• Home
  • Bankruptcy in Brief
  • ABC’s of Bankruptcy
  • Considering Bankruptcy
  • True Stories
  • Chapter 13
  • Blog
  • About
  • TOC

Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer

On The Bankruptcy Soapbox

The Soap Box
  • How bankruptcy works
  • Mortgage Matters
  • Consumer Rights
  • You & Your Lawyer
  • Small Business
  • Family Law

Bankruptcy Alphabet: J For Justify

By Cathy Moran

justify filing bankruptcy

J stands for Justify in my Bankruptcy Alphabet.  Or rather, it stands for “no need to Justify” your decision to file bankruptcy.

Those considering bankruptcy imagine the first meeting of creditors as an inquisition by the trustee.

They fear that they will have to justify their choice of bankruptcy and that the trustee could disallow bankruptcy relief if he isn’t satisfied.

Not so. No one gets to sit in judgment over your decision to file bankruptcy.

There’s no need to have a certain amount of debt nor to have tried for any period to pay the debt.

There are laws about whether the debtor gets a discharge, and laws about what property the debtor is entitled to keep.

But no laws say you have to be insolvent, or delinquent , or even entitled to a discharge in order to file bankruptcy.

There is no requirement that you be “worthy” or that the decision be sound, or your misery deep enough to file.

It’s Just your call.

Jay Fleischman thinks “J” is reserved for him in the bankruptcy alphabet.

More

The entire Bankruptcy Alphabet

Should bankruptcy be a last resort?

Image courtesy of Muffet.

More from the Soapbox

  • No More Lawsuits On Old Debt In CaliforniaNo More Lawsuits On Old Debt In California
  • Who Gets Grannie’s Cash – Grannie Or The Bankruptcy Trustee?Who Gets Grannie’s Cash – Grannie Or The Bankruptcy Trustee?
  • Annual IRA Contribution: Use It Or Lose ItAnnual IRA Contribution: Use It Or Lose It
  • Guide to Exemptions in a Mobile WorldGuide to Exemptions in a Mobile World
  • Dumbest Thing For Those In DebtDumbest Thing For Those In Debt

Filed Under: ABC's of bankruptcy, How bankruptcy works

About Cathy Moran

I'm a veteran bankruptcy lawyer and consumer advocate in California's Silicon Valley. I write, teach, and speak in the hopes of expanding understanding of how bankruptcy can make life better in a family's future.

Comments

  1. Phil Rhodes says

    November 17, 2011 at 12:04 pm

    Good word! The requirement that you justify your need for bankruptcy is still easily one of the top ten myths about bankruptcy.

Trackbacks

  1. Bankruptcy Alphabet: J Is For Jay, The Personal Finance Lawyer says:
    November 17, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    […] J Is for Justify, says Cathy Moran Categories: Bankruptcy Alphabet […]

  2. Bankruptcy A to Z – J is for Joint Filing | Marin Bankruptcy Law says:
    November 27, 2011 at 5:28 pm

    […] Cathy Moran says J is for Justify […]

  3. J is for Joint Debts | BankruptcyHI.com says:
    December 15, 2011 at 6:06 am

    […] other J bankruptcy terms: New York Bankruptcy Lawyer, Jay S. Fleischman Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cathy Moran Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska Bankruptcy Attorney, Ryan D. Caldwell Colorado Springs Bankruptcy […]

  4. Bankruptcy A-Z: J is for Jurisdiction | Metro Richmond Consumer, Bankruptcy and Small Business Lawyer | Goldstein Law Group says:
    December 29, 2011 at 5:03 am

    […] Joint Filing. J is for Judgment. J is for Your Personal Finance Lawyer (Jay Fleischman). J is for Justify. J is for Judgment Liens. J is for Joint […]

  5. Judicial Lien in Lorain County says:
    December 30, 2011 at 6:44 pm

    […] Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cathy Moran says J is for Justify. […]

  6. J is for Judgment Lien and its effects on Homeowners « Christopher Carr, Esq. on Debt Relief says:
    January 1, 2012 at 6:58 pm

    […] Justify Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cathy Moran http://moranlaw.net/blog/bankruptcy-alphabet-j-for-justify/ […]

  7. "J" Is For Joint Bankruptcy Filing | Downriver Bankruptcy says:
    January 6, 2012 at 2:29 am

    […] Justify […]

  8. J is For Judge Julia Gibbons' Bankruptcy Predictions For 2013 : Los Angeles Bankruptcy Law Monitor says:
    June 4, 2012 at 7:38 am

    […] Mitchell Goldstein Justice in Bankruptcy – by Los Angeles Bankruptcy Attorney, Mark J. Markus Justify – by Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cathy Moran Your Personal Finance Lawyer – by New York […]

  9. J is For Judge Julia Gibbons’ Bankruptcy Predictions For 2013 | Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Los Angeles California says:
    June 4, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    […] Mitchell Goldstein Justice in Bankruptcy – by Los Angeles Bankruptcy Attorney, Mark J. Markus Justify – by Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cathy Moran Your Personal Finance Lawyer – by New […]

  10. Judges Do Discharge Student Loans - Kurt O’Keefe, Esq. | Detroit MI | Discharge Student Loans says:
    June 11, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    […] Bankruptcy Attorney, Mark J. Markus Justify                             Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cathy Moran Your Personal Finance Lawyer       New York Bankruptcy Lawyer, Jay S. Fleischman […]

Bankruptcy Basics

About The Soapbox

You’ve arrived at the Bankruptcy Soapbox, a resource of bankruptcy information and consumer law.

Soapbox is a companion site to Bankruptcy in Brief, where I try to be largely explanatory and even handed (Note I said “try”).

Here, I allow myself to tell stories and express strong opinions. We dig deeper into how to consider bankruptcy and navigate a bankruptcy case.

Moran Law Group
Bankruptcy specialists for individuals and small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area

How Bankruptcy Works

What Happens To Your Bank Account in Chapter 13

Those considering filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy worry about "what happens to my bank account?" Will the trustee take all the money? How do I pay my living expenses after I file? The short answer is: nothing changes. The account remains yours and available for all the expenses of day to day living. Because, … Read more

More Posts from this Category

643 Bair Island Road
Suite 403
Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: (650) 694-4700
Phone: (650) 368-4700

Categories

All content copyright © Moran Law Group. All rights reserved.