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California Courts Provide On Line Help

By Cathy Moran

legal help

Individuals with matters before the state courts of California have an updated resource in the Self Help Center. The information here can be either good background if you have a legal problem or a treasure-trove if you expect to represent yourself in court. It even includes a section on bankruptcy, as part of the materials […]

Filed Under: Strictly California

California’s Good Deed: Passing Real Property At Death

By Cathy Moran

property upon death

The horror stories about do-it-yourself estate planning are both plentiful and tragic. Between the fear of probate and the fear of legal fees, inventive people invent inexpensive strategies for passing property to the next generation. Adding someone to the deed is the most common one I see. It works like this: in order to see […]

Filed Under: Strictly California Tagged With: 2017, estate planning

California Stimulus Checks Available Only When You File Your Tax Return

By Cathy Moran

California stimulus check

Are you eligible for a California stimulus check? This state program provides cash payments to low and moderate income individuals, regardless of immigration status. But the stimulus checks are tied to filing a tax return. No tax return, no California stimulus check. Mind you, this Golden State Stimulus is in addition to the federal stimulus […]

Filed Under: Strictly California Tagged With: 2021, California stimulus, relief check

California Community Property Creates A Marital Threesome

By Cathy Moran

  Sounds kinky, doesn’t it? Three players in a marriage. Sharing. Everything. Only this is something you can talk about openly, without blushing: community property. Community property is the default property arrangement in California for a married couple. Yet it is poorly understood by those affected by it and it isn’t inevitable. How community property […]

Filed Under: Strictly California Tagged With: community property

California Garnishment Now Provides Greater Protection Of Wages

By Cathy Moran

Workers making close to the California minimum wage got additional protection from wage garnishments under a change in the law effective back in 2013. With the annual increases in the state minimum wage, in 2019 California law now protects an employee’s weekly net wages up to 40 times the state minimum wage, currently $11 to $12 […]

Filed Under: Considering Bankruptcy, Strictly California

Free Tax Preparation Offered In Bay Area

By Cathy Moran

free tax preparation

Households with an annual income of $54,000 or less can have their tax returns prepared for free through the Bay Area United Way’s Earn It, Keep It, Save It program. Earned Income Tax Credit The Earn It, Keep It, Save It campaign is particularly focused on enabling qualifying individuals and families to access this tax […]

Filed Under: Strictly California, Taxes Tagged With: 2018

California Consumers Have Powerful Debt Collection Rights

By Cathy Moran

California outdoes the rest of the country in its debt collection rights for consumers. Debt collectors have noticed the growing understanding of debtors about their rights to fair debt collection. And they aren’t happy. The Federal law Fair Debt Collection Practices Act regulates the conduct of third party collectors. Those protections apply everywhere and more […]

Filed Under: Strictly California

Debt Collectors Distort Community Property Law

By Cathy Moran

distorted law

Debt collectors claim you are personally liable for your spouse, or ex-spouse’s, debts. That’s a (convenient) lie. California community property law is complicated. I get it. It shouldn’t surprise me that debt collectors don’t understand community property. Or maybe, they find it inconvenient to understand.  Or maybe, they deliberately distort the law. Collector expands spousal […]

Filed Under: Strictly California Tagged With: debts of marriage

Title Isn’t Everything: Watch Out For The Assets In Your Spouse’s Name

By Cathy Moran

community property surprise

But it’s titled to my spouse, sputtered the hapless debtor at the bankruptcy hearing. She hasn’t filed bankruptcy. Not so, says the bankruptcy trustee.  It was purchased during marriage, wasn’t it? And so, the trouble begins for those who don’t understand community property. Turns out the debtor left out of his schedules the bank account […]

Filed Under: Strictly California Tagged With: 2016, California

The Secret Bankruptcy Discharge For Community Property

By Cathy Moran

  Psst! Let me tell you a secret about bankruptcy law. You can get 3/4 of the benefits of a bankruptcy discharge without ever going near a bankruptcy court if you are a married person in California, or any other community property state. If your spouse files bankruptcy and you don’t join in, you still reap […]

Filed Under: Strictly California

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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 on how I think law should work for the consumer and small businesses when it comes to debt.

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

How Bankruptcy Works

Speak Fluent Bankruptcy: Guide To Essential Bankruptcy Terms

Bankruptcy has its own language.  If you are considering filing bankruptcy, it helps to know the language spoken there. Master just a couple of words and phrases, and input from a bankruptcy lawyer starts to make sense. So, in our continuing campaign for better understanding of bankruptcy, here's a dozen … Read more

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