McLeod Law Offices

For Everything, There is a Time…

I haven’t blogged in a while. And this one will be my last for now. I’ll tell you where I’m going and I tell you why.

How Are You Spending Your MLK Holiday?

I can understand how it might seem disrespectful to be attending a conference on a day when we should be celebrating the life of a civil rights leader. But it is also, I think, particularly fitting. Let me explain…

The Bankruptcy Debtor’s Catch-22

Recently, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reminded us why bankruptcy laws are not always fair… especially to those who are looking for employment.

20/5: I, (State your name, please), do solemnly swear…

Twenty years ago today I took the oath. After four years of college, three years of law school, the bar exam, this was the day. But as I mentioned yesterday, my ceremony was rather unremarkable and unmemorable. And I’ve been through several admittance ceremonies: Massachusetts was cool, taking the oath in Federal Court in Boston [...]

20/5: This journey started 20 years ago tomorrow

Tomorrow at about 10:00 am will mark 20 years. It was on December 7, 1990 that I was first sworn in as an attorney. I remember being totally pumped the night before… knowing that when I went to bed tomorrow night, I would be the attorney I had spent so many years preparing to be. My [...]

To Reaffirm or not Reaffirm: That Really Is The Tough Question

Chapter 7 debtors who have debt that is secured by property have a number of options, and among them is reaffirmation. A simple way of describing it: when a debtor reaffirms a debt, they are removing the debt from the bankruptcy and are agreeing to pay it. Such agreements – to be enforceable – must be reduced to writing and approved by the Bankruptcy Court. But since 2005, when Congress amended the Bankruptcy Code, attorneys who represent chapter 7 debtors have been struggling with a dual rule: that of attorney and counselor, and that of judge.

Episode 7

Are bankruptcy exemptions funny? Perhaps only when Jake & I are talking about them. Law and Propaganda 7

The Light at End of the Tunnel

With the midterm elections over, I am left to wonder: how will the new Congress help struggling Americans who face losing their home. I am not optimistic.

Episode 6

The mission: to convince Congress that Section 1322(b)(2) must be amended to allow struggling homeowners to modify the loans securing their principal residences. The challenge: coming up with ideas no one else has. The result: hilarity. Hopefully. Law and Propaganda 6

Episode 5

In this special Halloween episode of Law & Propaganda: Emergency chapter 13s, surgical procedures and other scary things. Law and Propaganda 5