Bankruptcy Mastery

  Every legal seminar needs an extra day, in solitude, to internalize what you've "learned". At the NACBA Fall Workshops last weekend,  Jay repeated the old saw that a workshop is worthwhile if you bring home one good idea. He told our group in the Business of Bankruptcy Law tract that we aimed  to provide more than one good idea. But the gems that you can tick off  easily are … [Continue reading...]

Sounds counter intuitive, doesn't it? It should be easier to be a stand out if all the bankruptcy lawyers around you are Lilliputians. Yet I second Jay Fleischman's wish for more good bankruptcy lawyers around me.  And I think that the attitude I've encountered among some newcomers to the field, that they won't share anything with their competition, is shortsighted and self … [Continue reading...]

Is the current  rotten economy and marginal job skills a circumstance for which a Chapter 13 debtor is not "justly accountable"? Or does nothing short of death or disability entitle a debtor to a hardship discharge in Chapter 13? Yesterday's hearing was triggered by the Chapter 13 trustee's objection to our motion for a hardship discharge.  The debtor is an independent truck driver who is … [Continue reading...]

When you're really, really busy in the bankruptcy business, you long for some quiet.  Fewer deadlines and less stress sounds wonderful. When the phone is quiet, however, you worry that you've seen your last client and your practice is doomed. To prevent yourself from breaking down, you can try products like CBD Oil, you should click to read more about how CBD works. All My (Bankruptcy Practice) … [Continue reading...]

If you're interested in improving your practice and profitability then you'll likely be interested in this. Jay Fleischman and I are presenting a live, intensive one-day workshop November 11,2011 in Phoenix. There are only 50 seats in our room and a number are gone already. Details are here, but the executive summary is that the program will cover getting clients, getting the clients to give … [Continue reading...]

I get a surprising number of questions about objecting to  claims in a bankruptcy case:  how? when? Too few bankruptcy attorneys are asking "why?" The answer to the "why" question must be that objecting to the claim furthers the client's objectives or prevents a negative outcome.  Put another way, the cost of objecting must be relative to the benefit to be received.  You must … [Continue reading...]

  A debtor's right to strip off a wholly unsecured lien is not dependent on the debtor's eligibility for a discharge, says the 8th Circuit BAP.  Hurray for Chapter 20. Before 2005,  a debtor was entitled to file Chapter 13 immediately following a Chapter 7 and address whatever debts had survived the 7.  The 7 + 13 approach was nicknamed Chapter 20. With BAPCPA came the … [Continue reading...]