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Do you hesitate to file bankruptcy because you are concerned about your credit, even if you are in foreclosure?  Are you more concerned about your credit or the stigma of filing bankruptcy than about saving your home?  Don’t laugh; I have a case like that right now. Marge (not her real name) filed chapter 13 […]

The short answer is yes, but filing bankruptcy without a lawyer can be very financially dangerous.  Of course it is tempting for people in bad enough financial situations that they need to file bankruptcy to try to save money, but that savings must be weighed against the potential risks of making mistakes that could cost […]

Betty (not her real name) had racked up substantial divorce attorney fees that she could not afford to pay, and she came to see me about filing bankruptcy.  But Betty was afraid that even with bankruptcy she’d still have to pay her divorce attorney fees.  Betty’s divorce attorney fees were a large part of her […]

If you need help paying your student loans, act now before it’s too late.  Help for student loans is starting to become harder to get. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos withdrew two memos by former President Obama that required the government to help people with their student loans.  As I’ve written recently, the Trump administration is […]

Are you having trouble making your student loan payments?  You can get affordable payments for all federal student loans, both direct loans and FFEL loans.  (There is also possible help for private student loans, but the options are far fewer.)  Currently, you are legally entitled to certain repayment programs for federal student loans.  However, as […]

Do you need bankruptcy protection to save your home from foreclosure?  Trying to do this yourself can cause major problems for you; hire a competent bankruptcy attorney to get you the help that you need to save your home. I just got a call from a man whose 73-year-old father’s home is going to be […]

Do you need a loan modification in order to lower your mortgage payments so that you can save your house from foreclosure, but think you can’t get one now because the federal HAMP loan modification program ended December 31, 2016?  Well, you’re in luck!  You may still be able to get a loan mod to […]

Donald Trump is trying to dismantle the Dodd-Frank statute that was enacted in response to severe misconduct by the financial industry that caused the Great Recession.  Dismantling these protections from financial industry misconduct could cause another financial collapse and cause millions of people to have to file bankruptcy again. Call your congressperson now and demand […]

SB 308, A bill in the California Legislature, would allow debtors who need serious financial help to file bankruptcy without losing their homestead exemptions if they don’t reinvest the money in a new home within six months. As it stands now, California law requires that a homestead exemption be used to buy another home within […]

Are you behind (in default) on your student loans?  Are you unable to make your student loan payments because they are unaffordable? Are your wages being garnished because you are behind on your student loan payments?  Contrary to what most people believe, there is help available for student loan debt.  Federal loans, both direct and […]