GCR Legal Facts

A GCR client can feel secure from the potential risk of having sensitive information fall into the wrong hands because of an extremely complex and competitive legal climate saturated by consultants, technical advisors and outside experts. By its very nature, the attorney-client relationship affords a distinct, invaluable right to have communications protected from compelled disclosure to any third party, including self-interested business associates and competitors as well as government agencies.

The attorney-client privilege is one of the oldest Anglo-American jurisprudence privileges. Its use was firmly established in English law axiom and grounded in the concept of honor and the privilege worked to bar any testimony by the attorney against the client.

Aerobel Banuelos is an extremely talented and valued attorney whose contributions to the success of the Sweetwater Union High School District and its board are many and invaluable. Ms Banuelos has provided the highest quality of counsel and direction in disclosure counsel or issuer’s counsel in connection with the issuance of general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, certificates of participation and tax allocation bonds to many clients for many years and she was asked to serve the Sweetwater Union High School District interview panels for that very reason.

GCR does not currently nor ever has represented Henry Amigable, the individual named in a San Diego Superior Court search warrant and has no knowledge of his actions nor the actions of Gil bane Building Company. Any mention of GCR in any of these proceedings does not reflect any participation in any way other than as legal representation to our contracted clients.

The Cost of Justice

“It’s now a question of ‘how much justice can you afford?’” says Yuri Calderon, partner in GCR, the nation’s largest Latino law firm.

“Inflation has become a factor in the expense of legal representation as well as the fact that more people are becoming far more aggressive when they are being sued, or have decided to sue,” adds the GCR founder.

So, it’s no longer settling a dispute, it’s a way to change behavior. “It’s not a matter of deciding allegations, people are now less civil. They’re using litigation to not only win, but to annihilate the other side.”

This comes on top of the original factor driving up the cost of litigation, the idea of using litigation as leverage to get more money

“We’ve actually run into a situation where someone sued a school board, then ran for a position on the school board. That person ran up the bill then claimed the ‘board was sued because they were inept and spending all this money’ and added that they ‘needed to be elected to fix the situation.”

Rarely will there be money for a government if they win a lawsuit. That means the benefit of “winning a lawsuit” may not be worth the cash fight. “You wind up opening the flood gates because those who sue the government know they can get more money and if they lose, they rarely lose a lot,” adds Calderon.

The value GCR brings to the table is much like that of an expert surgeon. They know ‘what the risk of being successful is.’ Calderon continues by saying. “We know what it’s going to take to get from A to B. So, we’re not only lawyers, we’re true advisors”

“When you go to a lawyer for strategic advice, you shouldn’t want a generic brand. The idea is to get the best you can find. It’s not like any lawyer can do what we do. You have to first identify what needs to be done, evaluate the risk of doing it, then get it done right.”

"You can’t just worry about the fee for an hour’s work, it’s about what you can get done in that hour. It’s about how much of what you want gets done in an hour.”

-Yuri Calderon, GCR, LLP Managing Partner

The expensive cost of representation is in all the headlines and is becoming a huge factor in selecting representation. We asked our partners at GCR.

My mom always told me “you get what you pay for” and “there are no free lunches.” Major successful corporations pay $500-$900 an hour to get the best representation and have the results to show for it.

So I asked myself, “How do we bring the best lawyers to represent taxpayers and governments?”

Right now most school districts and local governments get functional legal services at a cost they can sell to the majority.

At GCR we charge government rates for top quality lawyers who are passionate about what they do.

“How?” I look for the best lawyer interested in the public interest and public policy. I look for the best from Harvard Law who want to be passionate about representing the public and interested on forming policy now.

I get them involved and the lawyer feels they can make a difference. We go and recruit public interest lawyers and they can work for the public service. We’ve spent our own money fighting for the laws and rules that impact our clients. And it’s expensive to win.

-Bonifacio Bonny Garcia, GCR, LLP Managing Partner

“Justice comes at a cost,” Mary Hernandez, an equity partner with GCR has noticed, “It’s getting to where it’s not about principles anymore, it’s not about being right or wrong but whether you have the resources to defend yourself. Seeking justice comes at a cost. It’s an economic decision. Can you afford proving you’re right? Many times the least expensive thing you can do is settle. I am proud to be a private attorney invited to speak at legal aide conferences and for Public Interests groups.

I will always stand up for poor immigrant children, and I’m inspired that my firm is part of that fight. In 2005, GCR spent thousands of hours and filed suit on behalf of ten school districts. We didn’t get any money from the judgment. On the appeal we got a very little bit but GCR never recovered the cost of defending Language minority kids.

-Mary T. Hernandez, GCR, LLP Equity Partner.