In my small state of Rhode Island, there are 5,878 licensed attorneys.  RI only has a population of 1,050,788 people.  That is one lawyer for every 178 people. 
Because each attorney is licensed in the general practice of law, he can represent just about any matter that comes through the door. He can handle a murder [...]

We all handle medical problems differently.  Go to any Emergency Room and you may wonder why the guy experiencing chest pains for the past week didn’t come in earlier and why the kid with the splinter is there at all.
Financial problems are the same.  Some delay getting financial counsel, while others are pro-active and want [...]

I’ve been asked the question a thousand times.  “How can your clients afford to file bankruptcy if they don’t have any money?”  Its a good question.  Certainly a question I asked before opening my consumer bankruptcy practice 18 years ago.  Where does the money come from?
Lets start with the obvious.  Family.  I have seen parents [...]

75% of tax filers get a refund.  And the average refund amount is over $ 2,300.    I was surprised by these figures.  Am I the only one not getting an “annual bonus” from the government?
What is wrong with getting a refund check, and what does it have to do with filing for bankruptcy?  Plenty.
Can you imagine your [...]

What does pet ownership have to do with filing bankruptcy? It is just one of the many expenses of life that most of us underestimate. Unless you understand and are prepared for the real cost of owning a pet, you are in for a shock and could literally go bankrupt. I’ve seen it happen many [...]

Why is it so hard living on a budget?  I believe it has something to do with the many unscheduled expenses of life. Do we carefully categorize every dollar spent?   Probably not.  As a result, we underestimate how expensive life really is.
Yesterday, I joined my wife for a quick trip to the local supermarket. We [...]

A good bankruptcy lawyer will take time to help you figure out your monthly household budget. In other words, how much money hits your kitchen table every month and how is it spent? It is all about income and expenses.
Calculating income is the easier part. For some clients, it is very predictable because they live on a [...]

Gathering records is an important part of preparing for a bankruptcy consultation. Your lawyer will rely on these records to determine if you qualify for bankruptcy relief.

Here is a common list of documents I ask my Rhode Island clients to bring to a bankruptcy consultation.

Federal Tax returns for the last two (2) years;
Personal bank account [...]

I just returned to Rhode Island from a weeks’ vacation in Maine.  While away, I was bombarded by a whole new batch of debt settlement commercials.
Who wouldn’t want to settle their debt for pennies on the dollar?  If you can avoid bankruptcy and still make all your debts disappear, what’s not to like?  These debt-relief [...]

The most common form of consumer bankruptcy, a Chapter 7 filing, takes about 90 days to complete.  For each case filed, the court assigns a trustee and schedules a date for a meeting of creditors.  This meeting occurs about 30 days into the process.   (And it does NOT take place in a courtroom.)
At the meeting of creditors, the bankruptcy trustee [...]