This is great. You can access the ABI Journal article and video here. By West Virginia University 2L Andy Loud.
Here are some of the rap-style lyrics:
I’m at a law school / Trying to keep cool / All of my prospects looking blue / Just doing my readings / Motions and pleadings / And case briefing International Shoe …
If the Eighth Amendment does exist / How are they allowing all of this?
“Stay Away from the Dark Side: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Bankruptcy”
Come attend a lively discussion on such issues as conflicts of interest, breach of ethical requirements, disqualification from representation, and sanctions.
Panelists:
Hon. Vincent P. Zurzolo – U.S. Bankruptcy Judge
Hatty Yip – Office of the United States Trustee
Martin R. Barash – Klee Tuchin Bogdanoff & Stern LLP
Uzzi O. Raanan – Danning Gill Diamond & Kollitz LLP
Location:
The L.A.
333 South Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Apil 1, 2013
Doors open 6:00 PM
Dinner at 6:45 PM
Program at 7:30 PM
Lights out 8:45 PM
Effective on April 1, 2013, the eligibility limits for chapter 13 increase to $383,175 for unsecured and $1,149,525 for secured. The previous limits were $360,475, unsecured and $1,081,400, secured.
A number of other limits increased as well for example the maximum IRA which can be claimed exempt increased to $1,245,475.
The federal register with the official new amounts can be accessed here.
How’s that for speed? American Suzuki should “leave” bankrutpcy by the end of March. The fact that this case sailed so smoothly through Chapter 11 should bode well for large companies choosing Los Angeles to file bankruptcy cases rather that Delaware or New York. Kodos to Judge Scott Clarkson. The Bloomberg Business Week article is here.
ATTENTION ALL ECF USERS:
The Court will be performing work on the CM/ECF server on March 2, 2013 in preparation for its upcoming upgrade to CM 5.1. As a result, the following electronic systems will not be available on Saturday, March 2, 2013, from 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.:
CM/ECF (Live and Training)
LOU
PACER
VCIS
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Best regards,
ECF Help Desk
(213) 894-2365
A California man has been accused of running a scheme to prevent banks from foreclosing on properties.
Walter Bruce Harrell of Montara, Calif., has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of bankruptcy fraud and making false statements in bankruptcy proceedings, the Office of the Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California said Friday. Many of the creditors that were prevented from foreclosing were banks that had received Tarp funds, the special IG said.
Harrell’s alleged scheme was a version of the so-called foreclosure-rescue scam, in which a troubled property owner hires someone who says he can forestall foreclosure proceedings.
Harrell’s scheme involved transferring part of the interest in a foreclosed-on property to a third party, whom Harrell would then pay to file for bankruptcy, according to the indictment. The “automatic stay” clause in bankruptcy law would then halt foreclosure sales.
The indictment charges Harrell with running this scheme on six properties in 2011 and making false statements in two bankruptcy trials. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
BY JANN SWANSON
Foreclosure Activity Drops Sharply Thanks to New California Law
Foreclosure activity in much of the nation now appears to be accelerating downward, dropping 7 percent in a single month according to RealtyTrac. Foreclosure filings nationwide – default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions – numbered 150,864 or one in every 869 U.S. housing units in January compared to 162,511 in December. This was a 28.5 percent decrease from January 2012. Foreclosure starts were down 11 percent from December and 28 percent compared to a year earlier and at the lowest level since June 2006. Bank repossessions or REO dropped 5 percent from the previous month and were down 24 percent from January 2012 to the lowest level since February 2008.
While overall activity was down in most states, the size of the national decline can be traced to California where a new law caused a 39.5 percent decrease in filings from December to January making it the first time since January 2007 that California did not have the largest number of filings in the country. RealtyTrac Vice President Daren Blomquist said the new legislation that became effective on January 1 profoundly altered the U.S. foreclosure landscape. “Dubbed the Homeowners Bill of Rights, this legislation extends many of the principles in the national mortgage settlement – including a prohibition on so-called dual tracking and requiring a single point of contact for borrowers facing foreclosure – to all mortgage servicers operating in California. In addition the new law imposes fines of up to $7,500 per loan for filing of multiple unverified foreclosure documents. As a result, the downward foreclosure trend in California accelerated into hyper speed in January, decisively shifting the balance of power when it comes to the nation’s foreclosure activity.
Event Description:
KNOW YOUR CHAPTER 7 TRUSTEE
Opportunity for consumer bankruptcy attorneys to meet with Chapter 7 Trustee and Trustee Administrators to:
•Discuss the needs of each Trustee
•Determine the best methods to keep a case moving along
•Obtain insight re: chapter 7 cases from the Trustee’s perspective
•Participate in an open forum for questions and answers
TRUSTEES:
Moderator: David M. Goodrich, Esq., Chapter 7 Trustee, Los Angeles, Marshack Hays LLP
Jeffrey I. Golden, Esq., Chapter 7 Trustee, Weiland, Golden, Smiley, Wang Ekvall & Strok LLP
Richard A. Marshack, Esq., Chapter 7 Trustee, Marshack Hays LLP
Jennifer S. Gregory, Esq., Trustee Administrator to John W. Wolfe
Alane C. Canzone, Trustee Administrator to Karen S. Naylor
Marissa Silva, Trustee Administrator to Thomas H. Casey
Location:
Tustin Banquet Center
721 W. First St.
Tustin, CA
Time:
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Registration Fees:
Pricing varies depending on membership status and options selected.
A little off-topic, but fascinating!
By Debra Cassens Weiss, from ABAJournal.com
About seven years have passed since Justice Clarence Thomas has posed a question in oral arguments, though he did recently make a rare remark that appeared to be a joke about the quality of Harvard Law School.
But some of Thomas’ questions are still being aired, despite his silence, the Washington Post reports. Thomas sometimes writes down a question and passes it along to Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Thomas’ “friend and seatmate on the bench,” the story says.
In a recent appearance at Harvard Law School, Thomas confirmed Breyer’s assistance, according to the Post. “I’ll say, ‘What about this, Steve,’ and he’ll pop up and ask a question,” Thomas said. “So you can blame some of those [Breyer questions] on me.”
Thomas told the Harvard law students he doesn’t ask questions because “I think we should listen to lawyers who are arguing their case and I think we should allow the advocates to advocate.”
Thomas said in the speech that he is “quite introverted,” though he makes regular appearances at law schools. The Post described Thomas as “warm and effusive” in his Harvard visit and said that, if he did ask questions in arguments, the public could learn more about his personality on display in the speeches.
