Reviews

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2015, we suddenly received a letter which stated that our landlord has been confirmed of bankruptcy and our lease was no longer valid.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.

I had the pleasure of both, working for Joe Tobener as a paralegal, and later retaining his team's advice on habitability concerns I was facing at a rental. Joe was such a pleasure to work for, very patient, easily approachable, and willing to take a moment to show me the big picture. He always offered praise and appreciation for my help. It's hard to ask for more of a leader than him. His team has been a tremendous support for me and my family with top quality legal advice. Our case was handled with care and always delivered with empathy, leaving no doubt that they genuinely cared about my situation. He provided me with a high level of comfort and confidence throughout the process. We highly recommend Tobener Law Center.

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.

I was having issues with our landlord pertaining to an Ellis Act eviction. Once they hired an attorney to "paperwork" this through the system, we discovered we were quickly getting over our heads. We knew we had certain rights but were just not sure how to proceed due to the resulting paperwork madness presented to us in the form of countless letters and emails from the SF Rent Board and from our landlord's attorney. Not being attorneys, we found most of this quite confusing and a bit scary. We were afraid we would not get what was due to us after the Ellis Act filing. So, we sought out the help of Mr. Tobener and his staff, a tenant’s rights law firm in San Francisco, to represent us in this matter and protect our interests. His name was routinely mentioned/recommended by practically everyone I asked for referrals at the various public services options available to tenants, including the SF Rent Board. After meeting with Mr. Tobener, they drafted a fantastic letter responding to these many letters from their attorney. It summarized our position perfectly and resulted in a more than satisfying settlement, that was quite truthfully, much more than we expected. I would recommend Mr. Tobener without hesitation to anyone seeking a top-notch, quality, competent real-estate and tenants’ rights attorney. On top of that, he is a great guy who is easy to talk to and seems to genuinely care about his clients and the matters they face. Thank you Joe!

Joe Tobener and his team have helped us twice in the past couple of years with corrupt landlord and business practices. Both times Tobener Law Center was amazing: quick, well-versed in the law and effective. They saved us a ton of money and time fighting unjust systems. I'd highly recommend Tobener Law if you're having trouble with lax landlords, non-payment of security deposits, discrimination, or charges for services not rendered. They're really great.

Joe is a fantastic attorney! He is smart, knowledgable, and also a really nice guy. When I realized my landlord issues were not going to resolve themselves, I contact Joe. He walked me through all my options and quickly worked to resolve an issue I was having with my landlord. Joe got far better results than I ever expected-- I wish I had contacted him sooner!

Joe Tobener was a steadfast advocate for us in our case with our landlord. Joe took our worries seriously, gathered all the details, and was accessible and easy to talk to. He has a wealth of experience in small cases and in large, and was able to scale the advice appropriately, to lay out our options for how to handle the issues we were facing with our landlord. There were a number of mounting repairs not being addressed at our rental property where we had been living for 10 years, and so Joe gave us very specific advice not only in the legal aspects of the case but was insightful as to the dynamics of the people involved, so that our situation could end up as a win-win for all parties. The issues he counseled me on have been resolved to our satisfaction now and I would not hesitate to involve him again with my tenant issues, or in recommending him to anyone needing legal advice or representation in tenant matters.

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.

Toebner Law handled my eviction when I was forced to move from a SF residence where I'd lived for 34 years. I felt they listened to my issues and took them seriously. Moreover ,Joe Toebner demonstrated flexibility in reconsidering aspects of my situation that may not have seemed very impactful on first presentation. The ability of Toebner and his associates to work well with opposing attorneys was key in moving my case along relatively fast and reaching an amicable settlement

At work one of our key employees was threatened with eviction while he was out of the country on sabbatical. Having "the defendant" out of the country made for a complex and urgent case. The landlord tried to pull a fast one, nailing papers to the door, hoping to get a judgement on default. Tobener defended and won the case. We hired Tobener Law Center for the following reasons: 1) They actually returned our calls and were willing to discuss the outlines of the case on the phone. Most of the other law firms were next to impossible to contact - some got back to us days later. 2) Unlike other lawyers, they recommended the free clinic run by the city. This is very public minded of them, to advise people how to save money. Unfortunately our case was too complex and fast moving, but we appreciated the gesture. 3) Joe and Luke are super sharp lawyers. They are also nice people. We were always impressed with their strategy and performance. 4) They return emails and calls promptly. They get stuff done. They made the landlord's firm look like the Keystone Cops. 5) If winning and service are important to you, hire Tobener. They charge what the other lawyers charge, but their service is a notch above. Super law firm for tenant defense.