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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.

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Massachusetts Bankruptcy Cases Down in 2011

Personal bankruptcies were down in 2011, for the first time in several years, according to preliminary reports. The estimate is that 1.35 million personal bankruptcies were filed in the United States, which was down approximately 12.5% from 2010. As the Boston bankruptcy lawyer reported on January 5, 2011 in our bostonbankrutpcylawyerblog.com bankruptcies were up in 2010 by 9%, with over 1.55 million being filed in 2010. In 2005, the year the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 went into effect, there were over 2 million personal bankruptcies filed.

Race and Choice of Chapter 7 Verses Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

An important new study, entitled “Race, Attorney Influence, and Bankruptcy Chapter Choice,” undertaken by University of Illinois Law Profession Bob Lawless, along with colleagues Jean Braucher, of University of Arizona and Dov Cohen, also a professor at Illinois (in psychology and law), outlines some serious potential problems in the bankruptcy process, in the United States.

Social Security Numbers and Massachusetts Bankruptcy

We are often asked how to file bankruptcy in Massachusetts when our clients do not have a social security number. This question comes at the intersection of bankruptcy and immigration law. All bankruptcy petitions have a page in which you are expected to report your social security number. However, the bankruptcy code does not require that page of the standard petition to be completed. Nevertheless, many folks who do not have a social security number are concerned about filing for Massachusetts bankruptcy.

Massachusetts Credit and Debit Card News

Questions to a Boston bankruptcy lawyer often center around getting good credit in Massachusetts, which we discuss in the Life After Bankruptcy section of our website. However, there is always news that we can relate, products that we can evaluate, and ideas worth mentioning.

Massachusetts Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Update

After practicing bankruptcy in Boston for over 25 years, we often get asked questions about Chapter 13 bankruptcy. We focus mostly on Boston Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases. One important advantage of the Massachusetts Chapter 13 bankruptcy is that it offers you the chance to bring down the amount that you owe to your creditors. When you lower the secured debts that you owe it is called a cram down.

What Happens After A Chapter 7 Discharge When the Creditor Sues You?

As a Massachusetts bankruptcy attorney, I regularly tell clients that a Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge gives you a “fresh start” and that all dischargeable debts are discharged by federal law. Those debts include, but are not limited to, credit card bills, personal unsecured loans, and remaining balances on motor vehicles and home mortgages that have been returned to the lender. They don’t include student loans, some taxes, and numerous other protected debtors.

Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court Sanctions Attorney

The rules of procedure in Massachusetts bankruptcy court are clear; just as the rules of civil procedure are in state and federal courts: When you file a “complaint” to initiate a civil lawsuit in court, the rules require a “short and plain statement” regarding 1. Jurisdiction, 2. What is the “claim” and 3.What kind of relief is sought.

Massachusetts Ice Cream Bankruptcy and Pensions

Everyone in Massachusetts is a fan of Friendly’s Ice Cream. Founded in the 1930s, it has been a family establishment throughout the Bay State for generations. Now, however, the company is mired in federal bankruptcy court and the new owner stands accused of fraud regarding the treatment of their pension obligations. Here’s what’s going on.

Massachusetts Foreclosures, Credit Scores, and Bankruptcy

As a Massachusetts bankruptcy lawyer, clients, or potential clients, who are facing the prospect of foreclosure, often consult us. They want to know their rights and what options they have. Usually they want to keep their home. And they can often do so by keeping their mortgage current and discharging their credit card debt. If you can make the mortgage payments but not the credit card payments, you may be able to protect your home and qualify for a chapter 7 bankruptcy. Our Massachusetts bankruptcy and consumer blog is here to give some guidance.

Year End Planning for Massachusetts Clients

As we enter the final weeks of the calendar year we post this blog article to inform Massachusetts consumers of a few things they can do to reduce taxes and keep their retirements accounts active. Tax planning basically involves two things: deferring income and reducing taxable income. Deferring income may seem counter intuitive, but it can reduce your taxable income this year. Defer income to 2012 if you can; any year-end bonus that you are entitled to could be requested or given in January. Thus, you will not be required to pay the tax until 2012.