Category: Pennsylvania
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Jan 9, 2008 in Bankruptcy Cases of Interest, Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Benefits of Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Discharge Violations, Discharge, What Can and Cannot Be Forgiven, General Bankruptcy Information, Lawyer to Lawyer, Life After Bankruptcy, Mortgages, Pennsylvania | 1 Comment
Appearing in the pages of the New York Times today was an article about a bankruptcy Court showdown which raises profound questions for the Debtors in that particular case, as well as broader questions about the continuing viability of the sacred principle known as the “rule of law” in our society.
If you liked that post, [...]
Popularity: 66% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 21, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, General Bankruptcy Information, Lawyer to Lawyer, Pennsylvania | 0 Comments
Under the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. 101, et seq., private trustees typically administer debtors’ estates, subject to supervision by the United States Trustees in their respective judicial districts.
The United States Trustee is a government official appointed by the Attorney General for a five year term to serve various administrative and monitoring functions in a particular [...]
Popularity: 21% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 19, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Pennsylvania | 0 Comments
The Federal Judiciary has an informative website where you can find your local federal court, including your local bankruptcy court. Visit http://www.uscourts.gov/courtlinks/. You can search for your local bankruptcy court by zip code, city and state, circuit, county and state, or area code. After you locate your local bankruptcy court, the site [...]
Popularity: 14% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 18, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Lawyer to Lawyer, Pennsylvania | 0 Comments
The Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 2.1 states “[i]n representing a client, a lawyer shall exercise independent professional judgment and render candid advice. In rendering advice, a lawyer may refer not only to law but to other considerations such as moral, economic, social and political factors, that may be relevant to the client’s situation.” [...]
Popularity: 17% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 17, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 12 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Lawyer to Lawyer, Pennsylvania | 0 Comments
When appearing before a Pennsylvania bankruptcy judge, it is important to not only to be familiar with the Federal and local rules of procedure, but also to check the preferences of the judge before whom you are appearing.
In the Western District of Pennsylvania, the general website is http://www.pawb.uscourts.gov/. There are five bankruptcy judges in the [...]
Popularity: 28% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 16, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 12 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Lawyer to Lawyer, Pennsylvania | 0 Comments
When appearing before a Pennsylvania bankruptcy judge, it is important to not only to be familiar with the Federal and local rules of procedure, but also to check the preferences of the judge before whom you are appearing.
In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the general website is http://www.pamb.uscourts.gov/index.html. There are three bankruptcy judges in the [...]
Popularity: 27% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 15, 2007 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 12 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Lawyer to Lawyer, Pennsylvania | 0 Comments
When appearing before a Pennsylvania bankruptcy judge, it is important to not only to be familiar with the Federal and local rules of procedure, but also to check the preferences of the judge before whom you are appearing.
In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the general website is http://www.paeb.uscourts.gov/. There are five bankruptcy judges sitting in [...]
Popularity: 27% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 10, 2007 in Bankruptcy Cases of Interest, Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Decisions of Interest, Lawyer to Lawyer, Pennsylvania | 0 Comments
For the sake of safe-guarding the due process rights of creditors involved in bankruptcy proceedings in the Western District of Pennsylvania, local rules of procedure require debtors to list each and every creditor by name as respondents in Motions which affect their rights. The rule was instituted shortly after BAPCPA took effect on October 17, 2005 [...]
Popularity: 27% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 9, 2007 in Automatic Stay, Bankruptcy Cases of Interest, Bankruptcy Myths, Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Benefits of Bankruptcy, Decisions of Interest, Lawyer to Lawyer, Pennsylvania, Protecting Assets In Bankruptcy, Reaffirmation of Debts, Redemption of Assets, Vehicles | 0 Comments
When filing for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 7, of paramount concern to many debtors is the status of their vehicles. There three primary options expressly endorsed by the United States Bankruptcy Code:
Reaffirmation. Reaffirmation is governed principally by Section 524(c) of the Code. Of concern in post-BAPCPA cases in the vehicle context is the manner in [...]
Popularity: 81% [?]
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Nov 1, 2007 in Consumer Protection, Foreclosure Issues, Mortgages, Pennsylvania, Predatory Lending | 0 Comments
In 2003, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives directed the Pennsylvania Department of Banking to commission a study on the residential mortgage industry. The study was released in 2005 and was entitled “Losing the American Dream: A Report on Residential Mortgage Foreclosures and Abusive Lending Practices.” The report rattled lawmakers by revealing that Pennsylvania is home [...]
Popularity: 16% [?]