We have been practicing law in Boston and throughout Massachusetts since 1985. I have represented clients in District Courts, Superior Courts, the Appeals Court, Housing Court, Probate Courts, Federal Bankruptcy Court and the Federal District Court.
We have previously written about celebrity bankruptcy. Reviewing specific cases may prove illustrative for our Massachusetts bankruptcy clients. For example, basketball superstar Antoine Walker earned in excess of $100 million in his basketball career. Nevertheless, he recently filed for personal bankruptcy protection. Why? How did this happen?
Read MoreWe have managed numerous financial trusts for clients, especially managing monies for someone after the settlement of a Massachusetts motor vehicle accident or other personal injury in Massachusetts. In keeping abreast of the law, and in researching and writing a Massachusetts consumer and bankruptcy blog, we have read numerous books and scholarly papers on personal finance, managing retirement accounts, for complex and general investments.
Read MoreIn a fascinating criminal case now unfolding in Illinois, a personal bankruptcy attorney is charged with using his client’s federal income tax returns and credit cards for his own benefit.
Read MoreMassachusetts consumers are facing important elections this November including all congress members, one United States Senator and, of course, the race for the presidency. But how will the result of the elections result in changes for bankruptcy in Massachusetts? Will more Massachusetts residents get a chance for a “fresh start” which the law affords?
Read MoreMany of our Massachusetts bankruptcy clients ask us what will happen to their 401k accounts if they file for bankruptcy protection and a fresh start in Massachusetts. The simple answer is that the bankruptcy law protects those monies. Whether you have $10,000 or $100,000, or millions, like a famous political candidate, it’s all protected from your creditors if you file a bankruptcy in Massachusetts.
Read MoreWe have been representing clients filing for Massachusetts bankruptcy for over 26 years. For the folks that qualify, even after the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, we regularly get the question: how can I increase my credit after a bankruptcy? We have a web page entitled Life After Bankruptcy which addresses this issue. The web page outlines the percentages for each part of your credit score.
Read MoreThe news about personal bankruptcy in Massachusetts is good. The number of people filing is down. Overall, across the US, the number of bankruptcy filings for the first half of the year was down from 725,000 in 2011 to 627,000 in 2012. This translates to a reduction to 9,188 Massachusetts bankruptcy filings for the first six months. That is a rate of 2.79 per 1,000 residents, verses 3.00 filings per 1,000 residents in 2011 and 3.52 filings in 2010.
Read MoreWhat are the most common injuries in Massachusetts motor vehicle collisions? Eye injuries? Not likely. But they do happen. How? Ejections, objects moving about the passenger compartment striking the victim, the violence of air bags which protect but also cause injuries, and the simple striking of the face against a part of the vehicle or another passenger. Broken glass causes various eye related injuries as well as other, perhaps more obvious, injuries. The injuries include injuries from minor abrasions, cuts, retinal injuries, to corneal abrasions and far worse. Did a car accident cause double vision? Vision loss? Or light sensitivity? Do you or a loved one have an inability to focus because of an eye injury?
Read MoreThe AARP recently published the results of a study on the recent mortgage crisis and how it affected people in their target population: folks over 50. 80% of those people own a home. The study was undertaken with data from 2007 through 2011 and looked at information from across the country. They claim that it was the first study ever to measure the effect of the recent mortgage crisis on people over 50.
Read MoreWhat is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau up to these days? And how can they help Massachusetts bankruptcy filers who are still underwater, or treading water, in this prolonged economic trough. According to the CFPB, they received 45,630 consumer complaints in the year ending July 1, 2012! 44% of those complaints were via their website, which you can access by clicking on the words Consumer Financial Protection Bureau above. THE CFPB explains that the complaints about credit card companies are mostly about billing. These they forward to the companies for initial review.
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