Meet a New Trustee

Daryl J. Smith, Esq., was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Western District of Louisiana on October 1, 2023. Smith’s office is in Shreveport, Louisiana.

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The Academy

Consumer Bankruptcy Education

The NACTT Academy offers a comprehensive community for bankruptcy professionals seeking to advance their education in consumer bankruptcy.

At the end of this calendar year, after 44 years, the Southern District of Texas and the bankruptcy community will lose one of our standard bearers. William E. Heitkamp, “Bill” was appointed Chapter 13 Trustee in 1979. His appointment came shortly after the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 became law.

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A Fond Farewell

Marie-Ann Greenberg

August 20, 2023

Wishing our dear friend and colleague, Isabel Balboa, a hearty congratulations on her upcoming retirement. As many of you know, Isabel came to the United States from Cuba at the age of 6 with her mother and sisters. Upon leaving Cuba, they were forced to leave everything behind for fear that they would be caught and detained. Her father was...

Reasonable Fees and/or Questionable Attorney

May 17, 2020

By Marsha M. Brown, Staff Attorney to Chapter 13 Trustee Douglas W. Neway (Jacksonville, FL) We talk about it daily - emailing issues back and forth as to what is reasonable and what is not. Should every Court have a basic reasonable fee structure or should every attorney be required to file an application to prove the reasonableness of his/her...

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Pump the Brakes: Bad Faith Debtors Are Not Gaming the System

January 13, 2019

By Kathryne M. Shaw,1 Boleman Law Firm, P.C. (Virginia Beach, VA) Click here for Part 2 The bankruptcy system requires good faith on the part of a debtor in exchange for the promise of a fresh start, and responsible members of the bankruptcy bar constantly work to ensure that no one “games” this powerful system. So, how does a debtor...

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Conflicting Interpretations: A Chapter 13 Trustee’s Compensation After Pre-Confirmation Dismissal or Conversion* Part 3 of 3

Brittani Bushman

February 13, 2022

(Used with expressed permission from the MI Bankruptcy Journal and the Steven W. Rhodes Consumer Bankruptcy Conference)By Brittani Bushman, Judicial Law Clerk to the Hon. John T. Gregg, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan B. Illustrative Decisions (Minority Approach) The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit recently issued a comprehensive unpublished decision adopting the minority...

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The Weak Link in the Means Test

Cathy Moran

August 27, 2023

The bankruptcy means test, designed to keep people out of bankruptcy, has a fatal weakness. . . . it’s health care.

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Critical Case Comment – Bad Faith to Not Pay Both Tests?

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

February 27, 2022

Chapter 13 debtor is not obligated to pay both the disposable income pool and the best interest of creditors test pool to achieve confirmation, only the larger of the two; it is not a manifestation of bad faith that the debtor does not pay both the disposable income pool and the best interest of creditors test amounts. (Altenberger) In re...

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Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

Nancy B. Rapoport

May 19, 2024

Debtor Attorneys, this one is specifically for you – a very direct answer from our ethics expert on a real-world scenario regarding ghosting clients (ghosting is an adjective here, not a verb! Have a question for Ms. Ps & Qs? Click here – you may remain anonymous if you wish.

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From the Editor – Claims

June 21, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Portion of divorce award was priority domestic support claim and portion dischargeable unsecured claim. Applying Third Circuit’s factors from In re Gianakas, 917 F.2d 759 (3d Cir. 1990), and considering special master’s intent in divorce proceedings, one-third of former spouse’s claim was priority domestic support but two- thirds was reclassified as general unsecured...

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Declining Cases and Increasing Judicial Vacancies

Kevin R. Anderson

February 18, 2024

With facts and graphs, Judge Anderson discusses lowest filing levels since ’85, the impact of filings on judgeships, weighted caseloads, judicial vacancies, and recall judges.

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