Provides information and strategies for claiming Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 level bankruptcies, and includes exemption tables and information on how Supreme Court cases have interpreted bankruptcy laws.

This new Second Edition of The New Bankruptcy Code reports on the changes Congress made to bankruptcy laws in 2005 by taking a look at reported case law, unreported cases, and pulled orders, and also offers answers to commonly-asked questions. This essential guidebook, written in an engaging question and answer format, is a must-have for practitioners in the trenches.

The New Bankruptcy provides clear-cut information, worksheets, and strategies to help you figure out whether bankruptcy is the right solution for your debt problem. Find out: the differences between Chapters 7 and 13 whether you qualify for Chapter 7 (the means test) how the Chapter 13 repayment plan works which debts are discharged (wiped out) what happens to property, including homes, cars, and retirement accounts, and ways to handle debt problems without bankruptcy. The book also explains the bankruptcy process and includes sample, completed bankruptcy forms.

A clear path through the bankruptcy maze!Bankruptcy laws have changed, and figuring out how to use them effectively is harder than ever. For plain-English guidance you can trust, turn to The New Bankruptcy. Here, you'll discover the clear-cut answers, information and strategies you need to figure out whether bankruptcy is the right solution for your debt problems. Find out: if you qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy how Chapter 13 repayment plans work which debts are wiped out how bankruptcy affects homeowners if you can keep cars and other property how bankruptcy affects credit alternative ways t.

A comprehensive guide to the new bankruptcy law--and what it means for you Sweeping changes to U.S. bankruptcy law--the first major changes to the law in twenty- seven years--are occurring right now. If you're unfamiliar with the new bankruptcy law and how it could affect you, this book will quickly get you up to speed. While J.K. Lasser's The New Bankruptcy Law and You thoroughly covers this latest reform, along with its options and alternatives, it also answers must-know bankruptcy questions, such as: how do you decide whether bankruptcy is the right path to take, and if it is, when should you file? Other topics discussed include: * The new law versus the old law * The basics of bankruptcy law that apply to all bankruptcies * Preparing to file for bankruptcy * The liquidation option: Chapter 7 * The payment plan option: Chapter 13 * The basics of debtor-creditor law * Preparing for a bright financial future * And much more With over twenty years of experience as bankruptcy attorneys, and a dozen years of experience educating people about money, authors Nathalie Martin and Stewart Paley can help you successfully navigate the world of bankruptcy and show you how to put yourself in a position where you'll never have to think about it again. Filled with in-depth insights and expert advice, J.K. Lasser's The New Bankruptcy Law and You can help you make more informed financial decisions when dealing with complicated bankruptcy issues.

Bankruptcy in America, in stark contrast to its status in most other countries, typically signifies not a debtor's last gasp but an opportunity to catch one's breath and recoup. Why has the nation's legal system evolved to allow both corporate and individual debtors greater control over their fate than imaginable elsewhere? Masterfully probing the political dynamics behind this question, David Skeel here provides the first complete account of the remarkable journey American bankruptcy law has taken from its beginnings in 1800, when Congress lifted the country's first bankruptcy code right out of English law, to the present day. Skeel shows that the confluence of three forces that emerged over many years--an organized creditor lobby, pro-debtor ideological currents, and an increasingly powerful bankruptcy bar--explains the distinctive contours of American bankruptcy law. Their interplay, he argues in clear, inviting prose, has seen efforts to legislate bankruptcy become a compelling battle royale between bankers and lawyers--one in which the bankers recently seem to have gained the upper hand. Skeel demonstrates, for example, that a fiercely divided bankruptcy commission and the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress have yielded the recent, ideologically charged battles over consumer bankruptcy. The uniqueness of American bankruptcy has often been noted, but it has never been explained. As different as twenty-first century America is from the horse-and-buggy era origins of our bankruptcy laws, Skeel shows that the same political factors continue to shape our unique response to financial distress.