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.
Many of our Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy clients are living on Social Security. When their family members come in to our office, or to court, supporting them, they ask: will Social Security still be around when they need it…next year, in twenty years? We don’t know, but we intend to provide significant information when we can.
Read MoreIn our bankruptcy blog, we try to inform our clients of an array of consumer issues that will have an impact on their finances and investments. Many of our Boston area clients, in and around Boston, have homes; many of those homes are their largest investment. With the economy precarious, and the job situation bleak, we hear some of our clients talking about voting against Proposition 2 ½ overrides. A new study by Northeastern Professor Barry Bluestone, Dean of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, clearly indicates that, in the long run, voting in favor of overrides, notwithstanding the increased taxes, has a direct correlation to enhancing home, therefore investment, value.
Read MoreThe Federal Trade Commission is coming down hard on the folks at freecreditreport.com because, well, because, it’s not free! The three main credit bureaus will forward your credit score each month for a fee of $15, however, personal bankruptcy attorneys don’t generally recommend these costs. After all, for the $180 you would pay them each year, you could work on reducing debt! The various credit bureaus will let you know of possible fraud activity, however, absent a notion of expected fraud, we question the cost. With respect to the score, the only time our clients really need their actual score is when they are applying for a loan and they need to be above a certain score to get approved. Perhaps then the associated costs are valid.
Read MoreThe Federal Trade Commission is coming down hard on the folks at freecreditreport.com because, well, because, it’s not free! The three main credit bureaus will forward your credit score each month for a fee of $15, however, personal bankruptcy attorneys don’t generally recommend these costs.
Read MoreOur personal bankruptcy clients in Boston seem more confident of their ability to get a “fresh start.” However,
Read MoreIn a case where the bankruptcy debtor omitted assets and income on her federal bankruptcy petition, the United Bankruptcy Court revoked the discharge. We advise our clients that dishonesty is one of the biggest reasons for failures to secure discharge, problems and additional costs and attorney fees in Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy.
Read MoreAll of us in Massachusetts know that the Celtics will win tonight, capturing the Eastern Conference finals. However, on another basketball front, reports indicate that former basketball star Antoine Walker filed for personal bankruptcy protection in Florida. Walker’s debt, listed at over $12 million, seems extensive, and there seems to be a paucity of income.
Read MoreIn seeking bankruptcy protection for Massachusetts clients, personal bankruptcy lawyers often use the local Massachusetts bankruptcy exemptions to enable clients to keep their homes. That exemption is $500,000 of equity. However, many folks put their homes in trusts.
Read MorePresently, it costs Massachusetts consumers about $15 to secure their credit score; credit reports, on the other hand, are free. However, yesterday the United States Senate passed an amendment to the big financial regulatory bill that would give consumers a free copy of their score whenever they were denied credit, denied the best interest rate or denied employment because of their credit score.
Read MoreIn a well written decision by former Supreme Court Justice, David Souter, sitting by designation on the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Massachusetts, the Court held that Alexander Sherman, who filed bankruptcy after bilking investors out of $983,000, met the test for embezzlement and that therefore the debt to the victims could not be discharged.
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