Thoughts on Zealous Advocacy: When Do Bankruptcy Lawyers Cross the Line? Part III Practical Takeaways from Parts I and II

Last week we published the second Part of Judge Norton’s article on Zealous Advocacy. Part I discussed the History of Zealous Advocacy, and Part II examined how courts have discussed zealous advocacy. Part III identifies Practical Takeaways from the article. In the following weeks, we will post Judge Norton’s extensive Addendum of reported cases on Zealous Advocacy.

Unlock This Article

To get started, please let us know which of these best fits your current position:

Please sign in to continue reading this content.

norton
Eighth Circuit’s Bankruptcy Appellate Panel

Chief Judge Cynthia A. Norton graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kansas in 1981 with a double major in French and Art History. She received her law degree from the same institution in May 1984. She clerked for the Hon. John E. Rees of the Kansas Court of Appeals, and the Hon. James A. Pusateri, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, and was a partner at Lewis Rice & Fingersh in Kansas City, before establishing her own law firm in 1995. As a member of Grimes & Rebein, Judge Norton practiced in bankruptcy and related fields in Kansas and Missouri until being sworn in as a bankruptcy judge in the Western District of Missouri on February 1, 2013. She is the recipient of the Michael R. Roser Excellence in Bankruptcy Award, the Robert L. Gernon Award for Outstanding Contribution to CLE, and the NCBJ Excellence in Education Award and is as well as a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. Judge Norton has authored numerous articles and seminar papers, and has spoken at conferences all around the country. She is a past President of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and currently serves on the Eighth Circuit’s Bankruptcy Appellate Panel.

Consumer Bankruptcy Education
Consumer Bankruptcy Education

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

Related Articles

rapoport26
April 26, 2026
This month, our ethics expert examines the pros and cons of in-person intake meetings versus Zoom and other technology-based approaches for that all-important fact finding client interaction.
Members
ndc-logo
August 24, 2025
The National Data Center provides small sponsorships of up to $2,000 for educational consumer bankruptcy seminars, when approved pursuant to its guidelines and when funds are available.
May 10, 2020
By Elizabeth Gunn, Assistant Attorney General, Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement, Bankruptcy Specialisti In late April, the federal government began issuing economic impact rebate payments to qualifying individuals under the CARES Act. While the CARES Act specifically identified and exempted the rebate payments from reduction or offset against certain debts including federal taxes and student loans in default, the...
Members
moran_cathy
February 4, 2024
You know it won’t go well for the creditor in a discharge violation when the opinion opens by characterizing the debtor as a single mother and registered nurse who discovers her $20k bank balance is now negative.
Members
June 20, 2021
By Cathy Moran, Esq., (Redwood City, CA) To actually effect abandonment of unadministered assets in a bankruptcy case, the asset in question must appear on Schedule A/B. That’s the hard teaching of Stevens v. Whitmore from the 9th Circuit BAP. A passing reference to an asset in the SOFA isn’t sufficient. Neither was the fact the trustee explicitly knew about...
Members
2024 08 Tarynn Grundy headshot
August 25, 2024
“. . . , seeing the staff, debtor, and creditor attorneys in litigation was captivating. I was able to witness a few attorneys zealously advocate for their clients.”
February 2, 2020
By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Punitive damages reduced for FDCPA and RESPA violations. The mortgage servicer violated FDCPA, RESPA and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act by treating account as delinquent after Chapter 13 debtor had cured arrears, brought account current and obtained discharge. The servicer mistakenly marked the Chapter 13 case as dismissed rather...
Members
joseph 12-2024
November 5, 2023
“The focus of this article is to review some of the issues faced in cases with pending state court marital property division proceedings.”
Members
January 10, 2021
By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) This legislation includes several bankruptcy-related provisions, in addition to government funding and other COVID relief. Consumer bankruptcy issues are addressed in Title X of the Act, section 1001, which amends Bankruptcy Code § 541(b)’s exclusions from property of the estate, adding subsection 11 for certain coronavirus relief, defined as “recovery rebates made under...
Members
Smith Daryl Trustee 2024
February 4, 2024
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.
Members

Looking to Become a Member?

ConsiderChapter13.org offers a forum to advance continuing education of consumer bankruptcy via access to insightful articles, informative webinars, and the latest industry news. Join now to benefit from expert resources and stay informed.

Webinars

These informative sessions are led by industry experts and cover a range of consumer bankruptcy topics.

Member Articles

Written by industry experts, these articles provide in-depth analysis and practical guidance on consumer bankruptcy topics.

Industry News

The Academy is the go-to source for the latest news and analysis in the Chapter 13 bankruptcy industry.

To get started, please let us know which of these best fits your current position: