Bankruptcy: The Best Choice… For Some

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Mark J. Bamberger, Esq., Owner/Attorney at Law

THE MARK BAMBERGER CO., LLC

mark@bambergerlaw.com

Offices in Tipp City, West Chester, Spring Valley, and Enon, Ohio

 

In these troubling economic times, I have a lot of clients in my offices asking if filing a bankruptcy is their best option.  Whether it be a Chapter 7 petition for a total bankruptcy as a “fresh start”, a Chapter 13 petition for a personal reorganization plan, or a Chapter 11 for business reorganization, the choice is never easy.  So often I have clients who are embarrassed with themselves or just plain mad at the world for what has happened to them.  It is true that often they have no one but themselves to blame for bad decision making.  However, the vast majority of my cases involve job loss, medical problems, or both.  These are conditions out of people’s control.  In these cases Bankruptcy is a viable and government-supported option.

I tell every client who discusses options with me that the reason bankruptcy is in federal court and not state courts is that it is an enumerated right granted to the federal government in our Constitution.   In fact, the concept of bankruptcy goes back much further than that in democratic history, but I will leave the history lesson for another time.  The bottom line is this – in some cases bankruptcy makes a great deal of sense for people to allow them the ability to “start over”.  Working in bankruptcy law is much easier ethically these days since the 2005 amendments to the bankruptcy code which made it much harder for people to file petitions just to escape paying what they owe.  There was abuse in the system, but not much anymore.  Now the bar to passing a “means test” is much higher and limits the bankruptcy option to those who truly need and deserve the assistance.

I have written in the past about the connections between bankruptcy and other aspects of my practice, namely civil litigation and criminal defense.  Usually when things start going bad for families or individuals, it goes there fast.  I have defended someone in a criminal case or filed a civil complaint for them, only to see them on my doorstep months later in dire financial shape and in need of bankruptcy counseling.  Again, for some, this option makes sense.  However, I take great pride in talking some clients out of bankruptcy when I think there are other options.  Bankruptcy is still serious business, although the stigma has been taken off it – to a large extent.   For some, I can arrange settlement offers to creditors at 20-30 cents on the dollar, allowing those clients to pay their debt and move on, without a bankruptcy.  Again, it is a tool provided by the federal government to help people, not cast them into an abyss of financial ruination.

MJB, Tipp City, revised 3/12
http://bambergerlaw.com