With the economy still struggling, many people are now finding themselves deeply in debt as they get older and inch closer to retirement. Many older people are often concerned about how filing for bankruptcy later in life could affect them. While filing for bankruptcy at an older age may affect your ability to borrow money…

Bankruptcy exemptions are an essential part of the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy process. In Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, exemptions are important because they determine what property the debtor is allowed to keep and what property the debtor must liquidate in order to satisfy his or her debts. In a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, creditors must…

A common concern that debtors who file for bankruptcy have is whether they will lose their assets. Many people know that bankruptcy allows a debtor to eliminate much of their debt, but are unsure about exactly how bankruptcy will affect their house, car, retirement plan, or other important assets. Frequent questions debtors ask when considering…

Using the Wildcard Exemption in Your Chapter 7 Bankruptcy A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is sometimes called a “liquidation bankruptcy.” This is because Chapter 7 Bankruptcy liquidates all of a debtor’s nonexempt assets in order to pay as much of their debts as possible. However, this term can be somewhat misleading in that not all of…

The California bankruptcy law governing exemptions is different from that in other jurisdictions. One of the benefits of filing for bankruptcy is that it allows you to keep some property and use other property to pay off creditors. In previous posts on this blog, we have discussed how different types of bankruptcy can be used…

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case of In Re Gebhart illustrates just how high the stakes can be in bankruptcy and why it is so important that you have experienced bankruptcy counsel representing you. As an experienced Oakland bankruptcy attorney, the case of In re Gebhart is one I take very seriously. The Gebhart…