case. My biggest loss was not able to find another state job. He did not inform me that Government Code section 18720.45 requires job applicants to disclose settlement agreements regarding resignation (Question 7 on State of California job application). If you mark “Yes” on your application, you will have a very tough time finding another state job. If you resign, you will lose your job, you will lose nearly $20,000 in legal fees, you will be left struggling to find another job. I am baffled at how many reviewers think resigning was a victory.

Hi hired Mr. Nguyen to handle my employment pre-hearing issues on a demotion. It was a wrongful demotion. Mr. Nguyen initially showed some interest in my case however, after he got paid I could not reach him on the phone for several days. When he returned he decide to call me. Even thought, I wante...d to cancel my services with him I new I will lose the money I paid him ($1,500.00 for a hearing that was less than an hour). I was hopping to talk to him before the pre-hearing. However, a few minutes before the hearing he asked me what I will be willing to settle with if they make an offer. I was shocked he waited to the last minute to address the issues when he knew the date of my pre-hearing. But to compound the issues I had to do all the talking during the pre-hearing and he didn't say a single word. He wanted me to hire him for the hearing but I could not. I don't think he's a bad person or attorney however, he shouldn't take a case he does not have any interest in. My evaluation is not base on his professional abilities since it was not demonstrated during my case therefore, I don't know if he's a capable attorney.

I have worked with Linh before and had a serious employment issue at hand. It was a wrongful termination claim. Mr. Nguyen took the case on a contingency with the right to place a lien on the case or charge me attorney fees if I sought other counsel. For nearly three months, my emails went unresponde...d to. On the times he did respond, his replies were deliberately short. One-word or single-phrase responses were the norm. For three months, I asked for updates on the case and never received any substantial response. After three months, we finally have a phone consultation and he makes up some excuse about why he would like to withdrawal from the case. The contingency fee specifies that he could withdrawal as counsel if the case was not financially possible: for example, spending $100,000 in fees to pursue a case valued at $5,000. His reason for withdrawing from my case is because the motion work in a discrimination claim involving medical records is "a lot of work." He also said it can be "expensive. ". These are expenses he agreed to when he entered into an agreement with me. For three months, I considered taking other counsel and relieving him since it felt as though he has abandoned the case. Because I actually followed the retainer agreement, I never did this because I did not want to be liable for attorney fees. He sent me an email telling me he was quitting. So at this point, the clock has been ticking the entire time to file a case or administrative complaint ... I've lost like 3 months towards the statute of limitations. I just want people to know that Linh is a good attorney when he actually follows his own agreements. I find it unethical that he could do this, however ... it really shows a lack of respect for the client personally. I can't express this , except to say I am dismayed at having to start all over in finding legal counsel after handing over every document of my case file to him and being ignored for three months.

While other attorneys wouldn't give me the time of day, and were cherry picking cases, Linh promptly returned my call within 20 minutes. This man went out of his way for me on his day off, and gave me a free consultation. He informed me that my case appeared strong, and took it on a contingency. He p...romptly returns all inquiries the same day. He has a professional demeanor, and the resume to back his statements up. He is a respected legal professional. If you have an employment case, or suspect you do, I have great confidence that his demeanor alone can set your employer and their attorney. straight. I recommend this attorney.

I had been dealing with numerous issues with my past employer over the course of six to eight years and had dealt with numerous labor attorneys, spending thousands of dollars during this time. These issues ranged from EEO violations, whistle blower violations, Firefighter Bill of Rights vi...olations thus making my case very complex. Being a State employee and having such a complex case made it difficult finding an attorney, One that fully understood the state system, one that would truly take their time to fully understand my case, one that I could trust that would always be fighting to his full extent on my behalf, and one that would not just further drain me financially. While researching my case on the internet I ran across Mr. Nguyen's website and called his office basically looking for information. After our initial conversation I found Mr. Nguyen to be very knowledgeable in the state system, understanding of all my issues, was very realistic in all possible outcomes, non-judgmental, and made me feel that he was truly concerned on my well being. Having Mr. Nguyen represent me in my case that had such life altering factors was a true blessing. Once I retained Mr. Nguyen, I could tell right away that there were no shortcuts with him. In all decisions that needed to be made, I was fully informed on all aspects, and he was there to fully support me with whichever way I decided. He always made me feel that my case was a top priority with him. He responded personally and quickly to questions that I may have had with detailed answers. Where other attorneys would have considered your case closed, Mr. Nguyen continued to see that every aspect of your case is followed through with. If someone is facing any issues that jeopardize their career or livelihood I can think of no one better to have in their corner than Mr. Linh Nguyen.