I started in collections the summer after my first year of law school, working on the prejudgment side of the practice. I handled demand, pleadings, discovery, and the day-to-day work required to move cases through the system.
Volume practice teaches discipline. You learn case management. You learn how to build systems that don’t let matters fall through the cracks. You learn how to keep many cases moving at once without losing track of any of them. That foundation has stayed with me.
Over time, I realized the part of the case I enjoyed most was what happened after judgment was entered. A judgment is an important result. But the only question that matters for most clients is whether that judgment can actually be turned into recovery. That is the question I like working on.
Post-judgment work requires a different kind of focus. It involves identifying where money actually moves, understanding how a debtor is structured, and deciding which remedies make sense, and in what order, based on the facts of the case. Sometimes that means using post-judgment discovery tools such as a judgment debtor examination. In other cases, it may mean a levy, lien strategy, assignment order, or a broader enforcement plan shaped by the client’s objectives and the debtor’s assets.
As I spent more time with the enforcement side of the practice, it became clear this was the work I was best at and most interested in doing. I enjoy digging into financial records, looking at entities and real property, evaluating leverage points, and building a strategy designed to convert a paper judgment into an actual recovery. Rather than trying to be involved in every phase of a case, I chose to concentrate on this one.
That focus also matters because post-judgment enforcement takes time, repetition, and attention to detail. Many lawyers do not have the bandwidth, or the desire, to spend their days working through California enforcement procedures, priority issues, exemption questions, and collection strategy. I do. That’s the work I want to do.
Today, my practice is focused exclusively on helping judgment creditors evaluate collectability, identify enforcement options, and pursue recovery through California judgment enforcement services. If you want a better sense of how I think about these matters, you can also read more about how I approach judgment enforcement.
For some clients, the first question is whether the matter is a fit for the practice at all. If that is where you are starting, the who we serve page and the firm’s judgment enforcement FAQs are good places to begin.
If you are still trying to understand the larger process, I also put together a practical guide on how to collect a judgment in California along with a broader library of California judgment enforcement guides.
If you already have a judgment and want to discuss enforcement options, submit it for review or contact the firm directly.
