Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

Dear Readers:

Academy Exec Regina Logsdon found me a great topic for this month’s column: what happens to a lawyer when the pressures of life become difficult and the lawyer decides to do some self-medication to relieve the stress. (In other words, how far-reaching a DUI can be to one’s career.)

In the case that Regina forwarded to me, the attorney’s blood alcohol level at the time of her arrest was .28%. I’m surprised that the lawyer was able to function at all with a BAC that high.1

What . . .

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The Student Loan Debacle: Causes & Cures

R. Michael Smith

September 18, 2022

As we observe the growing discussion over the tremendous amount of outstanding student loan debt, several points of clarification might do us well. There are those favoring relief for debtors now unable to pay their student loans. They have proposed various forms of relief, including several forgiveness programs and re-allowing such debts to be discharged in bankruptcy under more usual...

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The “Snapshot” Rule – Part 2: When is the Rule Not Determinative?

April 4, 2021

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction We saw in Part 1 that the circuits are falling in line to follow the "snapshot" rule, fixing the debtor's exemption rights as of the date of the petition and finding support in both the Code and recent Supreme Court jurisprudence. As the First Circuit put it . ....

Members

Lawyers are People Too: An Interview with Aki Koyama, Staff Attorney to Chapter 13 Standing Trustee Kathy Dockery

M. Jonathan Hayes

March 27, 2022

(Used with permission,Volume 1, Issue 3:3 6 March, 2022 cdcbaa) Jon: Hi Aki. I can’t believe after knowing you for 30 years now that I don’t know where you were born. Aki: Ha! I was born in Tokyo, Japan although we moved to California when I was about one. We’ve been here ever since. Jon: Why the move? Aki: Well,...

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

October 4, 2020

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) PART IV – INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMER FORECLOSURE PROCEDURES 2020 portends a flood of bankruptcy filings. In the consumer bankruptcies, trustees and debtors' counsel often are uncomfortable with the rules in Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). In this space, we have looked at topics involving the interplay of...

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Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Student Loans and Act Introduced by Senators Durbin and Cornyn

August 8, 2021

by William Houston Brown, Adviser, Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education, Inc. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on August 3, 2021, on student loans, and during the Committee hearing, Senator Durbin, Chair of the Committee, stated that he would be introducing an Act to amend student loan discharge provisions in the Bankruptcy Code. That Act was subsequently introduced by...

Members

Critical Case Comment – Watch for Opportunities to Bifurcate Home Mortgage Claims

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

August 21, 2022

Where a Chapter 13 plan treats a claim as secured only by the debtor’s mobile home under § 506 and not real property, the effect of a notice of fees, costs and charges is irrelevant. (Coleman) In re White, 2022 WL 2826531 (Bankr. S.D. Ga. July 19, 2022) Case Summary Shalonda White filed a Chapter 13 petition in July of...

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May the Chapter 13 Trustee Keep Fees Paid Before Dismissal? – Part 2

Lawrence R. Ahern, III

April 24, 2022

Larry Ahern this week concludes a two-part examination of whether a Chapter 13 trustee may retain fees paid without a confirmed plan before dismissal. Part 1 analyzed McCallister v. Evans, a recent case accepting the trustee's position considering a division in the caselaw and analyzing relevant statutes. In this Part 2, he turns to the debtor's case, which has substantial...

Members

Why Chapter 13 Is a Good Idea: Outcomes and Measures of Success

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

September 17, 2023

Recently Upsolve printed an article titled: “Why is Chapter 13 Probably A Bad Idea” by Jonathan Petts, July 27, 2023. In a nutshell the article says an unsuccessful Chapter 13 can leave you in worse financial shape. Further it states that it costs more than Chapter 7 and is less likely to be successful. Additional points by Upsolve are: Chapter...

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Bozeman Revisited: The Anti-Modification Clause Chisels Away at Espinosa

Herbert L. Beskin

July 16, 2023

Remember Mort. Corp. of the South v. Bozeman (In re Bozeman), 57 F. 4th 895 (11th Cir. 2023)? That was the recent 11th Circuit case previously reviewed by Lawrence Ahern on this site. It was the Chapter 13 version of The Perfect Storm. The Debtor proposed to pay the principal balance of her mortgage ($17 . . . It looks...

Members

Here’s What People Should Know About Taking Early Withdrawals from Retirement Plans

April 21, 2019

Taxpayers may need to take money out of their individual retirement account or retirement plan early. However, this can trigger an additional tax on top of other income tax they may owe. Here are a few key things for taxpayers to know: Early Withdrawals. An early withdrawal normally is taking cash out of a retirement plan before the taxpayer is...

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Related Articles

The Student Loan Debacle: Causes & Cures

The “Snapshot” Rule – Part 2: When is the Rule Not Determinative?

Lawyers are People Too: An Interview with Aki Koyama, Staff Attorney to Chapter 13 Standing Trustee Kathy Dockery

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

Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Student Loans and Act Introduced by Senators Durbin and Cornyn

Critical Case Comment – Watch for Opportunities to Bifurcate Home Mortgage Claims

May the Chapter 13 Trustee Keep Fees Paid Before Dismissal? – Part 2

Why Chapter 13 Is a Good Idea: Outcomes and Measures of Success

Bozeman Revisited: The Anti-Modification Clause Chisels Away at Espinosa

Here’s What People Should Know About Taking Early Withdrawals from Retirement Plans

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