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Is A Free Bankruptcy Consultation Worth It?

By Cathy Moran

No matter how much they’ve spent on other stuff, those shopping for a bankruptcy lawyer seem to expect a free consultation. “Everyone else offers a free consultation” I’m told. Not me:  I don’t do “free”. But I’ve come to doubt what other bankruptcy attorneys offer is really a free consultation. Oh, it may be free, […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, You & your lawyer

Free Bankruptcy Advice: 5 Reasons Why I’m Not Free

By Cathy Moran

free bankruptcy consultation

There’s no free bankruptcy advice in my office.  Unlike many, we charge for that initial meeting with a lawyer. (There’s no free lunch either.) That makes us different from lots of other bankruptcy lawyers. Different enough to offend a prospective client who called up this week.  He was unwilling to pay for a consultation, and stormed […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, You & your lawyer Tagged With: 2016

File bankruptcy tomorrow?

By Cathy Moran

Clients clearly have little sense of how long it takes to file bankruptcy. Proof is what happened Monday: there’s an email the morning’s inbox from a client whom I first met weeks ago. He tells me they want to file before Wednesday’s mediation in state court! I have no creditor information, representation agreement, money, or […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works, You & your lawyer

Ordinary Heroes Deliver Second Chances With Bankruptcy

By Cathy Moran

bankruptcy is heroic

Guest author Bob Schuman on the good that bankruptcy does. I’m a mortgage broker. In that role, I see close up the immense relief that a homeowner feels when they file Chapter 13. They are no longer forced to deal with collection calls and a multitude of letters that are aggressive and intimidating, threatening to […]

Filed Under: You & your lawyer Tagged With: 2019

Bankruptcy No Place For DIY

By Cathy Moran

The do- it- yourself spirit seems especially strong in bankruptcy courts these days. Only it often comes with a big price tag. Nearly 45% of the Central District CA Chapter 7 cases were filed by individuals doing it themselves.  The national rules committee drafted the new bankruptcy forms with the unrepresented in mind. Why do people […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, You & your lawyer Tagged With: do it yourself

When Bankruptcy Lawyers Get The Basics Wrong

By Cathy Moran

bankruptcy law online

I cringe when a client says that they’ve researched bankruptcy on the internet before coming to see me. For every sound, balanced, nuanced article on consumers and their debts, there are bunches of sloppy, inaccurate sites, often trying to make bankruptcy so frightening that you’ll buy whatever they’re selling. But when a group of bankruptcy […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, You & your lawyer

Are You Stuck With The Lawyer Who Filed Your Bankruptcy Case?

By Cathy Moran

New lawyer as life saver

Your bankruptcy case is filed.  It’s not going as smoothly as you expected. In fact, you’re worried you’re going under. Can you change bankruptcy lawyers after your case is filed? Certainly, you can always fire your lawyer.  It may be disruptive.  It will certainly cost more money. To decide you need to know how big […]

Filed Under: How bankruptcy works, You & your lawyer

3 Things Turn Off This Bankruptcy Lawyer

By Cathy Moran

Looking to find a bankruptcy lawyer. Then you need to know what makes a good bankruptcy client. A good bankruptcy lawyer doesn’t waste time with some kinds of prospective clients. TThat’s because an experienced bankruptcy lawyer can see trouble from the start. So what would make a bankruptcy specialist turn down work? That is, other […]

Filed Under: Featured, You & your lawyer Tagged With: 2016

Thankful

By Cathy Moran

Professionally, what’s a bankruptcy lawyer thankful for? I’m thankful for experience and a skill set useful to real people with financial problems. I’m thankful for bankruptcy laws, flawed as they are, that allow people to escape debt and focus on the future. I’m thankful for the right to vote for people who might make the laws […]

Filed Under: Featured, You & your lawyer

Why Would Lawyer Choose Consumer Bankruptcy?

By Cathy Moran

I had my fees cut last week in a small Chapter 13 case.  The cut ($500) wasn’t large in absolute terms. But the wound is deep and will continue to bleed into my attitude about what I do as a professional. To borrow a phrase from my kids, I feel profoundly disrespected. The case, filed by […]

Filed Under: Featured, You & your lawyer

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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

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

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