In my opinion the best tenant lawyer anyone could ever ask for. His expertise got me out of a really tough situation my landlord put me in. I had a horrible landlord that put me in a nightmare situation and Dan was able to keep me in my place until I wanted to leave and defended my rights as tenant better than I was expecting. He went way above and beyond what he was hired to do and was an excellent strategist.

On feb 6,2019 Wednesday, I called to inquire information regarding the office and details about the firm. The person who answered to phone was so impatient, rude and said he was too busy to handle my phone call... front desk staff is suppose to provide good service to future clients .. Since the call I planned on booking was international , I wanted to make sure everything ran smooth and any privacy i had to be aware of. Anyway , if anyone knows of another Attorney is san diego , I would love to give them a try.

These guys are great you have a problem with your landlord that they are the ones to go to. very affordable

We can’t say enough great things about Marc Witham. He is professional, responsive, and has excellent follow-through. Most important, he is highly knowledgeable of California state rental laws so he’s well qualified to put landlords in their place.

In our case, my wife and I had lived in a rental house for seven years and always had a good relationship with the landlord. Due to an undiscovered water leak, the wood floors in the house began to heave and buckle over the course of a month. The landlord’s handyman removed a section of flooring and we observed white mold covering the dirt crawl space. The entire floor needed to be removed and the mold remediated. Rather than work with us to temporarily move out, the landlord sent us an email stating she had no choice but to evict us.

We’re certain the true reason she evicted us was to substantially increase the rent. The effect on us was that we were pushed into a highly inflated San Diego rental market, with rents at 30% and higher than what we’d been paying. Panic set in the moment we received the 60-day notice.

When we were evicted, our stress levels reached boiling point as our landlord kept calling us daily to find out when we’d be moving. We needed help right away. Marc’s online appointment system let us set up an initial consultation (we were able to schedule a call the very next morning). As residential tenants, it cost us $160 for our first call. That may seem like a lot, but the waves of relief we felt afterward made it well worth the money.

It’s the relief from stress that we appreciated most. What we really needed was enough time to find a new rental. On that first call, after hearing our situation Marc was immediately able to cite a state code section that granted us far longer than the landlord’s 60-day notice. He also advised that her notice wouldn’t hold up because it wasn’t properly formatted or delivered. It was clear we were working with the right attorney for the job.

Our rental situation dragged on for over two months, and we spent just under $1,000 in attorney fees. It was worth every cent. Marc initially issued a detailed letter, filled with legal citations specific to our case (i.e., not a form letter), that pushed back on the landlord. When she kept calling us, which we considered harassment at that point, Marc intervened again and asserted he was now acting as our voice, stating all communications needed to go through him. Words can’t express the relief we felt.

Not only did Marc get us the time we needed to find a new place, he also helped negotiate an equitable settlement so we could recoup expenses we’d suffered. We’re not talking millions here, but it was enough to ease the pain and cover our moving costs.

If you’re in a bind with your landlord, I would highly suggest Marc’s services. My wife and I remain confident that hiring Marc was the smartest move we possibly could have done. – Kurt S.

dan lickel is an amazing attorney.

I went to the Tenant Defenders one month behind in rent and my faulty Landlord was suing me.
By the time I went in front of a judge, I was three months behind ..
Attorney Daniel Lickel got me three more months free of rent, No money owed, Maintenance requests honored, the eviction removed from my record, a neutral reference by my landlord, and relieved me and my family from stress.
I was confident with Lickel and his team.
They went above and beyond. For the caliber of the work and for what I paid and what I got in return. .. I'm so proud of myself for choosing to have the assistance of an educated lawman. I was surprised how little my landlord thought of me and my family and how inconsiderate they continued to be.
When I presented my responses with Attorney Daniel Lickel, my defense was taken seriously and my representation was respected. I couldn't believe we settled without trial and I owe nothing. I'm so happy. Me and my family are so happy and relieved.

Thank you Tenant Defenders.
❤️
P.s.
Attorney Daniel Lickel is a Harvard graduate.
#MicDrop

Very Important - If you are having a dispute with your landlord, do not hire anyone else. Dan is your man! Do not let him talk you out of hiring him (He will most likely try).

I used to be the head of default loan servicing in San Diego and was in charge of choosing attorneys to represent the company throughout the nation for Evictions and Bankruptcy cases. As in most professions, I experienced very few attorney's who were stellar, a vast majority that were mediocre, and some that had me blown away that they passed the bar.

When we had a situation with our landlord that eventually degraded to being served with an unlawful detainer, we immediately began researching attorney's. We chose Tenant Defender's. Dan prepared our answer, and gave us our homework assignments which entailed a detailed list of evidence he needed from us. We had difficulty coming up with his his more than reasonable retainer fee. Finally, the day before trial (Not recommended), we had the money and I contacted Dan.

Dan was able to have our case settled, sealed, and we did not have to move for 3 months. The bogus $18k our landlord claimed we owed, was settled as us owing zero. This was an extremely complicated case. Dan was already at a disadvantage because he was not able to do any discovery. Somehow in less than 16 hours, Dan was able to cut through the complicated mess and after speaking with opposing counsel, the other side submitted to all of his demands.

We could not have been happier with his performance and with the results. I have had the unusual experience of seeing Dan's competitor's like Christian Curry in action. From my personal and professional experience, Dan Lickel will tell you the truth, even if its not what you want to hear, and he will fight for you.

We are still stunned with the outcome. I know that we would not have had results even remotely as favorable had we hired anyone else.

Their website is a wealth of knowledge and I was "shocked" when after leaving a message not only did I receive a prompt callback, but Attorney Whitham spoke to me personally! Fortunately my Tenant issue was resolved short of the filing of a UD, so I didn't need Mr. Whitham's expertise. It was refreshing to find Attorneys who return phone calls personally and are experts in their field!

I highly recommend using Dan Lickel for your legal needs. I'm new to the state so I know very little about my rights as a tenant here. I found myself in a really distressing situation with my complex where I felt I was being unfairly treated. Dan was realistic about the possible outcomes and financial costs of pursuing legal action. Throughout the entire process I was well informed and in constant communication with Dan. He made a stressful situation manageable and painless. Thank you Dan!

They wanted $190 just to tell me I had a problem that I was already aware of.

Called to get advise from the person who answered the phone and he wanted my name address phone number and email address before he would even speak to me. I told him that I wanted to remain anonymous and he told me "I have no idea how many people call to exploit them and good luck with finding what ever information I needed" He was rude and I would never use this company again for anything. Nice way of making someone feel comfortable guy.

Havent had to use them yet, but they do answer your questions and get back to you in a timely manner

Dan Lickel with tenant defenders is amazing! Extremely happy with his service. DO NOT go with tenant legal center! We made the mistake of going to Tenants Legal Center and dealing with Christian curry, wish we knew then what we know now. Don’t waste your time with anyone else. Dan Lickel does an amazing job, he is extremely professional and very thorough and detailed oriented. HIRE tenant defenders you will not be disappointed!

100% agree with the multiple reviewers who commented about the person who answers the phone. He is arrogant and condescending and he is completely unhelpful. His role is to bring clients to the attorney. He works overtime at making people feel small. He is a liability to the firm.

I Highly recommend Tenant Defenders if you are having issues with your Landlord/ property management. Dan Lickel is Awesome. He actually cares about his clients and takes the time to listen to your case as well as explain your options.He doesn't just take your money and rush you out like other attorneys that I unfortunately had to cross paths with before I found Tenant Defenders. Tenant Defenders also charged 1/2 less than the other Tenant Lawyers. So, before you waste your time and money on Attorneys just looking for fast cash...Give Tenant Defenders a call!

The staff and almost everyone that answers the phone is RUDE!! They are not the people's people I would say.....

Ok so I must say I'm very happy I choose Dan as the person to represent me, he's direct and really quick to find any flaws that can, if needed would /could provide leverage to have in the hip pocket!
His people, Carlo & Alex are also very good at what they do as well, and seem to have some great traits!
So if I were you, I'd work with Dan and his crew to give you some piece of mind and sleep a little better!

I left an important message/voicemail and nobody called me back

Waste of initial time if your not willing to drop money right off the bat. Slightly confusing because they want all this info at the beginning about the situation but when you try to get even one question answered you are basically denied without payment first. It’s a waste of there time to even take down notes about your proposed case if in the end they won’t help you without payment. They could easily say such a disclaimer from the beginning and save potential clients and themselves some hassle. Poor customer service!

Dan is awesome at what he does! We left his office Friday afternoon feeling great! He understood us and told us many ways he can help :) as of now, he is drafting a letter to send to our landlord and we'll go from there, we will definitely be using him for any more legal issues that arise with our landlord. Thanks Dan for relieving so much stress for my husband and I. Thanks for everything!

The people skills are not there !

Poor people skills with people who answer the phone. The only thing this firm cares about is your money. Take your business elsewhere.

Going to Tenant Defenders was the best decision I've ever made. Dan Lickel will do his best to see that you get the time you need to move out.
I give him and his team 5 stars because they exceeded all my expectations and I didnt have to go spend not one minute in court. Thanks Dan you did a great job!!

Marc Whitham is an extremely thorough, knowledgeable, and collaborative attorney. With just one consultation fee Marc has consistently guided me through two cases. Marc has been there for me every step of the way - doing way more than his fair share. I never felt misguided or alone in the process. With my first tenancy claim he informed me I should get The City of San Diego involved. To my surprise it was an illegal unit. My first attorney let this slip by causing me to lose my first tenancy case. Despite the complexity of my tenancy issues - Marc Whitham had been a stellar attorney. 10 out of 10 would recommend!

Where to begin... Dan Lickel helped my family and me through one of the most difficult times of our lives. Helped is an understatement. I would highly recommend his firm to anyone in need of tenant and/or debt solutions.

We drove over an hour to meet with Dan and it was well worth it. Dan spent more time with us than what we paid for, he's professional and very thorough. I highly recommend Tenant Defenders! Thanks Dan!

Dan is an awesome attorney, he helped me solving out an uncommon case in a matter of days. He is very professional and puts a lot of efforts in finding the best options I had. I highly recommend using his service.

Advice Only!

Advice Only! :)

Very nice, professional attorney, I have not retained his services as of yet; however, the initial phone conversation was helpful & courteous. I hope I do not need an attorney, but if I do I will be retaining their services!

Thank you very much for your advice & professionalism!

Exceptional Attorney! Knowledgeable, informative, easy to talk to. I highly recommend calling this business for legal matters pertaining to tenant/landlord issues.

(Translated by Google) Very professional truth

(Original)
Muy profecional la verdad

Very professional these attorneys are the best you can hire

I have never personally written a review for anyone, but in this case I must. Marc D. Whitman is definitely an attorney that is GENUINELY CONCERNED with his clients welfare. On 8-22-12, I contacted Marc D. Whitman regarding a scheduled eviction. After analyzing my predicament he gave me sound advice only suggesting that I retain him if necessary and not taking advantage of me for not knowing MY TENANT RIGHTS. His advice was very effective! I have heard many good things about him, yet in my state of haste I called several other attorneys that failed to even address my circumstances. Later, I remembered that a friend had mentioned his name in a case that he underwent with positive results. Marc D Whitman's personable approach is very rare and effective. I strongly recommend his services. GO MARC WHITMAN!