Law Office moving in the Sacramento Valley: Murdock's crew at work

Business & Professional Offices

Law Office Moving in Chico, Yuba City and Sacramento

File volume counted by the linear foot, active matters loaded last so they come off first, and original wills and trust funds left in the firm's own hands.

(530) 354-8089

Licensed & InsuredUSDOT 3421940 · MC 1416634
Locally OperatedChico + Yuba City
Sacramento ValleyChico · Yuba City · Sacramento

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Planning a Law Office Move

Ask a firm administrator how big the office is and you will hear about attorneys and square feet. The truck cares about something else: how many linear feet of files are on the shelves. A small practice two blocks from the courthouse in Oroville or Marysville can hold more paper than a much larger suite downtown, once closed files in the back room, the copy room and every attorney's credenza are counted.

So the first request is a tape measure. Your staff measure occupied shelving and drawers by the foot, room by room, and we turn that into a banker-box count and a load plan. The firm then splits the files three ways: active matters, closed files that are staying in the firm's possession, and anything the partners have already cleared for the shredding vendor.

Active matters ride at the tail of the load, which puts them on the right desks before anything else is unpacked. A hearing on Monday morning should never depend on a box at the back of the truck. Original wills and estate documents stay out of the load entirely; the attorney responsible carries them.

Who usually signs off: Firm administrator or managing partner, with practice-group leads deciding file access order
Timing that works: Friday evening to Sunday, planned around the trial calendar so no attorney is prepping for a hearing on the first Monday in the new office.

What typically moves

Banker boxes of closed matter filesCounted from the linear-foot measure, sealed by staff, and loaded by shelf range so the file room rebuilds in order.
Active-matter cartons and trial bindersStaged apart, loaded last and delivered straight to the responsible attorney's office.
Fire-rated and lateral file cabinetsEmptied, drawers locked, moved on appliance dollies and set against the wall the plan shows.
Law library volumes and practice-manual setsBoxed in shelf order with the range written on each carton.
Attorney desks, credenzas and bookcasesTagged by attorney; credenza contents boxed by the attorney's assistant.
Conference tables and client seatingWrapped and set first so client meetings can resume right away.
Desk computers, monitors and printersUnplugged and padded, then reconnected at the same attorney's desk at the plug.

Access and scheduling

We ask the firm for its calendar before its floor plan. If a trial is starting or a filing deadline lands in the move week, that attorney's office moves last and unpacks first, or the move shifts a week. The file room can be packed over two or three weeknight evenings on request, so staff are not boxing files during business hours.

Firms near the Sacramento courthouses and the Capitol Mall usually work in towers where the manager books the freight elevator and wants proof of insurance before confirming, which we supply naming the building's owner. Offices near the courthouses in Chico, Oroville, Yuba City and Marysville are often older two-story buildings with a narrow stair and curbside loading, so we measure the stairwell and plan carts before the date is set.

Protection and handling

Staff pack and seal every client file carton, marked with practice group, shelf range and destination room but no client names. Our crew carries those cartons closed, the way staff gave them to us. Cartons from one shelf range load together and are set against the matching shelving in the new file room, in order, so refiling takes hours instead of days.

Fire-rated file cabinets are very heavy loaded and move empty on appliance dollies with the drawers locked. Law libraries and practice-manual sets are boxed volume by volume in shelf order. Conference tables and client chairs are blanket-wrapped and set first so the firm can meet clients on day one. Each attorney's tower and screens are padded in a marked carton and plugged back in at that attorney's new desk; the document system and phones are the IT provider's.

Who does what

Some of this job belongs to other trades. The written plan names each one.

Which files are active, closed or cleared for destruction: The partners and the firm administrator decide, apply any seals the firm uses, and book the shredding vendor for cleared files.
Original wills, trust account checkbooks and client property: The responsible attorney or firm administrator carries them personally. They do not go on our truck.
Document management system, e-filing access and phones: The firm's IT provider cuts over the network, then tests every workstation. Each attorney updates their address with the State Bar.

Not part of our work

Opening, reviewing or re-sorting any client file.
Transporting original wills, client trust funds or evidence.

Around Chico, Yuba City and Sacramento

Superior court locations in Oroville and Chico, Yuba City, Marysville and downtown Sacramento keep law offices clustered within a few blocks of each one, many in older buildings with stairs and street parking. Larger Sacramento firms sit in the Capitol Mall and downtown towers, with booked elevators and set dock times.

The crew that shows up

Three Murdock’s crew members at the back of the box truck

Two Murdock’s movers carrying a pad-wrapped table up the truck ramp

Two Murdock’s box trucks staged outside a single-story building in the Sacramento Valley

Law Office Moving FAQs

Another question? Call (530) 354-8089.

How do we estimate banker boxes from our file shelves?

Measure occupied shelving and file drawers in linear feet, room by room, including the credenzas and the copy room. Send us that total with a rough split of active, closed and shred-bound files. We turn it into a carton count and a load order, and deliver boxes early enough for staff to pack without rushing.

Can active matters come off the truck before the rest of the file room?

Yes. Active-matter cartons are staged in a separate room, loaded last and unloaded first, then carried straight to each attorney's office. If someone has a hearing early in the week, tell us whose matters those are and we set that office before any other carton comes off.

Who seals our client file cartons?

Your staff. The firm decides how cartons are sealed and marked, and our crew moves them exactly as they were handed over. We never open a carton or re-sort one, and we do not need to know what is inside, only its shelf range and destination room.

Our office is an older building near the courthouse in Marysville with one narrow stair. Is that a problem?

It changes the plan, not the outcome. We measure the stair and landing before the move, bring smaller dollies and carts, and allow more time for the file room. Heavy cabinets may come down empty and be reloaded with cartons at the new office.

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Plan your business move

Tell us both addresses, the building rules you know about, and the dates you cannot move. We will send back a written plan and estimate.

Call (530) 354-8089

Mon–Sat 8:00 AM–6:00 PM · Sun 10:00 AM–4:00 PM