Dealing with the Difficult Client, Difficult Opposing Counsel, or Difficult Pro Se Party

Dealing with the Difficult Client, Difficult Opposing Counsel, or Difficult Pro Se Party – Part II of II

By Margaret Dee McGarity, Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of Wisconsin

Strategies for Effective Communication

Seek first to understand before trying to be understood. Analyze the situation. What is really going on? Try to put yourself in the other’s shoes. Once you are in dialog, ask probing questions and carefully listen to fully understand. Active listening skills will help here. This stage involves sorting out emotions from the facts.

Adjust your communication style. This strategy involves understanding your communication style and that of the other person and . . .

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Critical Case Comment–Tardy Filed Stay Extension: Too Bad Too Sad

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

January 7, 2024

Court lacks authority to extend stay in a case with a one-time repeat filer within a year of the previous case especially where the matter is tardily raised.

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Thinking About the “Two-Dismissal Rule”

M. Jonathan Hayes

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“I had a profound thought - what in the world is the two-dismissal rule? I guess the 9th Circuit wondered the same thing because it affirmed . . . bankruptcy court’s dismissal of a debtor’s declaratory relief complaint against a bank on the basis that the debtor had previously filed three other cases and then voluntarily dismissed them.”

In re Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc., 60 F.4th 73 (4th Cir. 2023), pet. for cert. granted, Truck Ins. Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc., 2023 WL 6780372, (U.S., October 13, 2023).

The Honorable William Houston Brown

October 29, 2023

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a plan proposal to create an asbestos trust through Chapter 11 bankruptcy was “insurance neutral,” and the debtor’s insurer was not a party in interest under Code § 1109(b), which contains a noncomprehensive list of parties in interest to a Chapter 11 case. Whether the insurer was a party in interest determined whether...

Will Artificial Intelligence Run Wild on the Legal Profession?

William F. Jaworski, Jr.

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This is a must read for everyone. Trustee Jaworski provides readers an excellent handbook on AI as we know it now - what it is; how it is being used in the law; ethical considerations; and even court decisions.

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Creditors’ Rights and Debtors’ Protections at the Intersection of Consumer Bankruptcy and UCC Article 9

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By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) PART VI – CONSUMER FORECLOSURE PROCEDURES (CONCLUSION) Introduction In the consumer bankruptcy field, trustees and debtors' counsel often are uncomfortable with the rules in Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). In this series for the NACTT Academy, we have looked at numerous topics involving the interplay of Article...

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By Cathy Moran, Esq. (Redwood City, CA) No matter how many hoops the client dutifully jumped through, without adequate inquiry and communication, the bankruptcy attorney was slammed for unbundling his services. The representation agreement at issue excluded representation in any adversary proceeding filed, as do most such agreements, I imagine. The client initialed every paragraph of the 19-paged representation agreement,...

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Why Creditors Should Get Less in Chapter 13

Cathy Moran

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Spending every dollar they make, and then some, is often how our Chapter 13 clients got into financial trouble. Yet Chapter 13, as practiced, validates the practice of continuing to spend 100% of each month’s income during the life of the plan. In doing so, we, as a society, squander the chance to use Chapter 13 to teach new budgeting...

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Critical Case Comment

August 1, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) While the debtors failed to meet the high threshold to establish excusable neglect to permit their claim filed on behalf of a creditor after the bar date to be allowed, where a Chapter 13 case is dismissed and then reinstated prior to the expiration of the bar date, the...

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Possible Solution for Student Loans?

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By Laila S. Gonzalez, Esq. One thing everyone can agree on is that student loan debt is increasing on an annual basis. Studies have shown than people with high student loan debt wait years longer to buy a home and start a family. Several suggestions have been made as to how to resolve the problem. One suggestion is to eliminate...

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How To Manage Incompetent, Unprepared, and Negligent Bankruptcy Counsel

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

February 12, 2023

Previously the Emeritus Trustees (“ETC”) were asked to comment on “How to Manage Unprofessional and Discourteous Attorneys”. We now turn to ETC to share their collective wisdom when addressing the issues raised by incompetent, unprepared, and negligent bankruptcy counsel. Chapter 13 Trustees are required to administer cases in accordance with the duties set forth in 11 U.S.C. Sec. 1302 and...

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