JUDGE SPOTLIGHT
Interview with The Hon. Sheri Bluebond
By Shannon A. Doyle
Attorney | Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant
Phone: 855-378-4080
www.ebankruptcyassistants.com
T
he Honorable Sheri Bluebond
sits as Chief Judge on the United
States Bankruptcy Court, Central
District of California. The Judge is a
dynamic figure at most Bar events and
revered by colleagues, attorneys and
trustees. She even recently presented
an award at the home of James T. King,
a beloved leader of the bankruptcy
community, who became bedridden
while battling cancer.
Judge Bluebond’s chambers is like a
cozy studio loft. It is warm and inviting
with eclectic décor of abstract art,
history, a classic cartoon, children’s
paintings, and a myriad of family
pictures. As I sat down to start the
interview, I immediately felt at ease.
The judge was very welcoming,
conversational, and captured my
attention with her candor, animation
and humor. As she spoke, the light
from the windows accented her pretty
hazel eyes and gave me a glimpse into
a genuine person who loves being a
judge because she can “do the right
thing”. I discovered the Judge enjoys
beading jewelry, singing, cooking and
drinking wine. Although, for the record,
the drinking wine is not a hobby but
an occasional indulgence. And she is
“seriously addicted to Fairway Solitaire”
on her phone. Before I knew it, an hour
flew by and the Judge reminded me
that she had to take the bench. While
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CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY JOURNAL
we could have gone on for hours, it is a
good thing we didn’t. The transcript of
the interview is well outside the page
limits of this article, so I will do my best
to take you beyond the Judge’s bio and
into the person herself.
1. Where did you grow up?
Woodland Hills, I’m a Valley girl but
I’d like to point out that I left the Valley
before anyone had ever heard of Moon
Unit Zappa…
2. What did your parents do?
My parents had an insurance agency,
Bluebond Insurance, they sold both
commercial lines and personal lines,
everything from auto and health and
life to professional liability.
3. What inspired you to become a
lawyer?
Well when I was about 4, I thought it
would be a good job to be president
of the United States. I have long since
realized that’s a terrible job. They don’t
pay you nearly enough to do for all the
stress involved, and they make fun of
you every night on the late night talk
shows. So I decided by maybe 8 or 9
that I didn’t want to be president of the
United States, but I had been told that
most presidents started out as lawyers.
So when I first started thinking about
what I wanted to be when I grew up, the
answer was president, and that meant
Spring 2015
I had to start as a lawyer. That got
stored away somewhere. Then, years
later when I started again asking the
question, “what do I want to be when
I grow up,” I went through a phase
where I wanted to be a cantor but then
I discounted that and reverted to the
earlier plan of I guess I’ll be a lawyer.
4. Who were your biggest influences
growing up?
Definitely my mother, especially when
it comes to “why did you become a
lawyer”. My mother was always a
straight “A” student and really tried to
do the best job she could at whatever
she did. When she decided to make
a career out of raising her daughters
- she had two of them - I had a sister
who was killed in a car accident in 1979
– she read every book that Dr. Spock
had ever written on child raising. As a
little kid, you always want to know why
can’t I do this and why can’t I do that.
Some parents will say “because I said
so”. My mother would have a reasoned
discussion with me and, if I could make
a good enough argument for why I
should be able to do what I wanted to
do, I got to do it. It was a great reward
system for training little lawyers. I was
a good advocate by the time I was 5
or 6.
My father also had a profound influence
on me. He has always been a people
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys