Author Archive
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Feb 18, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, General Bankruptcy Information | 0 Comments
Congress has passed a stimulus package which will offer most taxpayers a tax rebate. Most of us are supposed to receive the rebate by May of this year. But how will that affect you if you file bankruptcy?
If you liked that post, then try these…Northern District of New York Bankruptcy Judge Says [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Feb 5, 2008 in Benefits of Bankruptcy, General Bankruptcy Information | 0 Comments
Although the mainstream media has recently been full of reports on subprime mortgage lending, credit crisis, and the housing market woes, that same reports often overlook the obvious solution to some of those problems for consumer–bankruptcy relief. As Peter Orville noted, so-called money experts often fail to mention Chapter 13 as an option to [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Jan 31, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, South Carolina | 0 Comments
Completing a Chapter 13 Plan is quite an accomplishment for anyone, and it’s something to be proud of, no matter the circumstances. I recently discovered that one of my clients had not only completed her Chapter 13 Plan payments (which totaled more than $1000 per month for 60 months) but that she had never [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Jan 15, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, General Bankruptcy Information | 0 Comments
In Part One and Part Two, we looked at the importance of budgeting in Chapter 13s, and the use of historical data to project future expenses. But what if your historical expenses don’t really help you project future expenses?
Every once in a while, I meet someone who has been through such extreme financial hardship that [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Jan 10, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, General Bankruptcy Information | 1 Comment
In Part One, I discussed the importance of preparing a thorough and accurate budget in a Chapter 13 case, and considered the possibility that underestimating expenses may be at least part of the reason for a high failure rate in Chapter 13s in my district. But how do you prepare a budget?
If you liked that [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Jan 8, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, General Bankruptcy Information | 2 Comments
In a recent discussion among some colleagues here in South Carolina concerning the new IRS standards for living expenses, there was general agreement that the IRS standards for things like food, utilities and household expenses are higher than actual expenses reported by most of our clients.
One of the group remarked that maybe the reason so [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Jan 6, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, General Bankruptcy Information | 0 Comments
If you have read anything at all about bankruptcy, you probably know that bankruptcy laws are federal. That means that the way the law is applied is uniform all across the country, right? Whether you live in New York, California, Wyoming or Georgia, bankruptcy laws will be just the same, won’t they? Well, maybe not.
For [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Jan 2, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Benefits of Bankruptcy | 0 Comments
There is no “right” way to determine whether bankruptcy is the right decision. There are as many approaches to making that decision as there are people considering the question. But I have learned through discussions with colleagues, and through this blog (and others of similar ilk) that most of us take a similar [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Dec 27, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Benefits of Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, General Bankruptcy Information | 0 Comments
One of the really cool things about restructuring your debt in Chapter 13 is the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances along the way. Most of my clients are in a Chapter 13 for four to five years, and a lot can change in that time.
Think back–when was the last time you went five years [...]
By Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
closeAuthor: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Name: Däna Wilkinson, Attorney at Law
Email: danawilkinson@danawilkinsonlaw.com
Site: http://www.danawilkinsonlaw.com
About: My name is Däna (pronounced “Donna”) Wilkinson, and I’ve been a bankruptcy lawyer for 20 years. I went to law school at the University of South Carolina, worked for two bankruptcy judges, and practiced for a number of years with bankruptcy boutique firms. In fact, I’ve never practiced any other kind of law.
I’m certified as a bankruptcy specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which means that I’ve taken and passed a proficiency examination on bankruptcy law, devoted my practice primarily to bankruptcy for a number of years, and have continued to take classes on bankruptcy law and related issues.
In 1998 I opened my own practice, focused on representing ordinary people who find themselves overwhelmed by debt. I enjoy the work, and I like the freedom of being my own boss. One benefit is that I can focus on the needs of my clients, and craft an approach that is based on what is important to them. I don’t have a “one size fits all” mentality about what is best for my clients. My goal is to advise my clients of the options they have to deal with their financial difficulties, and whenever possible help them make a fresh start.See Authors Posts (89) on Dec 24, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy | 0 Comments
I took a holiday today, and stayed home to build and decorate a gingerbread house with my seven-year-old (which I highly recommend, by the way, but be warned–royal icing really is like cement). I got a phone call from my assistant, to update me on office matters, and she told me about a phone [...]