Does Outsourcing BK Ed Counselors Increase Client Risk and Attorney Liability?

By Robert D. Manning, PhD, President, DebtorWise Foundation, www.debtorwise.org

THE SHARP DECLINE IN BANKRUPTCY ED FEES

One of the interesting “hall” discussions during the NACBA conference focused on the declining cost of Debtor Education courses and the shrinking number of nonprofit BK Ed providers. With the sharp fall in bankruptcy filings over the last two years (largely due to the dramatic reduction in lending to “less than stellar” borrowers since the Great Recession), bankruptcy firms—large and small—have sought to cut client costs including . . .

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Critical Case Comment – Sec. 328 vs. Sec. 327 Not Exactly a Smack Down

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

July 17, 2022

A referral fee by retained special counsel paid to debtor’s attorney violates the prohibition in § 504 in that the referral fee constitutes an unauthorized splitting of attorney’s fees. (Williamson) In re Davis, 638 B.R. 198 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. March 31, 2022) Case Summary Four years after Lisa Davis filed her Chapter 13 petition, she was involved in an auto...

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Why Address Formatting Is So Important for Jurisdiction

October 24, 2021

By Jay S. Jump, CEO, CertificateofService.com (Pasco, WA) My guess is you initially saw the title of this article and promptly pressed right on past it. Who needs to learn how to properly address an envelope? You didn’t spend three years in law school plus all that money in student loans to address an envelope! But, If the purpose of...

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ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Remedies for Discharge Violation

May 12, 2019

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee (Nashville, TN) One of the principle goals of a consumer that chooses to file bankruptcy is to obtain a discharge under § 524. Despite its importance, however, there is much more legal discussion on the logistics and the process of automatic stay under § 362 that is in existence during the pendency...

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Keep Calm and Carry On – Observations Regarding CBRA

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

October 9, 2022

First, breathe deep and try to relax. The Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative House Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, with minimal notice, set an oversight hearing for September 29, 2022. The subcommittee is charged to deal with matters relating to bankruptcy. The subject of the hearing was to be the “Oversight of the Bankruptcy Code, Part 2: Ensuring a Fresh...

From the Archives – Escrow 101 and 102

Michael J. McCormick, Esq.

April 7, 2024

In the fall of 2021, Michael McCormick provided subscribers with an EXCELLENT, expository, seven-part outline on mortgage escrow. This information is still relevant today.

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Choice of Staying in Chapter 13 or Converting to 7? Circuits Show It Makes a Difference

The Honorable William Houston Brown

March 31, 2024

Eighth Circuit, like the Ninth, has ruled that when Chapter 13 cases are converted to Chapter 7, any increase in a debtor's home value beyond exemptions and liens becomes part of the Chapter 7 estate. See also: Critical Case Comment – Post-Petition/Pre-Conversion Equity

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Tips and Traps: Issuing A Subpoena for Bank Records

March 10, 2019

By Beverly M. Burden, Chapter 13 Trustee (Lexington, KY) I recently had to issue subpoenas to banks to get the records of a non-debtor (long story involving an attorney’s mishandling of escrowed funds held on behalf of a chapter 13 debtor). Here are some tips for others like me who do not often need to use subpoenas. These tips apply...

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Bankruptcy Protections Limited for Repeat Filers

January 13, 2019

By William H. Brown, Academy Editor & Advisor The First Circuit held that under § 362(c)(3)(A), upon the repeat filing by Chapter 7, 11 or 13 debtors within one year of dismissal of a prior pending case, the automatic stay terminates entirely on the 30th day after filing of the subsequent case as to the debtor, property of the debtor...

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Engaging a Non-Profit to Solve the Chapter 13 Trustees PSLF Conundrum

March 8, 2020

By Ed Boltz, The Law Offices of John T. Orcutt, P.C. (Durham, NC) and Sarah Beth Withers, Inner Banks Legal Services (Washington, NC) DISCLAIMER: This article is not meant to provide specific advice about the formation of a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation or the tax or other consequences of such. At most, this is intended to encourage Chapter 13 trustees and...

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A Salute to the Consumer Litigation Five Star General

Keith D. Slocum

April 2, 2023

Consumer law attorney, mentor and educator, Oliver Max Gardner III recently announced that he is retiring. His passion, diligent research and unmatched expertise has served as a north star in consumer law for so many of us. From building a community of like-minded enthusiasts through the renowned Bankruptcy Boot Camp and cultivating an army of consumer litigators to fiercely defending...