- DivorceIn divorce mediation, the two divorcing parties meet jointly with a qualified mediator for a number of guided sessions and collaborate to resolve the issues in their divorce. The mediator does not represent either of the parties, and must be an impartial, objective and fair third party. The mediator does not make judgments or dictate terms, but instead helps guide the two of you toward an agreement the two of you make that suits your needs. The process is designed to reduce the adversarial element often encountered in divorce court proceedings; produce a more workable and lasting agreement; and save time and money.
- Child SupportWhen you file for bankruptcy, something called the automatic stay immediately stops any lawsuit filed against you and most actions against your property by a creditor, collection agency, or government entity. Especially if you are at risk of being evicted, being foreclosed on, being found in contempt for failure to pay child support, or losing such basic resources as utility services, welfare, unemployment benefits, or your job (because of a raft of wage garnishments), the automatic stay may provide a powerful reason to file for bankruptcy.
- Child Custody and Visitation
- Paternity
- Spousal SupportOn March 1, 2012 the new Alimony Reform Law went into effect. As with any new law, questions arose about particular situations not predicted in the statute, and it takes time for the courts to interpret the new law. Sometimes
- Criminal DefenseStaff attorney in medium sized law firm concentrating in complex civil litigation, divorce litigation and criminal defense; Co-counsel with Hon. David Turcotte.
- Embezzlement
- Personal Injury
- BankruptcyPrior to 2005, anyone whose debts exceeded the value of their assets was eligible to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. The filer’s income was not directly considered. This lead to many celebrated cases where people with high income filed for Chapter 7 relief and discharged their debts without paying their creditors a dime, even though they had plenty of monthly income and could have repaid some or all of their debt over time. Congress was concerned that this was an abuse of the bankruptcy system, since Chapter 13 existed to enable people to repay some or all of their debt over time.
- ForeclosureOne of the most powerful remedies in the bankruptcy code, and one of the main benefits of filing for bankruptcy, is the automatic stay. The minute that your bankruptcy petition is filed with the court, the automatic stay goes into effect. The automatic stay is an immediate court order that prevents all creditors from continuing or initiating any efforts to collect from a debtor. The automatic stay can stop a foreclosure, even if the debtor files for bankruptcy the night before the foreclosure sale. The automatic stay also halts repossessions, attachments, wage garnishments, phone calls, letters, billing notices, and other attempts to collect debts.
- Debt CollectionFor many people, their credit cards are “maxed out,” and they are facing wage attachments, repossessions, lawsuits and harassing phone calls and letters from debt collection agencies. Let’s face it, for them, there is no place but up. Bankruptcy can only improve that situation.