McLeod Law Offices

Honesty and Bankruptcy, Part III: The Reality Check and the Boy Scout

In the last two entries, I shared my observations of honesty and dishonesty in the bankruptcy process. It has been an issue that has been crawling under my skin for many months now. And in this last installment of Honesty and Bankruptcy, I explain why that is. I’ve heard a local ...

Honesty and Bankruptcy, Part II: Feeling Dishonest

It seems that many people are hypersensitive over H1N1. I was at the market yesterday and an older man sneezed, and by the looks on the faces of those standing around him, you’d have thought someone nearby was pointing and shrieking that he was a leper. Just because someone is ...

Honesty and Bankruptcy, Part I: Day of the Living Dishonest

When rapper Chris Brown beat up his then girlfriend Rhianna, there was an odd reaction from much of Hollywood. As Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew were recently discussing on Carolla’s podcast, Hollywood’s reaction – especially at red carpet events – seemed less than honest and at times downright pathetic. Some ...

Another Reason Why Going Pro Se is a Bad Idea

There are many reasons that people choose to represent themselves (what is referred to as pro se) rather than hire an attorney. Rarely are any of them good reasons. To a lay person, I realize that this sounds almost disingenuous coming from someone who is an attorney – but the ...

When You Discover that You Are a Creditor in a Bankruptcy Case…

Last week, I was in the clerk’s office and overheard two people ask the clerk which forms needed to be filed in a bankruptcy case. But this person was not a debtor – they were a creditor. Their landlord had filed bankruptcy. The former tenant was looking for their security ...

Cutting Corners in Chapter 13

While sitting in US Bankruptcy Court yesterday waiting for my client’s case to be called, I observed a hearing that I think is worth sharing. The chapter 13 bankruptcy debtor was represented by an attorney, but the attorney wasn’t there. The debtor was there, and was prepared to present and ...

I Was Wrong About BAPCPA

Five years ago Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act – and at that time, I couldn’t understand what “abuse” Congress was trying to prevent. As a matter of fact, I penned an op-ed in the Boston Globe expressing my hope that Congress would not pass the ...

I Am a Twit. Maybe.

Remember a few months ago when I openly mocked Twitter and those who tweeted? Well, after much convincing and research, I’ve decided to take the bold step to explore whether I was wrong. I have no problem admitting I was wrong. I think. Twitter is that nifty social networking site that ...

Social Networking Sites and Bankruptcy: The Intersection is Dead Ahead

There are a growing number of social networking sites out there on the world-wide-interwebs that people are latching onto. In fact, both the firm and I have latched onto Facebook (we just lauched our Fan page this week!). So I was intrigued after recently reading that a growing number of ...

The Elephant in the Room: Married Same-Sex Debtors

The decision to seek bankruptcy protection is never easy, and when two people are involved, it is not necessarily easier. Married opposite-sex debtors have the option of seeking bankruptcy protection jointly in one case. But as a growing handful of states recognize same-sex marriages or its legal equivalent (“unions”), and ...