Reviews

I was lost before I found Summit Defense. I had recently fired another attorney who talked a lot, did nothing, and then all but disappeared after collecting my retainer. Needless to say, I was very cautious in my search for a replacement. When I first called Summit, I spoke with an attorney in the San Francisco office. He spent around an hour with me on the phone, listened to everything I had to say, and, at a time when I was feeling pretty crappy about myself, made me buck up and get ready to move forward. He considered my situation and told me there was a Summit attorney in their nearby Oakland office who had a lot of experience with the court and at trial and would be the best equipped to handle my case. About an hour later, I received a call from Rabin Nabizadeh. He was professional and seemed to be very intelligent. The latter was crucial when dealing with such a significant event in my life. I am by nature a critical person and knew that I would not be able to rely on someone if it became evident that they knew less than I did, or did not seem to have thought everything through carefully. This was not the case with Rabin Though we did not always agree (and who does?), I felt that I could defer to his expertise and did not find myself second guessing his advice, as I usually do when dealing with attorneys. Eventually I also learned how to pronounce his name---[rah-BEAN] [nah - BEE - zah - day]---and came to know it as well as my own. In any event, he was already up to speed on my situation when we spoke, gave me the lay of the land, and we discussed the next few moves. He met me at the court for an appearance two days later. Thereafter, the amount of time Rabin spent with me and on my case made me feel like I was his most important client. He attended about a dozen appearances and hearings on my behalf and with only a few minor hiccups, my case proceeded smoothly. His instructions were precise and practical. He gave me objective advice and told me what I should expect. Sometimes the truth can seem a little cold, or at least, is not what one thinks they need to hear. He tempered my expectations with reality and adjusted my course when necessary. Given the amount of time that Rabin spent with me personally, the fees were very reasonable. Compare the costs of different attorneys, read reviews and speak with them. If something seems too good to be true, it IS! *A bad, careless or completely inattentive attorney can be worse than no attorney at all.* I carefully watched everything that went on in the courtroom and tried to absorb as much information as I could about the various participants. Rabin moved deftly through the courtroom and carried himself with purpose. I learned a lot about choosing my battles from him. When possible, he would work through issues with the opposition. Those times when they were not willing to be reasonable, Rabin presented our position and reasoning to the judge with vigor. Sadly, I was there enough to watch many different attorneys work and interact with the DA and the court. Had one of them been my attorney, I would have fired him or her and hired Rabin. I panicked frequently during the process and often called him or emailed him several times a day. Obviously, he did not have time to respond every time. I eventually came to terms with the idea that I was not actually his only client. Even so, Rabin would always keep me updated with changes in my case and any important issues that had arisen. When he was really busy (or, believe it or not, away with his family on a well deserved vacation---how dare he!!!), I would still receive acknowledgment within a reasonable period of time, and generally confirmation that nothing had changed. If one is in a situation where a criminal attorney is needed, it is already far from ideal. Mine was no exception. I was upset and often feared the toll that it was going to take on my life generally. Nevertheless, the resolution that Rabin helped me attain was far better than I had ever expected.

Arne was my personal injury attorney in a case that involved getting rear-ended by a semi-truck. He was able to get me a fair settlement and was professional, caring , and responsive and made the whole process easy and straight-forward. I would recommend him to others and glad he was recommended to me by another friend.

We met Arne around 20 years ago after we were searching for an attorney after a car accident that left our car totaled and both me and my husband in pain. He rushed right over to our home since we were pretty banged up. We immediately felt at ease with Arne and we knew everything would be OK. He referred us to a chiropractor for the whiplash and other injuries. Me and my husband were a little skeptical because our culture does not really believe in chiropractic care. We went and were amazed at the difference the chiropractor made for both of us. Every step of the way Arne kept us informed and we always knew what to expect. Even though the process seemed lengthy and confusing he explained it all to us. Several years later we were in another car accident and Arne represented us again. I know that many people bad mouth attorneys but because of my families experience with Arne we know that many attorneys are there to help and not always out for the almighty buck. What we liked best about Arne was his sense of fairness. We were not out to fleece anyone but only to get compensated for our damages. At one point we were in a third smaller car accident and I called Arne again. Since we had been through the process already twice Arne encouraged me to "do it myself" so that we could keep the whole settlement. He helped me and coaching me throughout the process and I was able to do it all by myself. I am not sure that there are many other attorneys out there that would help a client like that without payment and this is why we hold Arne in very high regard. The other reason we count our blessings to having met Arne is because he introduced us to an alternative way to heal our bodies that does not include drugs that can mask a problem and does not necessarily resolve it. To this day, me and my family go to a chiropractor whenever we get a soft tissue or muscle injury that regular doctors would only "throw" pills at and I believe we are much healthier because of this. We still keep in touch with Arne and call him whenever we have "problems" that come up---like pieces of plate in our food that broke a tooth, and he is always more than happy to give us advice. Our family highly recommends Arne Nelson!

Arne helped me on 2 of my cases over the past 10 years. I found Arne to be very compassionate and always there to take all of my calls and questions. He fought for me in mediation and helped to negotiate a reduction of my some of my medical expenses. Arne cares for his clients and it shows. Talk with him and see for yourself.

He helped me through one of worst times of my life with kindness and compassion. He listened to my concerns and worries and thoroughly explained what was possible and what wasn't. He got me the best settlement possible in a reasonable amount of time.

This guy is one of the best Lawyers I have ever met or worked with. There is no BS and he gets in there and gets the job done. Great personality, easy to talk to, if you have Arnie as your lawyer consider yourself lucky!