Gobena & Associates

For individuals and families across Minnesota, facing legal challenges, particularly in sensitive areas like immigration or criminal defense, requires an attorney who is not only knowledgeable but also trustworthy and communicative. The choice of legal representation can profoundly impact one's future, making it essential to find a firm that aligns with your needs and values. In St. Paul, Gobena & Associates is a law firm that has served the community, offering a range of legal services.

This firm aims to provide advocacy and counsel, particularly within the multicultural communities of Minnesota. While client experiences can vary, understanding the services offered and the feedback from past clients can help prospective individuals and families make informed decisions about their legal representation. Gobena & Associates highlights its expertise in areas critical to many Minnesotans, including immigration law, criminal defense, family law, and personal injury.

Gobena & Associates is conveniently located at 2147 University Ave W #117, St Paul, MN 55114, USA. This address places the firm on University Avenue, a major and highly accessible thoroughfare in St. Paul. University Avenue is well-known for its extensive public transportation options, including the Green Line light rail, making the office easily reachable for clients who rely on public transit. For those driving, the area typically offers various parking options, though it's always advisable to confirm specific parking availability. The firm's location within a suite in a commercial building provides a professional setting suitable for confidential legal discussions. This strategic placement ensures that Minnesotans from diverse communities can readily access their services.

Gobena & Associates, Attorneys At Law, offers a comprehensive array of legal services, demonstrating expertise across several critical practice areas. They aim to meet the diverse needs of individuals, families, and businesses they represent, with a particular emphasis on multicultural services. Their key practice areas include:

• Immigration Law: This is a significant focus, covering various aspects such as family-based immigration, adjustment of status, asylum applications, and deportation defense. They assist individuals in navigating the complexities of U.S. immigration and nationality law, including non-immigrant visas like H, L-1, E, and R-1/R-2 visas.
• Criminal Defense: The firm provides representation for individuals facing criminal charges. This can include a range of offenses such as theft and embezzlement, DWI/DUI and other traffic violations, criminal sexual conduct, assault & battery, and record expungement.
• Family Law: They handle sensitive family law matters, which typically include divorce, child custody, child support, spousal maintenance, and other domestic relations issues.
• Personal Injuries: The firm represents clients who have suffered injuries due to the negligence of others. This covers various types of accidents including car accidents, truck and trucking accidents, bicycle accidents, and aviation accident injuries. They assist victims in seeking compensation for their damages.
• Business Law (General): While not explicitly detailed, their broad spectrum of services and commitment to businesses suggest they may offer general business legal advice, contract review, and business formation guidance.

They pride themselves on offering "comprehensive array of professional services with a proven history of success" and strive to ensure clients have "the best possible representation."

Gobena & Associates presents a complex picture when considering its features and highlights, as client reviews offer distinctly contrasting perspectives. It is crucial for prospective clients to consider both positive and negative feedback when evaluating this firm.

• Trustworthy and Personable Attorney: One client highly praises Attorney Israel Gobena, describing him as "very trustworthy, personable, honest, knowledgeable and going above and beyond." This suggests a commitment to personal client care and strong ethical conduct from this specific attorney.
• Attentive and Clear Communication: The positive review highlights that the firm "cared for me and helped ease my stress and frustration by their attentiveness and clear communication." This indicates a focus on keeping clients informed and supported during their legal process.
• Knowledgeable and Effective: Attorney Israel Gobena is lauded for being "very knowledgeable" and "going above and beyond," implying effective legal representation and a strong grasp of relevant laws.
• Client Confidence: The client "felt very confident with him as our attorney," which is a crucial aspect of a successful attorney-client relationship, particularly in high-stakes legal matters.
• High Recommendation: The positive review ends with a strong endorsement: "I’ll highly recommend him and his team to anyone!" This indicates significant client satisfaction.
• Multicultural Services: The firm explicitly states its dedication to "multicultural services," which could be a significant highlight for diverse communities in Minnesota, offering culturally sensitive and understanding legal support.

• Allegations of Exploitation and Fear Tactics: A severe concern raised is the accusation that the firm "takes advantage of people who don’t speak English fluently or understand the laws, using fear tactics to pressure them into paying large amounts of money." This highlights a potentially unethical practice that preys on vulnerability.
• Misinformation and Manipulation: The review claims the lawyer "scared my brother into thinking that if he didn’t follow his instructions, he would be deported or face severe consequences" and "gave him wrong information and manipulated his fears." This is a grave allegation that questions the firm's integrity and competence.
• Failure to Deliver Promised Help: Despite paying a substantial amount ("around $2,000"), the client allegedly "didn’t receive the help he was promised." This raises questions about service delivery and value for money.
• Lack of Transparency and Refunds: The accusation that the lawyer "laughed when he asked for his money back, and completely robbed him" points to serious issues with financial ethics and client recourse.
• Specific Warning to Communities: The explicit warning to "OROMO/ETHIOPIAN communities, as they prey on people’s fear and lack of knowledge" is a significant red flag, suggesting a pattern of problematic behavior towards specific vulnerable groups.
• Comparison to Other Firms: The negative review highlights that another firm resolved the case "smoothly without the threats and scare tactics this lawyer had used," and that the client "had many more options than he was led to believe." This comparison underscores a perceived deficit in the Gobena firm's approach and transparency.

Given these extremely divergent reviews, prospective clients in Minnesota should exercise extreme caution and perform thorough due diligence. While one client had an "excellent" experience, the serious nature of the negative allegations warrants significant investigation before engaging this firm's services.

Information regarding specific "promotions" or "special offers" in the form of discounts or limited-time deals from Gobena & Associates is not publicly detailed. In the legal profession, firms typically convey value through their service model rather than traditional marketing promotions. While unconfirmed for this firm, common practices might include:

• Initial Consultations: Many law firms offer initial consultations, which may be free or carry a nominal fee, to discuss a prospective client's case. This allows the firm to assess the case and the client to understand the attorney's approach and potential strategies before committing to full representation.
• Transparent Fee Discussions: Reputable firms typically discuss their fee structures (hourly rates, flat fees for certain services, or contingency fees for personal injury cases) upfront. Transparency in billing practices helps clients manage their legal expenses.

However, it is crucial to consider this in light of the severe negative feedback provided. The allegation of a client paying "around $2,000" without receiving promised help and being "robbed" when asking for money back directly contradicts any notion of transparent or client-favorable financial practices. This particular review suggests a significant breakdown in financial integrity, which would far outweigh any implied "offer" or value proposition. Therefore, while no formal promotions are listed, the most significant "offer" from any reputable legal firm should be clear, ethical, and value-driven service, which is deeply contested by one of the provided testimonials.

To inquire about legal services or to schedule a consultation with Gobena & Associates, you can use the following contact details:

• Address: 2147 University Ave W #117, St Paul, MN 55114, USA
• Phone: (651) 641-0931
• Mobile Phone: +1 651-641-0931

It is strongly recommended to call during regular business hours to discuss your specific legal needs and to conduct thorough due diligence, especially in light of the highly varied client feedback, before engaging in any legal services.

For Minnesotans seeking legal representation, especially within the diverse communities of St. Paul, the choice of a law firm is a deeply personal and critical decision. Gobena & Associates, located on University Avenue, offers a convenient and accessible option for legal services in areas like immigration, criminal defense, family law, and personal injury.

The firm explicitly highlights its commitment to "multicultural services," which could be a significant draw for members of the Oromo and Ethiopian communities, potentially offering a sense of cultural understanding and personalized attention. Indeed, one client offers glowing praise for Attorney Israel Gobena, describing him as "very trustworthy, personable, honest, knowledgeable and going above and beyond," and highly recommends the firm for its "outstanding service" and ability to "ease my stress and frustration by their attentiveness and clear communication." This positive testimonial suggests that for some clients, the firm delivers exceptional, caring, and effective legal support.

However, it is imperative for any prospective client, especially those from vulnerable communities, to be aware of and carefully consider the profoundly negative review that directly contradicts this positive portrayal. This review alleges serious ethical breaches, including "fear tactics," providing "wrong information," "manipulating fears," and failing to deliver promised help while withholding funds. Such grave accusations of preying on "vulnerability" and "lack of knowledge," particularly directed at the Ethiopian/OROMO communities, are extremely serious and cannot be overlooked. For Minnesotans, particularly those who may have limited English proficiency or understanding of the U.S. legal system, choosing legal representation requires an abundance of caution and due diligence. While positive experiences exist, the severity of the negative allegations demands that potential clients verify all claims, seek multiple consultations, and check independent sources like the Minnesota State Bar Association for disciplinary records, to ensure they choose a legal advocate who operates with unwavering integrity and professionalism.