The Hidden Reason Clients Fail Chapter 13

“We assume clients understand more than they do.”

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Jen Lee

Owner of Lawyer Success Network

Jen Lee – Once a mild-mannered bankruptcy attorney (said no one ever), Jen Lee has embraced her superhero persona as Rebel Esquire™, leading a bold charge to transform an industry often stuck in the past. Through her consulting practice, Lawyer Success Network®, she empowers attorneys to rethink, redesign, and revolutionize their approach to not only bankruptcy law, but the traditional legal model, access to the legal system, and law firm management.

Jen focuses on strategic bankruptcy consulting and creating innovative programs like Easy, Not Sleazy: Networking and Sales for Lawyers Who Think They Hate Networking and Sales, LAWnch: Design Your Ideal Law Practice, Free is the New F Word, and Legal Leverage: A Comprehensive Course on Virtual Assistant Delegation and Efficiency, which help attorneys elevate their practices while increasing accessibility and efficiency. Her flagship workshop guides attorneys through seamlessly adding or revamping bankruptcy as a practice area, tackling everything from workflow automations to marketing to cash flow forecasting.

Drawing from her business background, an MBA, and years of running her own successful law firm, Jen knows how to align profitability with purpose. She is a sought-after speaker, known for her engaging, no-BS approach to topics like bankruptcy practice innovation, alternatives to the billable hour, and legal technology.

Whether she’s helping attorneys set up smarter systems, charge what they’re worth, or navigate the complexities of client relationships, Jen is redefining the way attorneys do business—one rebellious step at a time.

Website link: https://www.lawyersuccessnetwork.com

Missed Notices, Big Consequences: Ninth Circuit Clarifies Creditor Rights

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

September 29, 2024

Creditor with inadequate notice holds a fully nondischargeable obligation following a Chapter 7 discharge.

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Critical Case Comment–Who is Responsible to Address Eligibility Questions?

April 3, 2022

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of TN (Nashville) Bankruptcy Court is under an obligation to examine the eligibility of a debtor to file Chapter 13 even where no party raises a timely, written objection. (Seibel) Preuss v. Perry (In re Perry), 7:20-cv-04617-CS (S.D. N.Y., Sept. 21, 2021) Case Summary Bruce Perry filed...

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Right Issue, Wrong Motion

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

March 1, 2026

Property inherited by a Chapter 13 debtor more than 180 days after the filing of the petition is property of the estate under § 1306 and may be considered in properly filed motion to modify as a method to fund increased plan payments.

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Bankruptcy Intersecting with Tevis Equals Malpractice Claim

Nicole P. Novak

March 20, 2022

A New Jersey attorney is the subject of a legal malpractice complaint for allegedly failing to properly preserve a marital tort claim as an exception to discharge. Asma J. Warsi v. Adrian J. Johnson (Case No. MID-L-001023-22, Super. Ct. of N.J., Middlesex County); In re Chaundry, 569 B.R. 372 (Bankr. D. N.J. 2017). In Chaundry, Creditor Wife had a marital...

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The Power of a Checklist

Jay S. Jump

March 12, 2023

Recently, I had the pleasure of a great conversation with Chapter 13 Trustee, Thomas McDonald, from the EDMI. As it turns out, we have both been pilots for a long time. Once we came to this realization, our conversation quickly devolved from the issues confronting the bankruptcy industry to talk of density altitude, mountain flying, and the importance of using...

Inclusion in Bankruptcy Doesn’t Equal “Discharged”

Cathy Moran

February 11, 2024

Communications Practice Pointer! Convincing clients that all of their debts must be included in bankruptcy is one of the hardest parts of being a bankruptcy lawyer. Communicating clearly with our clients, in their language, is a key part of our job. The struggle often seems Herculean.

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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...

Bulletin: SBRA Postscript, the Definition of Income, and Changes to Section 1113(b)(1)(B) and (C)

March 29, 2020

BULLETIN SMALL BUSINESS REORGANIZATION ACT POSTSCRIPT CARES Act Passed by Senate Increases Eligibility to Small Business Debtors with Aggregate Debts Up to $7,500,000 And Other Changes Early last Thursday morning, the Senate passed a substitute for H.R. 748, called the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” (the “CARES Act”). The bill passed the House on Friday, and the President...

Chicago v. Counsel: Who Gets Paid First?

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

June 8, 2025

Administrative claim held by debtor’s attorney for services performed in a Chapter 13 constitutes an unsecured creditor, payment of which will reduce the debtor’s calculated disposable income; unsecured attorney’s fees may be paid as an administrative claim prior to general post-petition unsecured creditors.

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Leaders Must Take Action to Halt Foreclosure Crisis for Minorities

August 23, 2020

NCLC’s Executive Director Rich Dubois and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson are calling on Congress and federal regulators to take action to prevent an impending foreclosure crisis in communities of color, in an opinion editorial published yesterday in The Hill. The op-ed highlights how the cumulative impact of decades of housing policy discrimination on African American homeownership, coupled with...

The Hidden Reason Clients Fail Chapter 13

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Jen Lee

Owner of Lawyer Success Network

Related Articles

Missed Notices, Big Consequences: Ninth Circuit Clarifies Creditor Rights

Critical Case Comment–Who is Responsible to Address Eligibility Questions?

Right Issue, Wrong Motion

Bankruptcy Intersecting with Tevis Equals Malpractice Claim

The Power of a Checklist

Inclusion in Bankruptcy Doesn’t Equal “Discharged”

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).

Bulletin: SBRA Postscript, the Definition of Income, and Changes to Section 1113(b)(1)(B) and (C)

Chicago v. Counsel: Who Gets Paid First?

Leaders Must Take Action to Halt Foreclosure Crisis for Minorities

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