Merry Christmas!
Our office will be closed on the following dates for the holiday season:
Friday, December 23 through Monday, December 26.
We will re-open Tuesday, December 27.
Friday, December 30 through Monday, January 2.
We will re-open Tuesday, January 3.
We hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Years. We are very much looking forward to a successful 2017 for all of our clients.
Happy Thanksgiving! We will be taking some time off this week to spend with our families.
The office will be closed starting at noon on Wednesday, November 21 through Friday, November 25.
We will re-open at 8 am on Monday, November 28.
Hilary, Deanna and I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!
Big news! We are moving our law office this week. Starting August 22, 2016, 555 Capitol Mall will be our new home. Our phone number remains the same, (916) 333-2222.
We look forward to serving all of our clients out of our new office soon!
We are looking forward to taking some time off this year with our families. Here are the dates on which the office will be closed:
Thanksgiving
Closed noon on Wednesday, November 25 through November 27.
The office will be open again on Monday, November 30.
Christmas
Closed noon on Wednesday, December 23 through December 25.
The office will be open again on Monday, December 28.
New Years
Closed December 31 and January 1.
The office will be open again January 4.
The Sacramento Bankruptcy Court is a big place with multiple floors, departments and functions. I’m going to briefly describe the Court from top to bottom for folks who have never been there before.
The first thing that you need to know is that the Sacramento Bankruptcy Court is not a stand-alone court. The Bankruptcy Court is located at 501 I Street in Sacramento, also known as the Robert T. Matsui Federal Courthouse. The courthouse houses the Federal District court, the Bankruptcy Court, and various other governmental offices.
Security
To get into the courthouse, you first must go through security. The security setup at the courthouse is very similar to the airport. They have two lines for metal detectors, and everyone entering the courthouse must first go through security. Some types of shoes and belts will set off the metal detectors, so be prepared to remove shoes, belts, and large items of jewelry.
Besides the obvious stuff, the security will not allow cameras into the courthouse. So leave your cameras behind. Cell phones and smart phones are fine, but you should make sure that you silence them before entering the courthouse.
Clerk’s Office
The Bankruptcy Clerk’s Office is located on the Third Floor of the courthouse. This is where you may file paper documents with the court, obtain information regarding the status of your bankruptcy, or pay your bankruptcy filing fee. The Clerk’s Office is not allowed to give you legal advice. That is what your attorney is for.
Tip: if you are paying the bankruptcy filing fee with installments, make sure that you bring exact change to the court. The Clerk will not issue change, and they only accept cash.
Bankruptcy Help Desk
Also located on the Third Floor is the Bankruptcy Help Desk. Volunteer attorneys (including me) are available each Friday from 9 am to 12 pm. The volunteer attorneys are allowed to answer general questions regarding the bankruptcy process. They also allowed to provide assistance with the bankruptcy forms. While specific legal advice cannot be provided, many attendees find a visit to the help desk to be very productive.
Hearing Rooms
In every bankruptcy case, there is a “meeting of creditors.” Each debtor is required to appear to the meeting of creditors to answer basic questions about their bankruptcy. The meeting of creditors is administered by the Bankruptcy Trustee. As the name implies, this is also an opportunity for your creditors to appear and ask questions of you.
Meetings of creditors occur in hearing rooms located at on the 7th Floor of the courthouse. There are three separate hearing rooms, and hearings could be going on simultaneously in all three rooms — depending on how busy the court is at a given time.
The hearing rooms are less formal than the actual courtrooms, and the meeting of creditors is generally less formal than an actual court session as well.
Courtrooms
The Sacramento Bankruptcy Court has five courtrooms dedicated to bankruptcy proceedings. The courtrooms are located on the Sixth and Seventh floor. These courtrooms look just like you would expect a federal courtroom to look like, and the proceedings here are very formal. In most consumer bankruptcy cases, you as the debtor aren’t required to appear before a judge. Most cases are administered from start to finish by the Bankruptcy Trustee.
If you have any questions about declaring bankruptcy in Sacramento, please call my office at (916) 333-2222.
There is no shortage of bankruptcy attorneys to choose from in the Sacramento area. However, you shouldn’t put your financial future in the hands of just anyone. Here are the Top 3 Reasons to hire my law firm to handle your bankruptcy.
1. Best Customer Service in Sacramento
Bankruptcy is a huge life decision. My staff and I are dedicated to making sure that you understand what is going on each step of the way. Another way of saying that is that Customer Service is our number one priority.
This means that phone calls, emails and text messages are returned as soon as possible (in most cases in mere minutes). You will be constantly receiving status updates from both me and Hilary regarding the status of your case. Don’t get stuck with another law firm that won’t return your calls after you have paid your retainer. We are here for you each step of the way.
2. I Handle Your Case from Start to Finish
The other guys in town promise you that you receive individual attention. They’re right — but you will talk to a different person each time. In my law practice, I find time to meet with each and every client each step of the way. If you make the decision to hire me, I will be the one preparing your paperwork, helping you sign your bankruptcy, and I will appear in court with you during your bankruptcy hearing. This is how it ought to be.
When you walk into court with me, you will feel comfortable knowing that I personally handled all of the details of your case. And you will also see clients of other law firms meeting with their “attorney” for the first time minutes before they walk into the courtroom. Which would you prefer?
3. I Make Bankruptcy as Easy as Possible
As an attorney, I do all the heavy lifting for you. Sure, I need some help from you. I need financial documents such as pay stubs, tax returns and bank statements. From there, I take all of your materials and turn it into about 65 pages of legal documents that must be filed with the bankruptcy court.
All of my clients agree that the process was painless — especially clients that met with other attorneys before hiring my law firm. Has another lawyer handed you a 50 page questioner for you to fill out? The secret is that they are basically having you fill out the bankruptcy paperwork all on your own. If you’re doing all the work, what exactly are you paying them for?
Lastly, you don’t have to take my word for it. Take a look at Yelp reviews to see what other people have said about their experience with my law firm.
I am confident that my law firm will provide you with the best possible bankruptcy experience. Please call (916) 333-2222 to find out for yourself.
While the holidays are always a busy time for us at the office, we want to make sure that we have some time to spend some time with our families. Here are our scheduled days that we will be closed through New Years.
Thanksgiving: we will be closed November 26 – 28. The office will be open again December 1.
Christmas: we will be closed December 24-26. The office will be open again December 29.
New Years: we will be closed December 31 – January 1. The office will be open again January 2.
As a reminder, now is a great time to begin working on your Chapter 7 bankruptcy. By filing your bankruptcy soon, you can ensure that you begin 2015 with a fresh start!
Call Rick Morin at (916) 333-2222 to get started on your Chapter 7 bankruptcy today!
If you’re familiar with Downtown Sacramento, you probably have seen or driven by where our office is. But not everyone is familiar with Downtown Sacramento! So here is a helpful photo of the Wong Center. The Wong Center is located at 331 J Street in Sacramento, right off of the J Street exit from I-5.
We are located in Suite 200 of the Wong Center. You just walk up those steps behind the yellow curb and the reception area is to the left.
If you get lost trying to find our office, just call us at (916) 333-2222 and we will be able to give you directions.
As a reminder, we do validate parking at the Downtown Plaza parking structure. The parking is on the right-hand side of J Street just after the Wong Center. We have parking validations so you don’t need to worry about paying for parking or getting a ticket at a meter!
My office now has a new phone number. You can reach me at (916) 333-2222.