A fee only chapter 13 plan is one in which there is zero or very little money to pay creditors in a chapter 13 plan. It is not to be confused with a zero percent plan where secured and priority creditors are paid, but general unsecured creditors get nothing. Why would anyone propose such an…
Return a phone call to your client. What a novel concept. I have had two situations over the past few years where frustrated people had chapter 13 lawyers who would not return their calls. One of them posted a testimonial on my home page. Each of these poor people had different lawyers. I refer to…
Debt Settlement company ads are something that I pay attention to on television. I listen to the noise of these companies because I witness first hand the harm they do to people in desperation. This one was hard to miss because of the messages. They know all the buzzwords to light up anyone in debt….
Bankruptcy mill attorney ads are all over television. They bring you in, and churn your chapter 7 case through. Are your personal finances unique? Are they different from your neighbor? That is not how one Cleveland bankruptcy mill views you. How do I know this? Recently Cleveland bankruptcy attorney William Balena has had a number…
What happens if you borrow too much money from your 401k to file bankruptcy? A client recently created this problem. She desperately needed to file a chapter 7 as the result of a very large garnishment. With the garnishment, she was unable to come up with the money to file bankruptcy to stop the garnishment. …
Your bankruptcy case has been closed without a discharge. How did this happen? What do you do now? In their infinite wisdom and as a gift to the credit card lobby Congress created a requirement that you complete a financial management course before you can get a discharge in bankruptcy. This applies in both chapter…
Some Cleveland bankruptcy attorneys advertise a $395 minimum attorney fee in the Sunday newspaper. It is right there on the front page of the classified section in a listing called, “Professional Services.” Four different Cleveland bankruptcy attorneys list a minimum fee of $395. Is this real? Can you believe it? Is it just too good…
Clients who come into my office often ask, “Do I need to hire a bankruptcy lawyer in Elyria?” The answer to that question is up to you. Bankruptcy lawyers, especially the ones who know what they are doing, are expensive. Overall the total cost to file, even if you hire the most expensive bankruptcy lawyer,…
What can you do if you have an unresponsive bankruptcy lawyer not returning your calls? Two clients had this problem with another bankruptcy lawyer. Each case involving an unresponsive bankruptcy lawyer concerned people in chapter 13 cases. Both were represented by the same attorney. What were the situations? Each chapter 13 plan had been confirmed…