East Bay Bankruptcy Law & Financial Planning

07/28/2026

It has been my pleasure serving the community for the last 15 years. As I close the office and move on to the next chapter in my career, I would like to thank all of my former clients, my colleagues in the Bar, and everyone who followed this page. I wish you all of the best in your future endeavors.

06/30/2026

I am full on cases at the moment, so I am not taking on any new work. If you need assistance, try reaching out to (alphabetically) Darya Druch, Carl Gustafson (Lincoln Law), Michael Primus, or Dan Vaughan. We have a very experienced Bar and there are more folks that I could name as well.

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05/09/2026

Yesterday, the Bar got to celebrate one of our judges on the occasion of his retirement. If you practice in Oakland, expect to see those active CN cases switched over to another judge around the middle of the month.

Thank you to all of the attorneys, judges, and court staff who attended in person and via Zoom.

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04/01/2026

Scams are everywhere this tax season. I just received one attempting to set up a Zoom meeting with the "taxpayer" to go over a tax discrepancy.

This is a scam. Tell your family and friends about it. The IRS is not going to send you an e-mail with a Zoom link saying to contact them. Their collection letters are very specific as to dates and amounts.

03/06/2026

My office's 15 year anniversary is coming up soon. Should I have an open house to celebrate? Take the day off? Something else?

02/09/2026

Yet another scam update - one of the bk courts has reported someone pretending to be from the court and demanding money for unpaid fees. They demand those fees be paid over the phone, sometimes having you Zelle or use pre-paid gift cards. SCAM. Remember, the court is not going to reach out to you over the phone. The court is not going to accept alternate payment methods.

Fake Social Security emails seem to be on the rise as well.

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01/31/2026

Here's a great reference for the local self-help resources available at Co Co Cty Superior Court.
https://www.cccba.org/?pg=ContraCostaLawyerMagazine&pubAction=viewIssue&pubIssueID=65207&pubIssueItemID=426051

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01/26/2026

A friendly reminder that tax season also means spam season. In the past week, I've received e-mails purporting to be from the IRS (not actually the IRS's e-mail address) as well as multiple tax "assistance" agencies.

The IRS is going to contact you via mail. Mail. If someone calls you and says you owe taxes, stop and think. Who is this person? What do they want from me? Did I contact them?

If you did not contact a tax assistance company, do not talk to the people who cold call you. Some are scammers trying to get your private information. Instead, use a reputable CPA or EA.

01/08/2026

What are your work new year's resolutions? Any favorites you implemented last year?

So far this year, mine are boring. 1 - Update my website (still working on that). 2 - Refresh my Client To Do List to be clearer about what documents I need from the past and what documents I need each time my clients receive them in the future (draft 1 completed). 3 - Archive old electronic files and shred old client paper files (with client permission, of course).

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12/22/2025

Thank you to everyone who voted me Best Attorney - Bankruptcy in this year's Best of Brentwood voting. https://issuu.com/brentwoodpress/docs/best_of_brentwood_2025?fr=sYTZhODgzNTY1MzA
The magazine is now out wherever you pick up the Press, and you can check it out online at the above link.

Brentwood's 24th Annual Readers' Choice Winners' Guide