There used to be a total of 10 reviews for Richard Sudar’s Law Office on Insider Pages, however five 1-star (negative) reviews were recently removed by the webmaster. I emailed Insider Pages customer service for an explanation, and their brilliant reply was that “reviews can not contain references to professional malpractice.” Hopefully someone can explain the logic in this to me, because I fail to see the point of a “review” website that only allows positive reviews and, worse, knowingly sends customers to a business accused of committing malpractice.

That said, without directly accusing Richard M. Sudar of malpractice lest Insider Pages yet again delete my review, I will try to sum up both my own terrible experiences with Richard Sudar and (based on what I read) the terrible experiences of the five other reviewers that were deleted by Insider Pages.

The most common complaints against Richard Sudar were:

1. Richard Sudar is grossly unprepared for his cases.

He pays little if any attention to the details of his clients cases, conducts no investigations, and fails to grasp even the most basic and trivial information about his clients. I myself found this to be true, for Richard Sudar had MONTHS in which to prepare for my trial, yet on the actual court date he still hadn’t read a single page of discovery or any of the affidavits in my file. This complaint was reiterated in each of the five other deleted reviews.

2. Richard Sudar will NOT try to get your case dismissed.

His tag line throughout his legal career has been “we focus on getting your case dismissed!” However, based on Richard Sudar’s public docket history, he rarely if ever has gotten any of his clients dismissed. First of all, the DA’s office hardly ever dismisses cases, even when all evidence points to an innocent defendant. This is because the state government cannot assume the responsibility of making any mistakes, so the DA puts the responsibility on a jury; juries cannot get sued, you see? Moreover, criminal defense attorneys have no incentive to get your case dismissed. They would lose out on the celebrity that comes with winning a trial, and they would lose out on the big money they charge to go to trial. I didn’t know any of this at the time I hired Sudar; I was arrested on a ridiculously obvious bogus charge that probably actually would have been dismissed by the DA had Sudar just sat down with them and presented our discovery. Instead, he charged me a $5, 000 retainer fee, strung me along for several months, then charged me another (non-refundable) five grand to take me to trial. At that point I was so disgusted with Sudar’s unethical tactics that there was no way I would let him stand before a jury. So I had no alternative but to accept a plea. Sudar walked away with $10, 000 for doing absolutely nothing.

3) Richard Sudar is sloppy.

He often arrives to court late, his briefcase is a disorganized mess, he can’t find his files, his appearance is unprofessional and disheveled (excessive sweating, cheap suites, dandruff, slouching), he is difficult to track down by phone, and he appears nervous and jittery and awkward when presenting his case in front of judge or jury. These observations were voiced by each of the reviewers, and I also personally found them to be true, especially his tardiness. Get a watch, man!

4) Richard Sudar just doesn’t care!

This seemed to be the general sentiment by the other reviews. Richard Sudar will do whatever it takes to get your retainer fee, but once he has cashed that check, don’t expect him to put much effort into representing you. Sure, he will show up for court dates (he has to or he would lose his license to practice) but Richard Sudar will NOT do anything extra on your behalf. A lawyer’s first priority is to bill clients. Their last priority is to actually win your case. Some attorneys DO have a conscience and don’t want people going to jail on their account, but others, such as Richard Sudar, are more interested in finding new clients than saving their old ones. This is a fact of our legal system; it is a buyer-beware market (kind of like used cars).

To conclude, while it is true that Richard Mark Sudar (Bar #195596, Los Angeles County, District 7) presently has no disciplinary or administrative actions against him by the State Bar of California, he is just not a very good lawyer. There are thousands of criminal defense attorneys in Los Angeles, so do your due diligence and meet with some others before retaining Richard Sudar. You could take your chances with him, but it is an expensive risk that could cost you not only a lot of money but maybe your life. If you wind up being another prisoner’s girlfriend in Chino State Penitentiary just because Richard Sudar was too disorganized and unprepared, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

(If anyone else has had a negative experience with Richard Sudar, please write about it here, but keep it clean, so that Insider Pages don’t delete you. It is my opinion that the positive reviews below are all fake (part of the Richard Sudar damage control campaign).