Sacramento Bankruptcy Help Desk

Did you know that there is a special place in Sacramento where you can get free bankruptcy assistance? The Bankruptcy Help Desk is available to unrepresented debtors and creditors with bankruptcy questions.

Where is the Bankruptcy Help Desk?

You can find the bankruptcy help desk at the United States Bankruptcy Court in Sacramento. The address of the court is 501 I Street. To find the help desk, go up to the third floor. The help desk is right next to the clerk’s office.

When is the Bankruptcy Help Desk open?

The program runs from 9 am to 12 pm each and every Friday (with the exception of holidays).

Some days are busy, and some days are not busy. It is best to arrive early to ensure that someone can see you.

Who runs the Bankruptcy Help Desk?

The United States Trustee’s Office in conjunction with the Bankruptcy Court’s clerk’s office created the bankruptcy help desk.

Volunteer attorneys and laws students from McGeorge (a law school in Sacramento) volunteer their time to answer questions at the help desk. The attorneys that volunteer at the help desk all have significant experience with bankruptcy matters. Student volunteers are all taking bankruptcy coursework.

Who can use the Bankruptcy Help Desk?

Anyone! In fact, people that go to the help desk most often have filed their own bankruptcy without the assistance of an attorney.

Unrepresented creditors in bankruptcy cases can also come to the help desk.

Occasionally a person comes to the help desk that completed a bankruptcy many years ago. These people might be asking questions regarding how their bankruptcy affected a certain debt, or simply need some paperwork to be located.

What type of help is available at the Bankruptcy Help Desk?

Volunteers at the help desk are available to answer general questions about bankruptcy forms, procedures, and provide general advice. However, attorneys aren’t allowed to provide specific legal advice. This is because the attorneys do not formally represent help desk customers.

Volunteer attorneys review filings, including a bankruptcy petition, before the debtor files the paperwork at the clerk’s office. However, volunteer attorneys cannot complete the bankruptcy petition for you.

When serious issues arise, the volunteer attorneys will generally recommend that the patron obtain the services of an attorney.

Thinking about filing bankruptcy? Please call my office at (916) 333-2222 to schedule a bankruptcy consultation at my office in Sacramento.

Attorney Rick Morin