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How To Pay For Bankruptcy When You’re Flat Broke

By Cathy Moran

paying for bankruptcy

One of the cosmic ironies of our legal system is that it costs money to file bankruptcy. Bankruptcy gets you out of debt only if you have the money to file. The costs of bankruptcy include the filing fee collected by the court; the required credit counseling; and, if you’re smart, an experienced lawyer to […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works

Out of Luck If You Skip A Creditor?

By Cathy Moran

add creditor

So, you slipped up and left a creditor out of your bankruptcy schedules.  Can you add an omitted creditor after the fact? In the fateful words of a careful lawyer, it depends. Depends on when the amendment is made and what chapter you’ve filed.  And the effect of adding a creditor varies. Let’s walk through […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works Tagged With: 2018, amendment

Cheat Sheet For Passing Bankruptcy Means Test

By Cathy Moran

cheat sheet for means test

The bankruptcy means test has a fatal weakness in its attempt to keep people out of bankruptcy. Like so much recently, it’s health care. It’s health care, in the future, to be paid before your creditors get any money in your bankruptcy. It works because, in a logic that only Congress could employ, the means […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works Tagged With: 2016, means test, medical expenses

The Real Rules To Sell Stuff Before Bankruptcy

By Cathy Moran

sell stuff before bankruptcy

Thinking about filing bankruptcy?  Need cash? Folk wisdom supplies many “rules” about the period leading up to actually filing bankruptcy: This kind of thinking will have you frozen in time and space like this insect in amber. Only, this folk “wisdom” is all wrong. Here’s how to sell assets before filing without messing up your […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works Tagged With: before filing bankruptcy, sell assets

Bankruptcy Questions Have Few Quick Answers

By Cathy Moran

The caller to my law office kept telling my assistant: I just want to ask Cathy a question. To which my assistant replied:  you need to first fill out our questionnaire and make an appointment. But I don’t want a meeting, I just want to ask a question. At which point, both sides of the call […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works, You & your lawyer Tagged With: 2020

Bankruptcy Without A Discharge: Why Chapter 20 Works

By Cathy Moran

13 without discharge

What does a Chapter 13 bankruptcy get you if it doesn’t get you a discharge? Lots, actually. It’s complicated.  Powerful, but complicated. Let’s see how all the parts interact when your Chapter 13 is filed before you’re eligible for a discharge. Law limits discharge The bankruptcy code doesn’t limit when you can file bankruptcy;  it […]

Filed Under: Chapter 13, How bankruptcy works Tagged With: 2018

What Happens To Liens In Bankruptcy?

By Cathy Moran

liens in bankruptcy

Liens in bankruptcy have an uncertain fate. While most liens survive a bankruptcy discharge, some liens get wiped out. Think of mortgages, tax liens, and judgment liens. Each of them is a lien, but some get different treatment in bankruptcy. Some liens can even be reduced or eliminated . Lien basics A lien gives the […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works Tagged With: 2018

How Long Does Bankruptcy Take?

By Cathy Moran

Every client filing bankruptcy asks that question: how long will bankruptcy take? Probably, the real question is “when will this be over?” Like so many questions in the law, the answer is “it depends.” From filing bankruptcy to discharge In a Chapter 7, filing to discharge is about four months;  in Chapter 13 it’s three […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works

Does THIS Violate My Bankruptcy Discharge?

By Cathy Moran

discharge violation

When creditors contact you after your bankruptcy, you need to know what actions violate the discharge, and which are permitted by law. Having been through the financial wringer and having been proactive to get out from under old bills,  you hope for a tranquil and prosperous life after bankruptcy. When creditors violate the discharge, they […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works Tagged With: 2017, collection, discharge

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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

How To Pay For Bankruptcy When You’re Flat Broke

One of the cosmic ironies of our legal system is that it costs money to file bankruptcy. Bankruptcy gets you out of debt only if you have the money to file. The costs of bankruptcy include the filing fee collected by the court; the required credit counseling; and, if you're smart, an experienced lawyer to make sure … Read more

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