By: Ceara L. Riggs, Bankruptcy Attorney in St. Petersburg, Florida at The Reissman Law Group, P.A.
Search for St. Petersburg/Tampa Bankruptcy Lawyers and what comes up? Pages about modifying your home or walking away from your home. Those aren’t the only two options, but they’re the most common options.

By: Ceara L. Riggs, Bankruptcy Attorney in St. Petersburg, Florida at The Reissman Law Group, P.A.
Search for St. Petersburg/Tampa Bankruptcy Lawyers and what comes up? Pages about modifying your home or walking away from your home. Those aren’t the only two options, but they’re the most common options.

There comes a time in every case when the bankruptcy lawyer needs to shut up and sit down, especially if the lawyer is not absolutely certain what the response of the witness will be.  The following is funny as well as a perfect example of how a case can be lost because of one last question that a lawyer in Bankruptcy Court felt compelled to ask.

What are the qualifications for an individual/couple to file for Bankruptcy?  The answer to this question is simple  -- there are no qualifications for filing Bankruptcy.  Everyone has the right to file a petition for relief under the Bankruptcy Code.  All one has to do is file a Petition for Relief with the Bankruptcy Court.  What type of bankruptcy an individual/couple can file does have certain qualifications. 

California has three separate statutory provisions that prohibit a lender from obtaining a deficiency judgment after foreclosure.  These provision are found at Cal. Civ. Proc. § 580b, Cal. Civ. Proc. § 580d in conjunction with Cal. Civ. Proc. § 726(a), and after July 15th, 2011, Cal. Civ. Proc. § 580e.  A deficiency is simply the loss that a lender sustains after the property is foreclosed.  The deficiency is measured by the difference between what is owed on the loan and what the bank collected from selling the property after foreclosure.

Pro se legal representation: Means advocating on one's own behalf before a Court.

So you are a beneficiary of a recovable living trust.   You need to file bankruptcy.   Can you?   Well, it depends.   As long as you are not the settlor and the settlor lives through your bankruptcy, your beneficiary interest is contingent, meaning it doesn’t come into your bankruptcy as property of the estate.   That’s because if the settlor is still alive, that person can always amend the terms of the trust and exclude you as a beneficiary.

By: Ceara L. Riggs, Bankruptcy Attorney in St. Petersburg, Florida at The Reissman Law Group, P.A.
The question I am probably asked the most is, “How long will I get to stay in my house?” It depends. Looking for a more definite answer? Chances are, any lawyer that wants to keep their Bar Card and Number will give you the same answer.
And as frustrating as that answer probably is, it’s the reality of the situation. So you want numbers, here’s the numbers: