McLeod Law Offices

20/5: New Haven

It was twenty years ago this week that I put down two days of food for Annie & Cissie (my cats), and packed up my sad navy blue Ford Escort for what would be a long and life changing trip to the Elm City. Twenty years ago this week, I sat for the Connecticut bar exam. I took the Connecticut exam because I believed – during a time when the economy was lousy – that I, as a graduate of Western New England College School of Law in Springfield would have a far better chance of landing a job in the Constitution/Nutmeg state than competing with unemployed graduates and recently displaced attorneys in either Boston or New York. I was right. Sort of. That however, is for another day.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: 20/5

I’ve been blogging here for almost five years. I’ve been trying to find a fitting way to mark that anniversary. But this year – 2010, not only is the 5 year anniversary of this blog – and of my venture into on-line writing, education, regurgitating and at times postulating. It’s also the 20 year anniversary of my becoming an attorney. And since blogging is a form of “social media”, and it got me thinking....

Still Think You Can File Bankruptcy Without An Attorney?

Even though I have written and spoken publicly about the perils of representing oneself in bankruptcy, people still do it. I recently came across a case where a lawyer – with a boatload of legal problems – was sanctioned for essentially abandoning his clients during a bankruptcy case. But I’m not writing about that lawyer or what he did that got him into so much hot water with the Bankruptcy Court. Rather, what I write about today is what District of Massachusetts Bankruptcy Judge Melvin Hoffman had to say about the bankruptcy process, and the role of a debtor’s attorney. So if you’re still thinking you can or should go through the bankruptcy process alone, take a few minutes and read this.

Rocking On & Moving On: My Take

I’ve been listening to The Moth for several months and recently listened to an episode that I thought my readers could identify with, so I shared it. And as promised, I am sharing my thoughts. When one is facing bankruptcy – for whatever reason – it’s like facing a financial black hole. It’s dark. It can feel cold and creepy. You feel like it’s sucking you in and you’re not sure what’s going to end up eating you on the other side. And those feelings end up leaving many folks completely and utterly paralyzed with fear. Perhaps paralyzed is not a good word. Perhaps wallowing with fear is a better description.

Rocking On & Moving On

Every now and then, I come across something that I think my readers will find interesting… so much so that I want to put it here so everyone can get access to it. It’s easy to say “hey, did you hear…read…see, etc.” and then when people say “well, no, where can I find it?” I can just tell them it’s on this here website. This is one of those times.

Birds flying high, You know how I feel

Back in September, I blogged about the conflict that existed with the rights of married spouses to file a joint bankruptcy petition, and the conflict posted by – what I have now have problem calling the legislatively ill-conceived Defense of Marriage Act. I felt then that it was - to get a bit personal here - yet another betrayal by the Clinton Administration (the first being "Don't Ask/Don't Tell").

Now… About Those Secrets that the Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You to Know

You’ve seen the commercials and heard them on the radio: "don’t pay your debt, don’t go into bankruptcy, eliminate your debt!" Eliminate your debt without bankruptcy? Really? What the hell am I advising my clients then? So I did some poking around… which is big fancy lawyer talk for “legal research.” And I think I was able to put my finger on what some of these companies are actually selling.

A Friendly Reminder to List it or Lose it

If you don’t list all of your property on your bankruptcy schedules, you risk losing it. Let me repeat this again, just in case you think I might be kidding: if you do not list all of your property on your bankruptcy schedules, you will lose it. I’ve written about this before and I came across a recent decision out of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that reminds is that “list it or lose it” is alive and well.

Credit Fueled Drunken Debauchery

Come on, you had to know I was going to write about this: Her no longer royal highness Sarah Ferguson is blaming booze (and her debt) for her lapse in judgment in seeking money in exchange for access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew. I'm still not entirely clear what "access" really meant... that alone could be another blog, on another website. Oddly, this reminded me of among the many colorful jobs I had when I was going through school was that of a bartender.

Another Road to Failure: How Do I Qualify for Bankruptcy?

Once again, the misinformation about bankruptcy permeates the world wide inter-webs like a smelly fart on a school bus in the summery humid weather like we’re having here today in Boston. But since analyzing this “information” is almost like shooting fish in a barrel, I’m able to take some time and again grade this really bad article entitled: “How Do I Qualify for Bankruptcy?”