Valery Nechay - San Francisco, CA

I would not trust Valery Nechay with sensitive information, and I would strongly caution anyone considering hiring her to think carefully before doing so. I was never her client. I knew her personally, and what I directly witnessed raised serious concerns about her judgment, discretion, boundaries, and basic professionalism. This was not one accidental comment about a case. Valery repeatedly told me detailed and identifying information about people she described as current or former clients. She discussed criminal allegations, private circumstances, case details, and things she claimed clients had admitted or disclosed to her. I had nothing to do with these cases, did not work for her, and had no reason to know any of it. In one instance, she gave me the full name, phone number, email address, and home address of a person she identified as a client or former client. She accused that person of breaking into her apartment and being responsible for the death of her dog. I did not ask for this information and had no connection to the person or the case. I will not publish his identity or contact information because I am not going to repeat the same disregard for someone else's privacy. I also cannot independently confirm the accusations she made against him. What I can confirm is that she gave me his identifying information and discussed the accusations against him in detail. There were other similar conversations about other people she identified as clients. This was a pattern, not a misunderstanding. Anyone hiring an attorney should be able to trust that their identity, address, personal history, alleged conduct, and private conversations will not become casual discussion with someone completely uninvolved in their case. My concerns are not limited to what she disclosed about clients. During a serious personal crisis involving her apartment and dog, she personally asked me for help. Even though I had already decided that I did not want a relationship with her and was trying to distance myself, I still helped because she appeared to be in an emergency. I helped her leave the apartment, paid for a hotel room then other expenses, and continued helping while she said she needed support. I also paid for a plane ticket after she agreed to reimburse me. She has now refused to repay it. That debt will be handled separately. I am including it because it explains why contact continued and how she treated someone who had spent significant time and money helping her during a crisis. After I made it clear that I did not want a romantic relationship, she sent me a series of long, hostile, and degrading messages. The messages included personal attacks, accusations, a demand that I pay her $15k statements that I should "be careful," references to "consequences," and a statement that she would respond to me "in kind." She told me not to contact her, then contacted me again when she wanted information or assistance. I have preserved the complete message history, not just isolated screenshots. I also have timestamps, receipts, payment records, and the messages concerning reimbursement. Some of her messages were edited, and I have preserved the surrounding conversation and available records showing that as well. I am filing a police report concerning the communications I experienced as threatening and intimidating so there is an official record. I am also submitting the evidence regarding her client disclosures and professional conduct to the State Bar. The identities and private information of the people she discussed will be provided confidentially to the appropriate investigators, not posted publicly. The unpaid money will be pursued separately through the civil process. There are additional serious matters that I am providing privately to the appropriate authorities because they should be investigated based on evidence, not turned into unsupported public accusations.