Ethical Issues in Bankruptcy Cases – Part II • NACTT Academy

Ethical Issues in Bankruptcy Cases – Part II

By Paul W. Bonapfel, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Georgia1

Conflicts of Interest**

Because of the duty of loyalty that a lawyer owes the client, a lawyer is not permitted to represent a client if representation of the client conflicts with the lawyer’s own interests, the interests of other clients, or the lawyer’s responsibilities to third parties, unless the affected client’s . . .

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By Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville) In a recent case out of the Sixth Circuit, the Appeals Court heard an appeal by the Chapter 13 Trustee concerning direct payments by the debtor on a car loan and the applicable interest rate. The case is In re Chambers, 6th Circuit, # 20-1376, Appeal...

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From the Editor

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By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Debtor’s Attorney - Chapter 13 debtors not required to seek approval to employ special counsel. The Chapter 13 debtors moved to employ special counsel for representation in state-court litigation, but § 327(e) did not apply to Chapter 13 debtors when no request was being made to pay the special counsel from...

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Unscheduled Creditor May Not File a Late Proof of Claim

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By Beverly M. Burden, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee (Lexington, KY) An unscheduled creditor without notice of the bankruptcy case was denied an extension of time to file a proof of claim pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 3002(c)(6)(A) in a recent opinion from the Eastern District of Kentucky. In the case of In re Fryman,1 the debtor did not include creditor Kentucky...

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Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out

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Failure of a Chapter 13 debtor to disclose the existence of a cause of action which accrued prior to or shortly after the filing of the petition merits dismissal of the case with a one-year bar against a subsequent bankruptcy filing.

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