Reviews

David had a slingshot when he battled Goliath. You can engage Tobener Law and be assured of the same results ! Competent, compassionate and whip smart. Take no prisoners, hire Tobener Law !

The Tobener Law Center was very helpful to me recently in handling an issue I had with a landlord. I was renting a unit in the Goldmine Hill complex in the Diamond Heights neighborhood. It turns out that a lot of these units are designated as low-income through the Below Market Rate (BMR) program offered through the Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH). It turned out my unit was one of them, but my landlord was ignoring the rent restrictions. After he illegally evicted me, I mustered up the courage to talk to lawyers about it. I was so glad I found the Tobener Law Center. They asked me all about what happened to be sure to get all of the facts straight. They assured me that I had a strong case, and they agreed to represent me under terms that I could feel very comfortable with. I'm very risk-averse and am the last person to want to be involved in a lawsuit, but they helped me understand my options and make decisions. Jackie took over my case, and she was a pleasure to work with. I felt like I could completely trust her throughout the process and know that she would promote my best interests and give me sound advice. She was always honest with me about what was going on and what to expect. I felt confident with her by my side and the case did end in a favorable way for me. I would recommend them to any tenant who is having serious legal issues with a landlord (such as low-income unit violations and/or wrongful evictions). Thank you, Jackie and the Tobener Law Center!

Terrific experience. Jackie went above and beyond to help me out.

Absolutely fantastic experience. Joe Tobener is efficient, thorough and knowledgable.

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.

I cannot recommend Tobener Law Center more highly if you're a tenant facing any kind of landlord-tenant problem. Shady landlords, be afraid. I was involved in an extremely complicated eviction along with many others in my building. I spoke to several lawyers and no one came close to Joe's level of intelligence, patience, & trustworthiness. He is the best of the best and yet he seems to have the time and generosity to offer basic advice to anyone who calls. And he seems to really enjoy what he does. Our case lasted almost 2 years (from a harrowing few months of uncertainty to a 100% victorious result in the end), and Joe and his team were fantastic and fierce. The amazing Jacqueline Ravenscroft and Tiffany Moyes walked me through some nerve-wracking times- depositions, the subpoenaing of my therapist (!), potential trial dates- and I trusted them completely. The whole team is whip-smart, calm, responsive, completely on top of their game, and just cool people. I recently recommended them to a friend and I know she will be in good hands. There is a reason that every time I read about another high-profile SF eviction, Tobener Law Center seems to be on the case. They are just the best.

We highly recommend the services of Tobener Law Center. Meeting with Joseph Tobener for the first time at the San Francisco location of Tobener Law Center, we knew we had the right team to see our case through to a resolution. Joseph was very knowledgable, confident, and a clear communicator. He took our case on and was ready to represent us and fight our case to completion. We were also very fortunate to have Jacqueline Ravenscrott assist with our case. From our first contact with Jackie we knew she had done her home work. She knew every detail of our case before we had even met with her. Jackie was there with us through some very difficult experiences. She was a source of strength, knowledge and empathy. In addition we came in contact with Lilly Cyris. Lilly responded to our communications in a timely and pleasant manor. Throughout our experience with Tobener Law everyone was knowledgable about our case. They were able to keep communications to a minimum and contact us only when absolutely necessary. Joseph and Jackie were able to negotiate a favorable settlement for us. We are forever grateful to the entire team at Tobener Law Center. Thank you for helping us through a very difficult process.

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!