Coping with Stress

A Visit From the Sheriff Doesn’t Mean You’re Going to Jail

03/30/12

The Sheriff Came to My Home, Have I Committed a Crime? I received a call yesterday from a client who was concerned about a recent visit from the sheriff. After a Homeowners Association instituted foreclosure proceedings because of delinquent dues, the sheriff came by my client’s home to give notice of the upcoming foreclosure hearing. [...]

[more]

When You’re Too Broke to File Bankruptcy…

03/29/12

How Can I Pay For Bankruptcy? At first blush, the title of this post “When You’re Too Broke to File Bankruptcy” may seem counter intuitive to some. After all, isn’t it people who are by definition “broke” and struggling with debt who turn to bankruptcy to hit the reset button? While it is true that [...]

[more]

Bankruptcy Filings Lower in Arizona Than Last Year

11/09/11

Bankruptcy Filings Lower in Tucson, Arizona and Phoenix, Arizona Than Last Year   Arizona bankruptcies have been declining in number for the last 9 months.   Statewide filings fell 23 percent in October of 2011, and overall bankruptcy filings are down 13 percent from 2010 so far this year. Bankruptcy has been filed more than 106,000 [...]

[more]

Compassion Fatigue in Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and Mental Health Professionals

10/24/11

In September of 2011 I took an informal survey of National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney (“NACBA”) members on professional burnout.  Through a post on the NACBA listserv discussion group I asked NACBA members to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how burned out they had gotten from practice and what were the [...]

[more]

Life After Bankruptcy

09/26/11

The good news is there is life after bankruptcy!  Although filing a bankruptcy, either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, will have a negative initial impact on your credit score, filing a bankruptcy case does not mean that you will never be extended credit again.  You will be able to re-establish and re-build your credit after [...]

[more]

Banks Foreclose on Homes With No Mortgage!

08/05/11

 In the current home foreclosure crisis, it seems some banks have become trigger happy.   It has become a bit of a recent anomaly why banks have suddenly and mistakenly gone after some homeowners with whom they have no claim.  Recently, Bank of America mistakenly brought a foreclosure action against a couple who had bought their [...]

[more]

Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney

06/28/11

According to the state bar, 40-50% of Arizona bankruptcy filings occur without an attorney (“pro se” in legalese).  Most individuals who file for bankruptcy are at rock bottom, and do not believe they can afford an attorney, or that it will be necessary to a successful outcome of the proceedings. However, the importance of an [...]

[more]

Depression, Financial Ills and Bankruptcy

06/24/11

Recently in San Diego, two extreme examples of apparent financial woes have led to tragic ends. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/07/services-held-two-familie... http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/22/court-documents-show/ I am not trained in the matters of the impact of financial burdens on one’s mental health. I am a counselor, however, a counselor at law. As such, one of my primary duties is to listen to [...]

[more]

Assessing Your Financial Situation Pre-Bankruptcy

06/22/11

Often, people wait too long to file bankruptcy.  Considering bankruptcy to be a last resort is probably a wise thing to do, and there are often many things an individual can do to prevent bankruptcy.  However, waiting too long can mean that bankruptcy protects less of your assets than it might otherwise be able to, [...]

[more]

Medical Expenses and Bankruptcy

06/17/11

It is no secret than many Americans are one tragedy away from financial hardship in the form of accidents, the loss of a job, a divorce, or an unexpected illness.  More than half of all bankruptcies are reportedly the result of overwhelming medical expenses. Even (relatively) small medical bills can become overwhelming quickly because the [...]

[more]