Here's another Bankruptcy Video!

Who's the old guy with the white beard?

Just kidding. I know.

I see him in the mirror every morning when I'm brushing my teeth!

How Do I Qualify for Bankruptcy in Arizona?

Generally, when people ask this question, they're referring to qualifying for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, because that's far less painful than a five-year Chapter 13 Plan!

Can I Repay the Debt I Owe to Aunt Myrtle Just Before I File My Bankruptcy?

Repaying relatives within a year of filing your bankruptcy is an issue that comes up frequently.

The reason it comes up frequently is that there is a period, prior to filing, when an ordinary debtor may not be paying the mortgage on the upside down house, because they're going to be filing a bankruptcy.

And during that period the debtor is unlikely to be paying credit card debt, because, well, they're going to be filing a bankruptcy!

So they have a little extra cash, and they really like Aunt Myrtle, who came through with a loan for them when they needed it most, as family will.

So they pay her back, and then they file a bankruptcy, and then the trustee gives them the choice to pay him, or for him to sue Aunt Myrtle for recovery of the preference payment.

And that's gotta be hard to explain at Thanksgiving Dinner!

The Decision Itself May be the Best Part of the Bankruptcy for your Peace of Mind

Different strokes for different folks; some people like the idea that the phone will shut up! Some are delighted after they survive the first meeting of creditors, some are overjoyed when they get the discharge, and some people smile real big when the case is closed for administrative purposes (which takes a while!).

But there are a lot of people for whom the real relief begins when they stop struggling with themselves, and reach the decision that filing a bankruptcy is the right decision for them.

Mind you, I send a lot of people away, because not everybody is right for bankruptcy. But for those honest debtors with overwhelming debt, it's a Godsend!

Here's Jamie, Talking About How Easy Bankruptcy is. Not.

Jamie, a smart bankruptcy paralegal, enjoys working with our bankruptcy clients. She has a surprisingly complete knowledge of the inner workings of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

And did I mention that she's also going to law school?

Be in Your Own Bankruptcy Video on a Companion Series to Downsized!

Do you like the idea of telling your story of rising unemployment, rising inflation, and living on less?

If so, here's your chance, courtesy of a companion series to the television show "Downsized"!

Name:
Lauri Lannan

E-mail Address:
lauri_lannan@pietown.tv

State:
California

ZIP:
91607

Phone:
DID NOT RESPOND

How would you like to be contacted?
E-mail
Phone

Brief description of your legal issue:
Hello Joseph,

I am the development coordinator at Pie Town Productions, a high volume, Emmy-nominated production company with more than 47 series under its belt. We’ve produced programming for networks such as Discovery, TLC, A&E, WE, Lifetime, The Food Network, HGTV and OWN. Some of our current shows include House Hunters on HGTV, Meat & Potatoes on Food Network, and Downsized on WE.

I am reaching out to you in regards to a current casting of a companion show to Downsized.

Downsized is our critically acclaimed docu-series on WE that follows a large, charismatic family that has been downsized in the recession and documents their challenges and successes of adjusting to new financial constraints.

Here is a link to information about Downsized on the WE TV website:
http://www.wetv.com/shows/downsized

We are now casting for a companion series to Downsized, and are specifically looking for a large and compelling family who is no longer bringing in the big bucks, is having to adjust their lifestyle, and would like some assistance getting back on track.  The ideal family is fun-loving, honest, emotional...and willing to “put it out there”.

While we understand that you can’t share personal contact information, we do hope you will pass along our information to clients, and anyone else you feel could potentially benefit from a series based around their situation.

Any interested persons may apply here: http://www.pietown.tv/Shows/downsized_ourstory.php

We are happy to answer any questions you may have, please feel free to contact me any time.  And please check out our website which will give you a greater understanding of our programming: www.pietown.tv

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many Thanks,

Lauri Lannan
Development Coordinator
Pie Town Productions

There's a Reason I Love My Bankruptcy Clients!

There is a specific reason that I love my bankruptcy clients, because it's not easy to confront your fears and do it anyway.

Tell Me About My Absolute Rights in a Bankruptcy Case in Arizona!

Bankruptcy as a Theraputic Aid to Sleep; Better Than Melatonin?

Sometimes melatonin won't work, if you're too worried about paying the credit card bills, or just getting collectors to shut up so you can hear yourself think.

So sometimes bankruptcy has surprisingly important health benefits. Because being frightened and worried every hour of the day can not be good for your health and longevity!

Here are a Lot of Additional Bankruptcy Videos!

Walk yourself right over here and you'll see a large number of additional bankruptcy videos!

For Those of You Who Prefer Reading to Watching Videos...

Here are a bunch of the most-viewed Arizona Bankruptcy Articles of all time from my original (not the extra-crispy) bankruptcy blog.

And thank you for watching and reading; we appear to be headed for all-time highs in readership this month!

The Best of the Best Articles of All Time from my Other, Other, Other Bankruptcy Blog!

• 
  

  Your Top Ten Bankruptcy Questions, Answered!

  There are some questions that come up with great frequency. I've posted blog entries to address some of those, and the most frequently asked...
• 
  

  Bankruptcy Arizona: How Do I Fill Out the Bankruptcy Schedules, Bankruptcy Statements, and Bankruptcy Lists: How Do I Fill Out the Forms?

  This is designed to help my clients fill information into their forms. This is not legal advice for somebody in New York, or anybody else, b...
• 
  

  Hey, Give Heidi a Break, Okay? Itemize your Furniture!

  Here's the deal: when you fill out your forms online in our computerized system, there will come a point when you are finished, and you will...
• 
  

  "So How Long is this Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Going to Take, Anyway?"

  Well, that depends. First, you have to sort of understand the process, and fill out the forms, and go over the forms to make sure they're ...
• 
  

  A Timeline for Your Bankruptcy Case; Usual Sequence of Events in A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Arizona

  Prior to your bankruptcy, suffer and worry a lot. You will, no matter what, and all that suffering will make you feel better when the overwh...
• I Swiped a Post from a New Blog I'm Building to Help My Small Business Clients AVOID Bankruptcy!

  This is a post from a new blog I've started. It has one purpose in mind: it's designed to help folks who have small businesses bring in more...
• 
  

  Play 20 Questions with a Bankruptcy Lawyer!

  I built a list a lot like this 30 years ago, so when I came back from a gigantic lunch I wouldn't forget to ask about important stuff. See...
• 
  

  What happens in a First Meeting of Creditors in a Consumer Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in the District of Arizona Bankruptcy Court?

  The first meeting of creditors may be the only hearing in a Consumer Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case. Here's a video that explains it, and after...
• 
  

  How Will I Pay for a Bankruptcy if I'm Broke? How Much Will My Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Cost?

  There's an old joke among lawyers: a bankruptcy attorney walks into a cocktail party, and the divorce lawyer asks, "How does a bankruptcy la...
  
    

Can I Dump a Box of Bills and Run, and You'll Make a Bankruptcy Happen by Magic and Telepathy?

That would be a big no.

Back in the old days, I would sometimes accept a client for a "big box bankruptcy", which involved a debtor dropping off a box of demand letters, judgments and bills, and bailing out of the process.

These days, I won't do that, because the consequences of failing to list a creditor are too great; I want my clients to pull their three credit reports, as a safety net, and then to list their creditors and account numbers, and all their assets.

It is a lot of work; about the only thing that would be worse would be a bankruptcy filed with incorrect account numbers, missing creditors or unlisted assets.

Putting it another way, I don't want to file your bankruptcy right now; I want to file it right.

p.s. I recently talked to a nice young man who, when I explained that he would be listing all his debts, exploded "That's b..lsh.t! Some paralegal should just find them somewhere and do it all for me!"

And I explained to him that we'd be happy to do it that way, if there were a perfect, absolutely complete listing of his debts, with zip codes and addresses and account numbers, floating out somewhere in the ether.

But there isn't, so if you want all of your creditors to get notice, and you want the full benefit of your bankruptcy discharge, you'll at least consider pulling three credit reports as a safety net, and getting out your stack of bills, mean letters and lawsuits, and getting your debts listed on our intake system.

But only if you want the debts to go away, of course!

p.s. Yeah, he didn't make the cut to be my client. Nice guy, though! And I wish him well.

What Happens To a Lien or a Mortgage or a Security Interest in a Bankruptcy Case?

Liens, mortgages, and security interests (which are all essentially the same sorts of things) are tough little guys, and manage to hold onto things even when washed by the Discharge Order, unless they are acted upon by a different Court Order.

That's an important piece of bankruptcy information in Arizona, or anyplace else.

A Guide to Finding the Best Bankruptcy Lawyer for Your Personal Bankruptcy Situation

There are a lot of bankruptcy lawyers in Arizona, and you get to decided on the lawyer of your choice. Of course, if you're outside of Arizona, your choices don't include me, because I'm a bankruptcy lawyer who has a practice limited to AZ!

Here are some guidelines to finding and deciding on a bankruptcy lawyer who may help make you more comfortable during the one to five years your bankruptcy case may be open (if it's a no-asset case, it will probably be closed for administrative purposes in a year or so after you file; a case with assets to administer may well be open for five years, because bankruptcy trustees are very busy these days!).

The Right to Convert a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy to a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy to a Chapter 11 Used to be a Bit More Predictable.

Changing varieties of bankruptcy used to be very easy, and very predictable.

Not perfectly predictable these days.

Why Do I Like to Talk About Debt and Zombies? Why Not Bankruptcy and Vampires? Or Complaints and Drop Dead Dates?

I think the reason I like this video so much is simply that Zombie Debt Collectors are not very nice, in my opinion.

And there's also the fact that I get to say "Mwah-haaa-haaaaa" during the course of the educational bankruptcy video, which is only a little bit educational in this case.

Outsourcing is Funny as All Get Out! On Television.

Bankruptcy and Outsourcing in Arizona go together like ham and eggs.

I get to talk to a lot of nice people who trained their replacements in India or China or Saudi Arabia.

So, because I don't like to watch people suffer, I don't like outsourcing jobs in general.

On the other hand, I love the television show "Outsourced". Because it is funny!

I just don't like the reality of outsourcing.

A Chapter 7 Plus a Chapter 13 is a...Well, YOU Do the Math!

This is a discussion of a "Chapter 20" Bankruptcy in Arizona.

Enjoy!

My Bankruptcy Will Last HOW Long? A Frequently Asked Bankruptcy Question in AZ!

A lot of people want to know how long their bankruptcy will take, from start to finish.

The answer is a little confusing for most folks. Heck, it was confusing for me to figure out how to explain it to people.

Here's the Reader's Digest Version: your Chapter 7 Bankruptcy has two different timelines. They start at the same point, but they don't end at the same point.

And here I am, as a talking head, explaining how it works.

Tell Me Again Why I Want to Pass the Bankruptcy Means Test in Arizona!

There are three different reasons that passing the Means Test is a good idea.

Actually, there are probably thirty.

But here are three reasons that jumped out and bit me recently when I was filming educational bankruptcy videos for folks in Arizona!




 

Collection Agencies are Scary, But Talking to Them Doesn't Have to Be!

Most folks would rather have a knee replacement than a conversation with a phone collector, but it's not really all that difficult.

Here are some thoughts I've had about talking to bill collectors when you don't have the dough to pay them, based on my last thirty years of talking to collectors, and payors, and everybody in between!

Play 20 Questions With An Arizona Bankruptcy Attorney!

This is the video:



After you watch this and listen carefully to the questions, go back and finish your bankruptcy homework!

After that, make your appointment to visit with me, if you haven't already done so, because I want you to be able to retire someday, without the overwhelming mountain of debt currently on your shoulders!


  

Nikolina Kovacevic, Phoenix Bankruptcy Attorney, Speaks!

Nikolina Kovacevic, who is my brilliant associate, is a bankruptcy lawyer here in Phoenix, Az. Surprisingly, given her brilliance and her articulate explanation when she meets with clients in person, she hates being photographed. And it probably shows!

Here Are the Top Ten Best Arizona Bankruptcy Videos on this Blog, Rated by You!

Enjoy!

• So what happens at a 341 Hearing, Anyway? The First Meeting of Creditors in your Bankruptcy, Question by Question.

  At your First Meeting of Creditors, or your "341 Hearing", the trustee and any creditors that decided to show up will have a small chunk of ...
• You Might Want to Go Take a Look at My Old Fashioned Bankruptcy Blog: It Just Became a Top Bankruptcy Resource!

  As you know, I have a bankruptcy blog, and I like writing about bankruptcy. It's the source of the discussions in these videos. And recentl...
• Play 20 Questions With An Arizona Bankruptcy Attorney!

  This is the video: After you watch this and listen carefully to the questions, go back and finish your bankruptcy homework! After that...
• What if my Bankruptcy makes my creditors angry?

  Creditors are scary folks and aren't known to be understanding when your back is to the wall and you're stuck in dire straits. If they wer...
• There Are Timing Issues in Bankruptcy Cases. Important Timing Issues!

  Mind you, this is only one of the timing issues in bankruptcy cases; there's also the 90 day period, the 120 day period, the 91 day issue, t...
• What does Bankruptcy mean to a Corporation?

  Some might think that Bankruptcy rules change when a corporation steps up to file. In some ways, they'd be absolutely right. In others, n...
• Listing Debts, Including Credit Card Debt, in Bankruptcy Cases

  The listing of credit card debt comes in for discussion far more often then you'd think!
• Apparently this Depression Keeps Getting Called a Recession

  This doesn't look to me like a recession; I've seen a couple of those before. Seriously, just follow the news. Try to find a good new job....
  
   

What if my Bankruptcy makes my creditors angry?

Creditors are scary folks and aren't known to be understanding when your back is to the wall and you're stuck in dire straits. If they were, you would never need to consider Bankruptcy.

Speaking of which, people worry about how creditors will react when the word Bankruptcy is brought to the table. Will they release the hounds?! Will they stalk me in the streets?! Will they spring a trap door beneath my feet?!

Not exactly. In fact, that's pretty far from how they'll react. Let's discuss how Bankruptcy causes Creditors to evaluate you differently...

What does Bankruptcy mean to a Corporation?

Some might think that Bankruptcy rules change when a corporation steps up to file.

In some ways, they'd be absolutely right. In others, not so much.

Let's flesh a few of those details out as we discuss what Bankruptcy is like for a business as opposed to a consumer.

Filing for Bankruptcy forces you to think of the future

For young folks clearly too "immortal" to consider it and for older folks too young to be bothered with it, Bankruptcy is a thought provoking experience.

Retirement is something that happens to a lot of us. Or at least something we WANT to happen to a lot of us and we'd all like to ENJOY said retirement, so a well-planned and financially cushioned retirement is what we all hope to be stuck with.

But things happen. Bankruptcy happens. Why should Bankruptcy change your outlook on the future? Let's chat about that...

What will a Bankruptcy Trustee take from me?

First, become familiar with the Arizona Exemptions.

Let's discuss the Bankruptcy process and how the Bankruptcy Trustee will oversee the process...

What'll happen to my timeshare?!

People worry about their stuff. It's only natural because it's THEIR STUFF after all.

In Bankruptcy some things are harder to keep than others. Let's talk about Timeshares in a Bankruptcy.

What's going on with my case?

Bankruptcy is a stressful period in anyone's life and with that stress comes confusion and fear, so a frequent question that comes my way is: "What's the status on my Bankruptcy?"

Well, let's talk about that.