Andrew Schnorr Allegedly Posed as Attorney and Scammed Western New York Clients Out of More Than $22,000 in Legal Fees.

Get our free mobile app

When you hire an attorney or a lawyer, you usually look for someone you can trust and rely on, someone that you feel will have your back. 

Unfortunately, when Western New Yorkers confided and trusted “attorney” Andrew Schnorr, they had no idea that he was a fraud.

After nearly four years of investigations, the New York Attorney General Letitia James and the New York State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen announced that Andrew Schnorr has been arrested and has been brought in to answer before a court about the criminal charges of which he is being accused.

The Office of the Attorney General first received a complaint when an attorney expressed concern in Schnorr’s “lack of competence during a legal proceeding,” according to a report from the Office of the Attorney General of New York State. After following through with the investigations, it was discovered that Schnorr had lied about graduating from New York University School of Law and also lied about passing the bar exams in both New York and California.

Andrew Schnorr, 39, has since been apprehended for practicing law without a license and for scamming Buffalonians out of thousands of dollars in legal fees, exceeding $20k.

Schnorr is alleged to have been passing himself off as a licensed attorney for years, and he has even represented clients in their respective legal proceedings – even though he never passed the bar exam or graduated from a law school.

He used invalid and falsified documents to secure a job at a Buffalo law firm, and he represented “at least nine clients” since he first joined the firm back in 2019, according to the Attorney General’s report.  

An arrest like this can make people wary towards the legal system and concerned when choosing to proceed with legal services in Western New York, and that’s why he must be held accountable.

Not only did Schnorr allegedly pose as an attorney who could help people in need, but he is also accused of conning several Western New Yorkers out of thousands of dollars. He also is accused of risking their lives and their futures in going ahead with courtroom proceedings on his clients’ behalf. 

Schnorr has been charged with Unauthorized Practice of Law (a Class E felony) and Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a Class D felony). If convicted, he will face up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison, but as of right now, the investigation is still ongoing.

If you have any additional information in regards to this case or have been involved with these legal proceedings in some way, you may contact the Office of the Attorney General for more information at 716-853-8400.

Special thank you to CRWEWORLD for being our initial source of these findings.

Most Commonly Broke New York State Liquor Laws

Can you have an open bar in New York State? Are jello shots illegal at the bar? Can you play cards at a bar in New York State?

Here Are 5 New Laws That Start In 2022 In New York

A new year brings with it new laws that could impact you.

15 Dumbest Laws In New York State

How are these even laws in New York?

More From 93.7 WBLK