BankruptcyBill.us

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Bankruptcy Billables is an overview of bankruptcy-relevant coverage and discussion from various law-related blogs.

Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York (two months as of tomorrow!).  He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.b

Law Shucks

• Kaye Scholer Screws Up, Apologizes
• Cadwalader Trying to Prove Us Wrong

Credit Slips

• De-Tour: CSD Nudity on the Exotic Fringe
• Debt and the People, Part I: The Cold
• Avoid Chapter 11 at All Cost!!!
• Half-Empty or Half-Full: The February Bankruptcy Figures
• The Ban on “Universal Default”
• Half a (Rotten) Loaf is Worse Than None at All: The Fate of the CFPA
• Fringe Banking, Financial Distress, and the Consumer Financial Protection Industry

WSJ Bankruptcy Beat

• Hecker’s Troubles Signed, Unsealed, Delivered
• The Daily Docket: Examiner Finds Claims Against Lehman Execs
• Drama Continues for Death Row
• Experts: Sitcom Logic Won’t Work in Distressed Companies
• The Daily Docket: Freedom Wins OK on Chapter 11 Plan
• Lenny Dykstra Wants Bankruptcy Case Dismissed
• Justice Department stays out of Rubashkin Case
• The Daily Docket: Bankruptcy for Detroit?
• Miami Couple Accused of Running Ponzi Scheme
• The Daily Docket: Consumer Bankruptcy Filings on the Rise
• Trump Says Bankruptcy Is Not Part of His Brand

Going Concern

• Ernst & Young Was ‘Comfortable’ with Lehman’s Shady Accounting
• It’s Hard Out There for an Auditor

At long last, we’re ready to announce the winner and runner-up of Bankruptcy Bill’s Bankruptcy Song Contest!

Thanks to everyone who submitted an bankruptcy song, to everyone who voted and shared their comments and to illustrator Gideon Kendall for suggesting the cartoon announcement prize idea.

Also thanks to our sponsors for their support of the first-ever (to our knowledge) Bankruptcy Song Contest and for collectively making a donation to the National Consumer Law Center in the amount of $25 for each song submitted (for which we received a nice thank you note from the NCLC’s Executive Director):

• Bruce Weiner (Rosenberg Musso & Weiner) – NYBankruptcyNet (Brooklyn, NY)
• George Haines & David Krieger (Haines & Krieger) (Las Vegas, NV)
• Russell A. Demott – Charleston Bankruptcy Blog (Charleston, SC)
• Nancy Rapoport (nancyrapoport.blogspot.com), the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV)

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2nd Place

Congratulations also to Arlene Robins of Woodbury, NY for her wonderful submission “BANKRUPTCY WIFE’S LAMENT”. Arlene will receive a t-shirt (or other item from our fabulous catalog of BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill merchandise on Zazzle.  (Note:  Arlene is the wife of good-humored Long Island bankruptcy attorney Craig Robins, who also has an excellent song entry titled “DEBT-FREE GIRL”.)

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The Bankruptcy Song Submissions

Once again, here are the song entries for Bankruptcy Bill’s Bankruptcy Song Contest:

1.  “AMEND IT MY WAY” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California)

2.  CABARET” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California) (Click song title or scroll down the page to see lyrics.)

3.  “DON’T CRY FOR ME HOUSEHOLD FINANCE” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California) 

4.  “DEBTS IN WRONG PLACES” by Judge Alan S. Trust (United States Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of New York)

5.  “‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE FILING” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

6.  “PHARAOH OBAMA – LET THE DEBTORS GO” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

7.  “THE BANKRUPTCY ABUSE SONG” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

8.  “DEBT-FREE GIRL” by Craig Robins, Esq. (Woodbury, NY)

9.  “BANKRUPTCY WIFE’S LAMENT” by Arlene Robins (Woodbury, NY)

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BONUS!

And if you just can’t get enough bankruptcy music, CLICK HERE to hear “Bankruptcy Lover“ by Bankruptcy Bill & The Fresh Starts.

Thanks to the Center for Responsible Lending for posting a great cartoon from Pixton.com that calls out the weakness of the arguments being made against the creation of a Consumer Finance Protection Agency.

BLT (Bankruptcy Lawyer Topics) is a periodic review and comparison of consumer bankruptcy topics being covered on bankruptcy lawyer blogs.

Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York.  He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.

• Click on BK Lawyer Blogs for a state-by-state list of bankruptcy lawyers with their own blogs.
• Have a blog or know a good blog post you think should be included? Or a suggestion for a future BLT theme?  Send an e-mail to BLT [at] bankruptcybill [dot] us with the link.
• Suggestion to bankruptcy lawyers with blogs: Make sure to include a “Search” function somewhere on your blog.  It makes it easier to find topical posts on your blog and increases the likelihood that a post from your blog will be included in BLT.

(In reverse order!)

GENERAL

American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) Bankruptcy Blog Exchange

• Shortcomings of Credit CARD Act
• New Consumer Credit Card Rules Take Effect
• Eighty Percent Interest on a Credit Card
• ¡MORE!

Bankruptcy Law Network

• How Will The New Credit Card Laws Affect Me?
• Will New Credit Card Rules Cause a Spike in Bankruptcy?

CreditSlips.org

• Reflections on Credit CARD Act Day

Consumer Law & Policy Blog

• New Credit Card Law Effective Tomorrow (Monday, February 22)

WISCONSIN

Jamie Miller, Esq. (Miller & Miller, LLC) – Milwaukee Bankruptcy Attorney Blog (Milwaukee, WI)

• Soon You Will Really Know What It Really Takes to Pay Off Your Credit Card Debt

***SEE MORE BLOG POSTS FROM BANKRUPTCY LAWYERS AROUND THE U.S.*** (more…)

Here’s another Overruled! cartoon by Joseph Aronds, Esq., Assistant Vice President at Hartz Mountain, whose cartoons have been running for the past two years in the New Jersey Association of Corporate Counsel’s monthly publication ACC Focus on the New Jersey Chapter. Joe was also recently appointed Vice President of Communications for NJCCA, which ran a nice profile of him here.  Joe can be reached at joseph.aronds [at] hartzmountain.com.

Also, thanks to Joe for mentioning Bankruptcy Bill in the Member Notes section of their February 8, 2010 issue.

Whenever a celebrity files for bankruptcy, there’s a bankruptcy lawyer representing that celebrity.  Who are they and where do they come from?

Bankruptcy Bill has put together a list below of the bankruptcy lawyers for each celebrity bankruptcy (to the extent we can find the info).  If we’ve missed any lawyers or any worthy celebrities, please email bill [at] bankruptcybill.us to let us know, or just add a comment to this post.

Thanks to the following folks for supporting this post, each of whom is a celebrity in their own right in the bankruptcy world:

• Eugene Melchionne, Esq. – ConsumerBankruptcyTips.com (Waterbury, CT) – Connecticut State Chairman of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and Current President of the Bankruptcy Law Network.

• Bill McLeod (McLeod Law Offices) – McLeod Law Blog (Boston, MA)

• Christine Wilton, Esq. – Los Angeles Bankrkuptcy Law Monitor (Los Angeles, CA)

• Kent Anderson Law – Oregon Debt Relief Weblawg and Debt Law Network (Eugene, OR)

• Cathy Moran, Esq. – BankruptcyMastery.com and On the Bankruptcy Soapbox (Mt View, CA) (aka Silicon Valley)

• Gailyn Wink & Michael Wink – Wink & Wink, P.C. (Denver, Co)

• Professor Nancy Rapoport – Blog: http://nancyrapoport.blogspot.com (Las Vegas, NV) Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with specialties in bankruptcy ethics, ethics in governance, and the depiction of lawyers in popular culture.  She’s also the author of the book Enron: Corporate Fiascos and Their Implications (with Jeffrey Van Niel) and appeared in the movie Enron:  The Smartest Guys in the Room.

And now, without further ado, is the first ever….

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF CELEBRITIES & THEIR BANKRUPTCY LAWYERS

Notably, two lawyers appear twice on this list.  Joseph Eisenberg apparently served as bankruptcy counsel to both actor Lorenzo Lamas and to Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil.  And big firm bankruptcy lawyer Debra Grassgreen served as debtor’s counsel to heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson and his company and also was lead counsel for the Creditors Committee in the bankruptcy of rap music star Marion “Suge” Knight.

B

Baldwin, Stephen

• Bruce Weiner, Esq. (Rosenberg Musso & Weiner) – NYBankruptcyNet (Brooklyn, NY)

Bracco, Lorraine

Buckner, Bill

C

Canseco, Jose

• Gregory Emerson, Esq. (Los Angeles, CA)
  

Corbin, Barry

• St. Clair Newbern III, Esq. (Ft Worth, TX)

(more…)

Elizabeth Warren on The Daily Show discusses the need for Wall Street reform.  See her previous appearance on the show.

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Bankruptcy Billables is an overview of bankruptcy-relevant coverage and discussion from various law-related blogs.

Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York.  He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.

Law Shucks

• CEO Blames Lawyers for Company’s Bankruptcy

WSJ Bankruptcy Beat

• Maine Sends Hamstrung Negotiator to FairPoint Talks
• The Daily Docket: Air America Signs Off
• If at First You Don’t Succeed, Open Your Wallet
• Tribune Gets Bonus Jitters as Payday Nears
• The Daily Docket: Bankruptcy for MGM?
• Ex-Football Star Facing Bankruptcy, Foreclosure
• The Daily Docket: W.R. Grace Seeks New Loan
• Bankruptcy Gets Starring Role on Bravo
• The Daily Docket: JAL Launches Restructuring
• Hecker Accused of Concealing Assets from Bankruptcy Court

Creditslips.org

• There May Be More Financially Distressed Small Business Owners Than You Think
• On Break Up Fees
• How Many Bankruptcy Appeals?
• Chapter 11 Costs — Help?
• Life Imitates Art (or at Least My Final Exam)
• Usury and Securitization
• A Special Bankruptcy Court
• Visa Does Not Issue Cards or Extend Credit.

Going Concern

• Who Wants to Buy Nic Cage’s Haunted House?

Above The Law

• Morning Docket: 01.14.10
• Bankruptcy Judge to the Rescue of Poor Old Lady/Law School Grad
• Job of the Week: Bankruptcy Baller

Did we miss a good recent bankruptcy-related post on another blog?  E-mail bill [at] bankruptcybill [dot] us to let us know.

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BLT (Bankruptcy Lawyer Topics) is a periodic review and comparison of consumer bankruptcy topics being covered on bankruptcy lawyer blogs.

Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York (he’s celebrating Day 2 of his New York license by providing you with more BLT).  He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.

• Click on BK Lawyer Blogs for a state-by-state list of bankruptcy lawyers with their own blogs.
• Have a blog or know a good blog post you think should be included? Or a suggestion for a future BLT theme?  Send an e-mail to BLT [at] bankruptcybill [dot] us with the link.
• Suggestion to bankruptcy lawyers with blogs: Make sure to include a “Search” function somewhere on your blog.  It makes it easier to find topical posts on your blog and increases the likelihood that a post from your blog will be included in BLT.

(We begin from the middle!…)

GENERAL

CreditSlips.org

• The Other Underwater Loans: Negative Equity in Auto Finance
• Calling All Article 9 Supernerds—Negative Equity and State Law

Consumer Law & Policy Blog

• Car Sales Plummet after Cash-for-Clunkers Program Ends

National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA)

• Eighth Circuit Allows Debtor to Claim Vehicle-Ownership Expense for Wholly-Owned Vehicle

NEVADA

Haines & Krieger (Las Vegas, NV)

• Five Warning Signs That You Are Headed for Bankruptcy
• Bankruptcy Myths

Black & LoBello Law Blog (Las Vegas, NV)

• Bankruptcy FAQ

***SEE MORE BLOG POSTS FROM BANKRUPTCY LAWYERS AROUND THE U.S.*** (more…)

BLT (Bankruptcy Lawyer Topics) is a periodic review and comparison of consumer bankruptcy topics being covered on bankruptcy lawyer blogs.

Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and very soon in New York (January 13, 2010!).  He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.

• Click on BK Lawyer Blogs for a state-by-state list of bankruptcy lawyers with their own blogs.
• Have a blog or know a good blog post you think should be included? Or a suggestion for a future BLT theme?  Send an e-mail to BLT [at] bankruptcybill [dot] us with the link.
• Suggestion to bankruptcy lawyers with blogs: Make sure to include a “Search” function somewhere on your blog.  It makes it easier to find topical posts on your blog and increases the likelihood that a post from your blog will be included in BLT.

GENERAL

Bankruptcy Case Blog – St John’s University Law School

• Means Test Does Not Apply to Individual Chapter 11 Cases

Bankruptcy Law Network

• What is “Median family income” and why do I care? One of a series
• Should My Schedule I Income Always Match my Means Test Income Numbers?

ALABAMA

Collins & Hancock – Alabama Bankruptcy Blog (Cullman, AL)

• Do I Qualify to File a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Alabama under the “New” Bankruptcy Laws?

***SEE MORE BLOG POSTS FROM BANKRUPTCY LAWYERS AROUND THE U.S.*** (more…)

BLT (Bankruptcy Lawyer Topics) is a periodic review and comparison of  consumer bankruptcy topics being covered on bankruptcy lawyer blogs.

Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter is a licensed attorney in Wisconsin and soon in New York (January 13, 2010!).  He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.

• Click on BK Lawyer Blogs for a state-by-state list of bankruptcy lawyers with their own blogs.
• Have a blog or know a good blog post you think should be included? Or a suggestion for a future BLT theme?  Send an e-mail to BLT [at] bankruptcybill [dot] us with the link.
• Suggestion to bankruptcy lawyers with blogs: Make sure to include a “Search” function somewhere on your blog.  It makes it easier to find topical posts on your blog and increases the likelihood that a post from your blog will be included in BLT.

GENERAL

National Bankruptcy Forum

• Why Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Has Your Second Mortgage Lender Feeling “Undersecured”

Bankruptcy Law Network

• No Modification for You!

Consumer Law & Policy Blog

• HAMP Homeowners Stuck in Limbo

ALABAMA

Watts Law Group, P.C. and M. Stan Herring, P.C. – Alabama Consumer Law Blog (Birmingham, AL)

• Washington Post Article about DC Lawyer Writes about Foreclosure Defenses
• A Tragic Tale of a Mortgage Loan That Should Never Have Been And the Devastation It Caused a Family

***SEE MORE BLOG POSTS FROM BANKRUPTCY LAWYERS AROUND THE U.S.*** (more…)

Why did Congress dis

Honeymooners and not pass

Mortgage Kramden Bill?

Click the link to read more bankruptcy haiku on this site.

Note:  This site is best viewed using a Mozilla Firefox or Safari browser.  If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar.  Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.

*In case you missed it, here are the previous BAPCPA Man vs Mortgantua cartoons:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

*For additional information on mortgage cramdown, foreclosure and related mortgage and bankruptcy issues, have a look at the following blog posts:

Haines & Krieger (Las Vegas, NV)

• No Mortgage Cramdown Help from Congress for Las Vegas Homeowners
• Haines & Krieger Las Vegas Foreclosure Round-up 12.4.09

Bruce Weiner (Rosenberg Musso & Weiner) – NYBankruptcyNet (Brooklyn, NY)

• No Mortgage Cramdown Bill for Christmas
• Brooklyn Judge gives New York homeowners a fighting chance against foreclosure

Special thanks to the following bankruptcy attorneys for their help with the technical aspects of the cartoon:

• Christine Wilton, Esq. – Los Angeles Bankrkuptcy Law Monitor (Los Angeles, CA)
• Law Office of Gregory A. Holbus, Esq. – Wisconsin Bankruptcy Blog (Green Bay, WI)

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*WE DO CUSTOMIZED CARTOONS… Click here for more info.*

*Get your BAPCPA Man and Mortgantua T-shirts, Mugs, Cards and More!*

*To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com or http://www.gideonkendall.com/blog.  Or order yourself a copy of Dino Pets, the wonderfully illustrated children’s book written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by BAPCPA Man’s favorite illustrator, Gideon Kendall.

It’s time to vote for your favorite song submitted for…

Bankruptcy Bill’s Bankruptcy Song Contest!
(Click here for rules and prizes.)

THE BANKRUPTCY SONG ENTRIES (click here to see lyrics):

1.  “AMEND IT MY WAY” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California)

2.  CABARET” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California) (Click song title or scroll down the page to see lyrics.)

3.  “DON’T CRY FOR ME HOUSEHOLD FINANCE” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California) 

4.  “DEBTS IN WRONG PLACES” by Judge Alan S. Trust (United States Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of New York)

5.  “‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE FILING” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

6.  “PHARAOH OBAMA – LET THE DEBTORS GO” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

7.  “THE BANKRUPTCY ABUSE SONG” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

8.  “DEBT-FREE GIRL” by Craig Robins, Esq. (Woodbury, NY)

9.  “BANKRUPTCY WIFE’S LAMENT” by Arlene Robins (Woodbury, NY)

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VOTING PROCESS

HOW DO I VOTE? E-mail bill [@] bankruptcybill [.] us with your choice for favorite song.  Feel free to include your second and third choices as well for which points will be awarded. (Update:  The email address has been corrected to “.us” instead of “.com”.  If you sent your vote to “.com,” then it was not received.  We’re very sorry for any inconvenience.)

JUDGING CRITERIA: You’re voting based on the lyrics, not the tune.  But you know what you like, so go with your gut.

VOTING DEADLINE: December 31, 2009 by 12:00 p.m.

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THANKS! Bankruptcy Bill would like to thank the below-listed parties for their support of the first-ever (to our knowledge) Bankruptcy Song Contest and for collectively making a donation to the National Consumer Law Center in the amount of $25 for each song submitted:

• Bruce Weiner (Rosenberg Musso & Weiner) – NYBankruptcyNet (Brooklyn, NY)
• George Haines & David Krieger (Haines & Krieger) (Las Vegas, NV)
• Russell A. Demott – Charleston Bankruptcy Blog (Charleston, SC)
• Nancy Rapoport (nancyrapoport.blogspot.com), the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV)

Click image to hear "Bankruptcy Lover" by Bankruptcy Bill & The Fresh Starts, the original country song about corporate bankruptcy!

And now without further ado, here are the songs submitted….

(more…)

Note:  This site is best viewed using a Mozilla Firefox or Safari browser.  If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar.  Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.

*In case you missed it, here are the previous BAPCPA Man vs Mortgantua cartoons:  Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

*For additional information on mortgage cramdown, foreclosure and related mortgage and bankruptcy issues, have a look at the following blog posts:

Haines & Krieger (Las Vegas, NV)

• Fear of possible mortgage “cramdown” legislation overblown?
• Will the “Cramdown Bill” Pass the Senate?
• Possible mortgage and foreclosure help from the federal government?

Bruce Weiner (Rosenberg Musso & Weiner) – NYBankruptcyNet (Brooklyn, NY)

• Foreclosure increase + jobless recovery = Trouble
• New York foreclosures likely to continue as ARMs begin to re-set over next 4 years

Special thanks to the following bankruptcy attorneys for their help with the technical aspects of the cartoon:

• Christine Wilton, Esq. – Los Angeles Bankrkuptcy Law Monitor (Los Angeles, CA)
• Law Office of Gregory A. Holbus, Esq. – Wisconsin Bankruptcy Blog (Green Bay, WI)

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Get your BAPCPA Man and Mortgantua T-shirts, Mugs, Cards and More!

*To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com or http://gideonkendall.com/blog.  Or order yourself a copy of Dino Pets, the wonderfully illustrated children’s book written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by BAPCPA Man’s favorite illustrator, Gideon Kendall.