Other partners at California plaintiffs’ defense firm face disciplinary action

((Automated translation by Reuters using machine learning and generative AI, please refer to the following disclaimer: https://bit.ly/rtrsauto)) by David Thomas

The California Bar on Thursday filed disciplinary charges against three attorneys at the Downtown LA Law Group, including two of its founders, broadening its investigation into a law firm specializing in the defense of plaintiffs that is already the subject of investigations by other government agencies as well as a racketeering lawsuit brought by Uber.

The Office of Chief Legal Counsel of the California Bar Association (OCTC) said Thursday that it has initiated disciplinary proceedings against two of DTLA’s founders, Daniel Azizi and Farid Yaghoubtil, for practicing law in states where they were not licensed. Another DTLA lawyer, Igor Fradkin, was also accused of practicing law in Texas and Maryland without court authorization and without a local attorney. The state bar’s chief legal counsel had already made similar accusations against DTLA’s third founder, Salar Hendizadeh, in March. The OCTC said Thursday it plans to handle all four disciplinary cases simultaneously.

“When lawyers expand their practice into jurisdictions where they are not licensed to practice or allow their staff to perform legal work not licensed in those jurisdictions, they put their clients at risk,†Chief Counsel George Cardona said in a statement.

A DTLA spokesperson said in a statement: “We look forward to presenting the facts. “The spokesperson said the firm’s lawyers had worked on cases involving “multi-jurisdictional matters” and that “co-counsel relationships were established to ensure the highest quality representation possible.” In April, Mr. Hendizadeh asked the California Bar Court, which oversees disciplinary complaints filed by the State Bar, to dismiss the charges against him, arguing that the State Bar had not adequately substantiated allegations of professional misconduct.

The California Supreme Court has the final say on all disciplinary matters involving attorneys. DTLA is also under separate investigation for filing allegedly false claims as part of a $4 billion settlement reached last year by Los Angeles County to settle more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims dating back to 1959.

The Los Angeles Times reported that DTLA represented nine people who claimed they were paid to file complaints as part of the sex abuse settlement, and that some of those complaints were false. DTLA denied any wrongdoing to the LA Times. In November 2025, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office was investigating any false complaints submitted as part of the deal. The State Bar also opened its own investigation into the deal, according to a January filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. A month later, the Los Angeles County General Counsel’s Office said it was investigating DTLA and other entities for alleged fraud related to the agreement.

A DTLA spokesperson said that while the firm cannot comment on pending legal proceedings, “we are confident that the facts, when they can be revealed, will show that the information published by the LA Times was erroneous – to say the least “Downtown LA Law Group continues to provide the highest quality service to its clients.” Separately, Uber filed a federal lawsuit against DTLA and other parties, alleging that attorneys colluded with medical providers to create and submit artificially inflated medical bills. The cabinet spokesperson said Uber’s allegations were baseless and “an attempt to distract from sexual assault lawsuits filed by women across the country.”