Rookie bankruptcy lawyers could do worse than go the California State Bar Convention for a grounding in practice management basics and developing issues in other areas of law. My law partner Renee Mendoza points out that legal education is nowhere as inexpensive as the convention. You can attend classes from dawn to the cocktail hour, […]
I Flunked Mindreading
For six months, I’ve been writing this blog for newish bankruptcy lawyers, trying to imagine what it is that I know about this practice that you, as a newcomer, needs to know sooner rather than later. I’ve shamelessly lifted stories from my clients and those of my local newbies to write about here. I’ve snatched […]
Client as Onion: Peeling Down To The Core
When we finally got there, the client’s reluctance to wait 8 weeks to file bankruptcy was predicated on the (unreasonable) expectation that the IRS would forgive tax debt in an offer in compromise. I got involved counseling a new bankruptcy attorney whose clients wanted to file Chapter 7 right now, while one spouse was unemployed. […]
Bankruptcy Cases One At A Time
Have you encountered the St. Johns University Law School bankruptcy case blog? On line, free, one current case at a time. From the dates on the latest posts (May) I’d guess that school is out for the summer. That’s OK, by the time you’ve read the back list, the students will be back and writing […]
Financial Information for Financially Stressed
Five friends and I launched a new personal finance site today Money Health Central where we hope to gather actionable information for those in debt and those emerging from debt. We hope to put to use what we’ve learned about personal finances from years of interviewing our bankruptcy clients. The site moves beyond just bankruptcy […]
The Many Hats of a Bankruptcy Lawyer
Lee Rosen, a well known family lawyer, described the demands of his practice thus: Family law attorneys live in an information deprivation zone. They need to know more than they can possibly remember. They’ve got to master the fundamentals of family law. On top of that, they must have a working knowledge of property […]
Bankruptcy Lawyer’s Weapon of Choice
How do you make your first assault on a contested matter in bankruptcy? Pick up the phone to your opponent! Countless times, a new bankruptcy lawyer gets an objection or opposition and indulges in a reflexive question about what kind of pleading to file or counter manoevre to initiate. Their first move should be to […]
