Q&A: Infamous foreclosure lawyer talks to the U-T

Michael T. Pines advises clients, some in San Diego, to retake foreclosed homes

Michael T. Pines being arrested by Simi Valley police detectives, in plainclothes, outside the California State Bar Court building in Los Angeles on Tuesday. — Courtesy of Ronald Richards

His friends and family call him insane. Attorneys with the California State Bar want his license to practice law stripped. And he's constantly bashed by the public each time a media outlet reports on a new trespassing arrest.

Michael T. Pines, a Carlsbad-based attorney who helps people break into their foreclosed homes, knows all of that and will not change -- even in the event his license is removed.

"I would continue to do what I do as a lawyer," Pines told the Union-Tribune on Thursday. "I'm totally confident the State Bar won't take my license away. I'm not that crazy."

Simi Valley police arrested Pines, 59, on an outstanding warrant Tuesday for trespassing at a client's home in Ventura County earlier this year. He was immediately cuffed after a State Bar Court hearing on whether to revoke his license to practice law. The judge will make a decision by April 28.

The U-T talked to Pines about why he does what he does and what he'd do if is disbarred. The answers have been paraphrased for clarity.

Question: What was Tuesday's arrest all about?

Answer: The warrant was for trespassing into a client's house in Ventura. I helped them break in. I was cited but the district attorney never filed charges. I never went to court. I guess there was a mix-up in the paperwork. (This conflicts with what was said by police, who say he was expected at court.)

Q: Tell me about the family you helped.

A: They are a Chinese family who had their home stolen from them, from the banks, who have been using fraudulent documents.

Q: What was illegal about the foreclosure?

A: The loan was serviced illegally. There was robo-signing involved. (Robo-signing is the practice of approving loan paperwork without proper review.)

Q: So what happens before you actually help the family break in?

A: I alert the police, the real estate agent of the property and the media. I try to convince the agent of what we're doing. And when that doesn't work, we break-in.

Q: What are you going to do if you get your license taken away?

A: I'm going to continue what I do. You can appeal it. I'll take it all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Q: How many break-ins have you helped with?

A: Seventy. Four or five were in San Diego County.

Q: How many clients do you have currently?

A: About 70. (They are not the same 70 mentioned in the previous answer.) Twenty are in San Diego County.

Q: How much do you charge clients?

A: $650 an hour. I make it so that's about equal or less than their mortgage payment.



