UPDATED SAVE YOUR MONEY. If I could give this guy ZERO STARS, I would. It would be more beneficial to have a public defender represent you. I paid Sal over $50,000 for his “services.” After the payment, he revealed that he actually hires a private investigator to manage all the work, which would mean additional costs on top of what I already spent. This case dragged on for seven and a half years. With each passing year, Sal seemed to forget more details. About a year into the case, I provided him with documents that proved my innocence. Yet, at every court date, he would ask me about those same documents, indicating that he hadn’t bothered to review them at all. I ended up shelling out an additional $20,000 for the private investigator. After sifting through thousands of pages of discovery, he reached the conclusion that I had not broken any laws. However, during each court appearance, Sal appeared bewildered and resorted to intimidation tactics, trying to pressure me into accepting a plea deal from the District Attorney. Several times, when he and the DA were discussing the case in the courthouse hallway, he would shoo me away, clearly not wanting me to overhear their conversation. This struck me as highly suspicious. When I confronted him, asking, "Are you working for me or the DA?" he became very defensive and snapped, "I'm not going to argue with you." It was clear he didn’t want to advocate for me either, and he seemed offended when I refused to accept a plea deal. During one of the hearings, which extended beyond the usual 10 minutes, I felt that he was pressuring me into accepting a deal that wasn't in my best interest. I wanted a second and third opinion, so I reached out to a few attorneys I had worked with in the past. They practice law in states outside of California, or else I would have hired one of them instead of Sal. Sal grew frustrated, repeatedly checking his watch and tapping his shoe against the floor, unmistakably agitated. Before each of the many court appearances, I would reach out to him, either by call or text, hoping for an update, but he always ignored my messages. Sal, who is in his 70s, might be showing early signs of dementia, and I say this with genuine concern. He frequently arrived late and often seemed oblivious to what was going on around him. He always appeared quite dazed and confused. After everything was settled, I received a sentence of probation. He hurried me to check in with the probation office, even though I had 48 hours to do so. When I checked in, they informed me that I couldn’t leave the state until my probation was approved by the state I currently reside in. When I asked Sal if he was aware that I would be stuck in California after checking in, he responded, "I can't be bothered with this; my wife is in the hospital." It’s unbelievable that Sal failed to inform me that checking in would require me to stay in California for potentially weeks. He should have informed me about this so I could have arranged my affairs beforehand. I have children, a pet, work, and other responsibilities. I honestly think he forgot about the probation process, just as he seems to have forgotten everything else. Sal Ciulla was unprofessional and unaware throughout my entire 7.5-year case. In my opinion, he has no business ACTING as an attorney. UPDATE- I posted this review several months ago and Sals secretary harassed me to take it down and told me that Sal would help my new attorney modify the conditions of my probation if I take it down. SO, I erased this review and Sal did appear at one court appearance but it was on Good Friday and the judge wasn't there. On the next court appearance scheduled, SAL DID NOT EVEN SHOW UP TO COURT!
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