Los Angeles, CA — Aaron Spolin, a Princeton-educated lawyer and former consultant at McKinsey, has recently faced a second wave of charges from the State Bar of California. Last week, the organization, which regulates the state’s legal professionals, supplemented its initial disciplinary accusations from August against Spolin and his Los Angeles-based law firm. The latest 18 counts include allegations of deceptive marketing practices that preyed on the vulnerabilities of incarcerated individuals and their families.
According to the charges, Spolin extensively used misleading statements to secure clients, many of whom were inmates seeking early release under new criminal justice reforms. For instance, his firm falsely claimed involvement in obtaining a sentence commutation from Governor Gavin Newsom, which significantly influenced a client’s decision to retain their services. An investigation revealed that the individual had independently secured the commutation, without any legal aid from Spolin.
The comprehensive file from the bar also detailed an interaction involving Wesner Charles Jr.—a Los Angeles man serving a 27-year sentence for attempted carjacking and robbery. An attorney under Spolin’s employment supposedly assured Charles that a legislative reform could expedite his release within six to eight months. Lured by this assertion, Charles’s family paid $19,000, unaware that those convicted of violent crimes, like Charles, were ineligible under the mentioned reform. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office had repeatedly notified Spolin’s firm of this ineligibility through numerous communications.
Despite these promises, Charles’s release was later secured by another attorney, unrelated to Spolin’s firm. The State Bar’s ongoing allegations also recount similar scenarios involving three other inmates from Los Angeles, whose families disbursed between $11,500 and $21,700 for futile legal endeavors.
Facing these allegations, 39-year-old Spolin could be subject to a range of penalties including probation or even disbarment, dependent on the findings of the California Supreme Court.
Erin Joyce, Spolin’s attorney, asserts that Spolin has cooperated fully with the State Bar investigations and anticipates a resolution soon. Despite an ongoing criminal investigation by the state attorney general concerning Spolin’s professional conduct, Joyce denies any criminal wrongdoing on her client’s part. In response to the initial charges, Spolin’s firm has allegedly retracted or adjusted its advertising content and ceased accepting paid representations for the types of cases highlighted by the bar complaints.
Before his legal controversies, Spolin worked at the Bronx district attorney’s office in New York. After relocating to Los Angeles, he focused on representing inmates impacted by legislation aimed at decreasing mass incarceration rates. His firm, operating out of a coworking space, sought efficiency through standardized legal document templates and inexpensive legal staffing solutions, including hiring international lawyers for as little as $10 per hour.
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