Eric Toscano, Class of '09
Eric Toscano ’09 is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Tenant Law Group, a statewide firm with offices in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. Since 2016, Eric has grown the firm from a de facto solo practice originally named Toscano Law Group to the largest law firm in California (and possibly the nation) exclusively dedicated to protecting tenants’ rights. The firm is not only one of the 100 fastest growing law firms in the United States but also one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the nation.
Before coming to King Hall, for three years Eric lived in Italy, where he founded The English Language Institute of Montebelluna and started Italian Citizenship & Genealogy Services, an online company that helps people with Italian ancestry gain Italian citizenship. At King Hall, Eric was Student Bar Association President, on the Moot Court Board, and a member of The Order of Barristers. He was also an intern in the Government Division of the Office of the City Attorney of San Francisco and a judicial extern to the Honorable Morrison C. England, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Eric has served on the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Barristers Club Board of Directors, including as Vice President. In 2014, the organization named him Barrister of the Year. He has also served on the board of directors of San Francisco’s Eviction Defense Collaborative, a nonprofit that helps low-income tenants fight eviction. He now serves on King Hall’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
What made you so interested in tenant law?
My first job after graduating from King Hall was at a big firm representing corporate defendants. I left after two and a half years because I didn’t find the work rewarding professionally. When I started my solo practice in 2012, my initial focus was “Door Law” (i.e., whatever walked through the door). I handled immigration matters, partnership disputes, entity formations, and general civil litigation matters. About six months after opening my doors, I met a woman referred to me by the Bar Association of San Francisco. She was a single mother raising three boys and working multiple jobs. She had settled in a rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco after immigrating from El Salvador. One day a pipe burst in her kitchen, flooding her house with raw sewage and destroying most of her personal property. Both the property manager and the owner ignored her repeated pleas for help. After her infant son started developing skin rashes, she abandoned the property with nowhere to go. Although I had never handled a tenant rights matter before, I was drawn to her case and told her I would help. I filed a lawsuit on her behalf and, eventually, was able to secure a recovery that allowed her and her sons to move into a much nicer home in San Francisco. I clearly remember meeting with her and her three boys after we resolved her case. It was unquestionably the most rewarding experience of my legal career. It made me realize my calling was as a plaintiff’s attorney representing people underrepresented in the law. I love being a tenant rights lawyer because so many of our clients are single mothers, immigrant families, and individuals struggling to make ends meet who have never worked with an attorney before. I also enjoy working in a practice area where lawyers are so desperately needed. With approximately seventeen million renters in California (approximately 5% of the population of the United States), the number of deserving clients is seemingly endless.
What have you found challenging about running your own law firm?
The challenges have been different at different phases. Initially, my big challenge was simply grinding through the many things that needed to get done to get my solo practice off the ground. Once the firm was a bit more stabilized, my biggest challenge was attracting clients. As the firm grew, my biggest challenge then became finding (and keeping) great legal talent. After that, it was learning how to work through cash crunches. Given the size of our firm now (44 people) and a statewide practice, my biggest challenge is scaling the firm to keep up with demand. Even if our firm were able to handle one hundred times as many cases as our current capacity, we would still be representing only a fraction of California tenants with meritorious cases. Scaling up our firm requires getting comfortable with constant change; routinely modifying the firm’s policies, systems, and procedures; virtually nonstop hiring; and learning how to adapt to the dynamics of a larger team while maintaining the firm’s supportive, collaborative culture.
What do you do when you aren’t at work?
Because I love what I do, managing my firm doesn’t feel like work to me. When I was little, I loved solving puzzles and doing math. That’s pretty much what I spend most of my time doing now. Outside of the law, my top priority is spending time with my family. I also enjoy volunteering with Cub Scouts (this is my second year as Cubmaster for my older son’s Cub Scout Pack), running half marathons, traveling, meeting new people, and spending as much time outdoors as possible (camping, hiking, swimming, rafting, horseback riding, etc.).
Why did you choose to attend King Hall?
My older cousin was (and still is) a Deputy District Attorney at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. He always told me what a great experience he had had as a King Hall student (Class of 1997), so it was always at the top of my list when I was thinking about law school. When I visited on a prospective student day, everyone was so welcoming and supporting, and all the students told me how much they loved it. I knew it would be a perfect fit. After that, I never seriously considered going anywhere else.
What is your favorite King Hall memory?
I was twenty-nine years old when I started at King Hall and eager to return to academia after seven years in the workforce. So, my fondest memory was probably returning to the life of a full-time student my first year (2006–2007), meeting and getting to know my classmates, and enjoying the social scene with my peers in downtown Davis. My favorite classes were probably Civil Procedure with Professor Main and Real Property with Professor Dobris. I also enjoyed all my classes with Professor Feeney. I’ll never forget representing King Hall at the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition for two years with my exceptionally talented classmates Mikayla Gow Kellogg and Nabil Bisharat. During our 2L year, we won our regional competition and went to nationals in Chicago (my first visit to the Windy City), and during our 3L year, we won best brief award. I also enjoyed playing in the King Hall softball league, attending Over the Hump, watching Cardozorama (now Aokirama), and, of course, meeting my wife Stephanie (Class of 2010).
How have you stayed involved with King Hall?
Right after graduation, I joined the King Hall Young Alumni Association. I attended San Francisco lunches with Dean Johnson and returned to King Hall a few times as a volunteer judge for competitions. I contacted admitted students for several years and more recently have participated in King Hall’s mentorship program as a student mentor. For the past several years, I’ve returned to King Hall as a panelist, most recently for the Lawyering Process class. (I’ll be back at King Hall in a few weeks, actually.) I helped plan our ten-year reunion in 2019. In 2020, I joined the King Hall Alumni Board as board member, and I just started my second three-year term. My proudest moment as an alumnus was addressing the Class of 2026 on behalf of the King Hall Alumni Board at the Fall Welcome Dinner last August.
Of what are you proudest?
Professionally, I am proudest of having built a firm that has made a positive difference in the lives of so many people and, as a result, has provided a livelihood for my family, for all forty-four of our team members (and their families), and for our many vendors (and their families). Personally, I’m proudest of being a Dad and try to be a good role model for my sons Henry and Louie.
Do you have any advice for current law students?
Don't feel like you have to know what type of law you want to practice right away. It sometimes takes a while to discover your true calling. Although I have dedicated my legal career to representing mostly indigent tenants, my first legal job after graduating from King Hall was as an intellectual property attorney defending semiconductor companies sued for patent infringement by non-practicing entities. When I decided to become a lawyer I knew that (1) I wanted to help people, (2) I wanted to do something involving courtroom advocacy, and (3) I probably would want to start my own firm one day. I think one of the reasons my first job was such a poor fit for me was that it was not in alignment with these three guiding principles. The work I do now is much more consistent with all three. So, my advice for current law students is to find work that aligns with whatever first drew you to the law.