If you’ve filed bankruptcy, or have been doing some research as you consider filing, you have probably ready about the meeting of creditors (also called the 341 meeting, after the Bankruptcy Code section that requires it). At that meeting creditors can appear and ask questions about your petition and financial state of affairs. However, if…Read more

From time to time we get calls from people who have already filed a bankruptcy case, usually a Chapter 7 case, that the bankruptcy court has closed. For one reason or another, they want to know if the case can be reopened. Sometimes it’s because they have forgotten to file the certificate of completion for…Read more

One of the things I like about being a bankruptcy lawyer is helping people avoid bankruptcy. Believe it or not, that’s my primary objective when someone comes in for a consultation. I try to look at their financial situation from every possible perspective to see if there is an alternative to bankruptcy. One way that…Read more

It occurred to me the other day that in my consultations and writing I focus a lot on what bankruptcy cannot do or what debts bankruptcy cannot eliminate. I suppose I do that mainly because of all the misinformation about bankruptcy. As a result, I tend to give less attention to the kinds of debt…Read more

The biggest concern that people who own or are buying their home have when they come in to see me for a consultation is whether or not they’ll be able to keep their home. The good news is that bankruptcy offers options that typically allow someone to keep their home, either in Chapter 13 or…Read more

Earlier this year I was visited by an older woman who needed some help with medical bills that she couldn’t manage. She had suffered a heart attack and had to visit the emergency room and stay in the hospital for a few days. Shortly after she left she got a bill in the mail for…Read more