If you are ready to file your Sister State Judgment in California with us, here are the steps:

 1.     Determine whether you want us to domesticate your Sister State Judgment in California on a percentage of recovery fee (contingent fee) or based on services needed (hourly fees). Review the notes on Contingent v Hourly Fees.  

 2.      If you want to file to domesticate your Sister State Judgment in California on a Contingent fee, click below on the Contingent Fee agreement. Click here or below. Print out, sign and return to us.

      3.      If you want to file in a California Court to register your Sister State Money Judgment on an Hourly Fee, click below on the Hourly Fee agreement. Click here or below. Print out, sign and return to us.

      4.      If you have questions, feel free to call us during business hours in California at (800) 519-0562. We will discuss your case, answer your questions and send an email with engagement instructions.                                

      5.      If you prefer contingent fee, we will review the Judgment and surrounding facts in detail to be comfortable we wish to become your percentage partner in attempting to collect the Sister State Judgment. We investigate to confirm the Sister State Judgment is strong and our investigation leads us to believe the Judgment Debtor is vulnerable. After this investigation, we will notify you of our willingness to accept the case on contingency fee. The only information we then give is whether we will accept on contingency.   

      6.      If you prefer Hourly fee, we will also begin an investigation when we receive your file and notify you of our opinion and the results of our in-office review and limited scope investigation. If the result are positive, we will move forward.  If the results suggest caution, we will advise you before incurring additional charges.

      7.      Whichever fee type you select, you should send us any information you have regarding the Judgment Debtor’s location, income, assets, etc., including all past investigation, credit reports or social media searches and information about the real “who and where” the Judgment Debtor is, what you suspect or know the Judgment Debtor has or how the Judgment Debtor keeps or moves money or assets.   

      8.       Send us the “Authenticated” or “Exemplified” copy of your Sister State Judgment. As a reminder, as to what that is see Example 1, Example 2, Example 3. Since it is an original document, you must send it my mail or overnight.  We need the original to file with the court.

      9.        We will know that we have a good prospective client when we receive the signed fee agreement, the documents as described above and a confirmation that you are ready to either advance the required costs for contingency fee representation ($575) or the fees for an hourly fee representation (retainer of $4,000). Of that, $1500 is used and further services are billed. $2,500 is held in trust until conclusion and refunded if not used. You may send the deposit in one of three ways:  

A.      Send us a check to the Newport Beach, California address. Click here.

B.      Make a Direct Deposit into our Client Trust Account at any Wells Fargo Bank Branch or Wire Transfer the funds to our Client Trust Account pursuant to the instructions. Click here or see below.

C.      Make your deposit with a credit card at: https://secure.lawpay.com/pages/greenbaumlaw/trust  

     10.         When we have received all of the above, that is your offer to engage us. If accepted, we will promptly notify you of our decision to become your attorney  and will begin the necessary steps to proceed with your case.