Law Offices of Geoff Wiggs

So - you've tried debt relief, or you've looked into a debt relief or debt negotiation program and something just doesn't seem right. It seems like you're going to be paying a huge commission (30%) for someone else to pay a little to your creditors each month. Maybe those creditors will participate in the relief agency's program - maybe they won't. Heck, you may even get sued by your credit card companies while the debt relief company is telling you that everything is fine ...and they are 'working on it.' If you've read along with my series so far, you know the answer already. If you are buried in debt and things are starting to go badly, you've started to miss payments - or you cam see that you will soon be unable to keep up with payments - your credit rating is already suffering. If you choose debt relief your credit will continue to decline and you may never be able to get a significant benefit out of the program. Check out my article on why a bankruptcy is the better solution. Although it may seem drastic, sometimes the simple answer is the right answer. https://wiggslaw.com/debt-relief-conclusion/

So you've decided to try 'debt relief.' You have signed up with a debt-relief agency and have agreed to let them attempt to settle your debts for you. There are some things that they don't tell you, though. This article will expose a few of the problems that debt relief will cause - from paying one-half of your take-home pay to undisclosed income tax and IRS consequences. https://wiggslaw.com/debt-relief-debt-relief-costs-taxes/

"Debt Relief" - Sounds like a great idea doesn't it? You make regular monthly payments to the ever-so-helpful agency and that debt relief agency works with all of your creditors to negotiate a low monthly payback rate on a greatly reduced debt. But there is a lot that the debt relief agencies don't bother to mention: 1- You'll pay a 30 to 40% premium to the agency for their service 2- There are no guarantees that the debt relief agency will be able to achieve any results fo...r you. 3 -Your credit report will continue to be damaged while you participate in the program 4- You may still end up being sued for those debts Below is a link to my full article on debt relief agencies and the things that they don't tell you when getting you to sign up. https://wiggslaw.com/the-debt-relief-trap-what-they-dont-t/

Every week I get several calls from people who are trying to choose between bankruptcy and "debt relief" or "credit repair." The sales pitch from the debt relief companies is always good - a sales pitch has to be good when the product you're selling is junk and your salary depends on getting people to pay you 30% so that you pretend you're solving their problems. Please check out my blog article on The Debt Relief Trap - or Getting Relief from Debt Relief ... https://wiggslaw.com/the-debt-relief-trap-get-relief/ See more

Last week I had the opportunity to appear on The Real Estate Radio Report with host Tony Mendes. Tony's FB page is https://www.facebook.com/search/top/ Tony interviewed me a little about some consumer bankruptcy basics and the importance of hiring a bankruptcy attorney to prosecute your case. The interview is brief and informative. If you have a moment, please take a listen.... http://wiggslaw.com/real-estate-radio-report-tony-mendes/

Merry Christmas! This post is a little late, but with the holiday season, I hope you'll forgive me. On December 22 Judge Cynthia Mei-Lee released a tentative decision in a VERY long term case of mine. After three years of attempted negotiation and civil litigation chicanery, my clients have prevailed in a case against their former attorney.... At stake in this case were the proceeds of a $300,000 supersedeas bond (appeal bond) filed to protect my clients' judgment in a previous case. Their former attorney attempted to convince the court that the bond should all go to her and that my clients were only entitled to whatever was left. The Judge disagreed. After nearly three weeks of trial in July 2016, In a 52 page decision, Judge Lee found in favor of my clients on all of their claims and categorically against their former attorney on her entire cross-complaint. This was a long and exhaustive case. I couldn't have done this without the significant assistance and leadership of my co-counsel, Cody Knight of Knight Employment Law. This case was very hard on my clients as well. Early on in this case, one of my clients, Mr. John Bonjean, passed away. His sister graciously stepped in and we opened a probate for John's Estate so that that the case could continue to move forward. Now the decision has been finalized by the court. The former attorney has no claim on the posted bond and now my clients (hopefully) can get on with their lives.

On of my former classmates from Santa Clara Law with some thoughts on Internet Privacy Rights. As an immigrant from Romania, her perspectives come from a very interesting place.

I was in Court yesterday for a mediation with my client and managed to get caught up in a herd of bodyguards. On the plus side, my picture is in the paper - on the con side my client nearly got run over and I somehow look like one of Mr. Chahal's bodyguards http://www.sfgate.com//DA-moves-to-revoke-tech-mogul-Gurba

Here's the next video Ricardo and I cut: What is a Trust. It's just a cursory 2 minute question and answer. Take a look if you have time. Let me know if there are other topics you would like to see discussed. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc6T0MZl8As

I recently recorded a couple of videos with local realtor Ricardo Archila. Here's the first one - How to Avoid Probate www.youtube.com/watch?v=41oCbyISjC4

The saddest cases I see in the bankruptcy world are when someone gets into trouble and fights a hopeless battle attempting to 'do the right thing' and 'pay their debts.' I just worked with a man who went into debt on a supposedly solid business deal - he took out a sizable loan and tried to recover a failing restaurant business. After he paid the rent arrearages his 'partner' left the country without fully transferring the business to him. The landlord evicted him and the... gentleman lost everything he'd invested. But he was still on the hook for the loan. Two years later and he's spent everything he had trying to make good on the loan. For a business (and bills) that was never really his to begin with. So many times I see a consumer's attempt to make good on hopelessly large debts result in a situation in which the consumer spends all of their savings, puts their family, health, and retirement savings at risk, and STILL ends up owing more than they could ever hope to repay. If you are facing crushing debt, don't be ashamed or afraid to look into bankruptcy as an option. Something to remember - Bankruptcy doesn't mean that you can never repay a debt that you believe that you should be responsible for - it simply means that you can no longer be forced to repay that debt through collection attorneys and their methods. Call my office today if you would like to find out how to get some relief from your debt.

Just updated my headshot.

http://blog.ceb.com//checklist-does-the-anti-slapp-statut/