How To Manage Incompetent, Unprepared, and Negligent Bankruptcy Counsel

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 the Handbook for Chapter 13 Trustees, Chapter 3. (Handbook October 1, 2012). These duties include a requirement to screen . . .

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The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

Former Chapter 13 Standing Trustees

The NACTT Emeritus Trustee Committee is made up of former Chapter 13 Standing Trustees from all over the country: Michael Joseph, Isabel Balboa, Carl Bekofske, Herb Beskin, Chuck DeHart, Pete Fessenden, Mike Fitzgerald, Barb Foley, Nancy Grigsby, Mary Grossman, Jan Hamilton, James Henley, Howard Hu, Jan Johnson, Jeff Kellner, Tom King, John Logan, Judge Brian Lynch (retired), Mike Meyer, Bill Miller, Denise Pappalardo, Frank Pees, George Stevenson, and Robert Wilson.

From the Editor – Lien Modification

March 28, 2021

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Junior mortgage lienholder not affected by modifications of senior mortgage. Under Pennsylvania law, the prepetition modification of terms of the senior mortgage had recapitalized interest and costs already owed but had not created new liabilities. As a result, the junior mortgage holder was not materially prejudiced. The Chapter 13 debtors could avoid the...

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A Practical Approach to Using Bankruptcy Rules Effectively – Part 7

Beverly M. Burden

April 20, 2025

Part 7 of this series looks at notice to creditors, turning to some tricky provisions in 11 U.S.C. § 342 and in Rule 2002, with a focus on giving notice to creditors when notice must be given by mail.

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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...

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Tax Deductions Hidden in Chapter 13

Cathy Moran

April 3, 2022

True. Most people no longer itemize under the current Tax Code. However, the amount of money involved varies and should be considered. The same very important debts that a Chapter 13 plan pays are often tax deductible. And your client is still the person who’s paying, even if the trustee writes the check. Don’t allow them to miss out on...

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ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Dischargeability of Homeowner Association Fees

May 19, 2019

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) Homeowner association fees that obligate homeowners of condominium and planned unit developments can be a substantial obligation that accrue on a monthly basis. These obligations are generally a burden when a debtor files for bankruptcy relief. To be fair, homeowners’ associations provide a significant benefit to homeowners. Exterior maintenance,...

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Meet an AO Trustee

February 24, 2019

On June 26, 2017, Bradford W. Caraway was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division. He replaced D. Sims Crawford who had been appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Trustee Caraway maintains his office in Birmingham. At the time of his appointment as Standing Trustee,...

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Critical Case Comment – Creditor Not Required to Dismiss Prepetition Nonbankruptcy Action

November 14, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of TN (Nashville) The automatic stay does not require a creditor pursuing a prepetition nonbankruptcy court action to dismiss that action once a bankruptcy case is filed; requesting continuances and attending status conferences do not constitute “continuation” of the prepetition action for purposes of the automatic stay....

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Chapter 13 And Death: Discharge or Dismissal?

Michael B. Joseph

December 15, 2024

“It is said that nothing is certain except for death and taxes, but today the Court is asked a question about death and discharge, for which there is some uncertainty in the Chapter 13 context.”

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Stop and Smell the . . . Well, Corn

August 4, 2019

By Jan Hamilton, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee (Topeka, KS) I just got back from RAGBRAI, which is a bicycle ride across Iowa. This year, it was 468 miles, with lots and lots of hills. (Biking Across Kansas was over 500 miles this year.) Such beautiful country. Estimates vary on actual number of riders, but anywhere from 16,000 to 20,000. Iowa...

Looking Beyond Taggart: Is the Contempt Standard for a Stay Violation the Same as for a Discharge Injunction Violation?

May 5, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Background Last year, the Ninth Circuit in In re Taggart1 ruled that an act in violation of the discharge injunction did not empower a court to find a creditor in contempt, if the creditor believed in good faith that the discharge injunction did not apply—even if the creditor's belief was...

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