The first meeting with a bankruptcy prospect is the best and hardest work I do. It’s probably the most important as well. I use it to figure out what the issues in the case are, what the client’s goals are, and to convey what I will need from the client to produce a successful outcome. […]
What are you waiting for? The bankruptcy filing timeline
What bankruptcy timelines really matter? The internet is awash with debtors reporting that their attorney has told them they have to wait to file. They’ve reportedly been told to wait 90 days or 6 months, or ?? from some event to avoid something, they’re never quite sure what. In the layman’s understanding, 90 days is […]
Bankruptcy and the “hard of hearing”
You never know just how a client hears your advice, until you hear yourself quoted back to yourself as the reason for a client doing something stupid. In my case, I’m unclear about whether the message received was really as reported, but it’s made me think about my choice of words. I was asked […]
All Bankruptcy Roads Pass Through Chapter 5
Regardless of the ultimate destination, all bankruptcy roads run through Chapter 5. A few bankruptcy cases are derailed there. Because Chapter 5 provisions tell you what comes into the bankruptcy estate, what can be exempted, and what can be changed using Chapter 5. Sometimes the results tell you that bankruptcy is not the right choice […]
Juggling in Defense of the Tax Refund
As long as clients use tax withholding as a form of savings account, bankruptcy lawyers will have to juggle to protect that refund when bankruptcy looms. Limber up, and let’s look at a fact pattern I faced with a December client who needed to file, but faced no immediate crisis. The point for analysis was […]
Charting The Course of A Case
Planning the bankruptcy often determines whether the case succeeds or fails. To obtain good results for a bankruptcy client, sometimes you have to serve up unpleasant news and force the client to swallow that bitter pill. Hum a chorus of You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Of course, you can’t really force them to […]
What Debts to Include in Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy lawyers know that all debts need to be scheduled. Clients think or hope that they get to pick and choose. Every effective bankruptcy lawyer needs a line, a phrase, or a story to squelch the client’s instinct to exclude things from their bankruptcy filing. The instinct to omit Often the client’s desire to be […]
