Another good overview of what the new bankruptcy law can and cannot do. Slanted toward scaring people into using a lawyer.

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Product Description

With tips on understanding -- and surviving -- the new bankruptcy laws

If you're considering bankruptcy, you need straightforward answers and reliable advice. This handy guide covers it all -- so you can get your finances in line and your life back on track. This updated new edition covers everything you need to know about the new bankruptcy law and includes even better resources. Don't get desperate -- get out of debt instead!

Discover how to
* Weigh the consequences of bankruptcy
* Manage your spending
* Find professional help you can trust
* Decide on the right type of bankruptcy
* Pass the means test
* Keep more of your stuff

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19836 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Back Cover

With tips on understanding — and surviving — the new bankruptcy laws

If you're considering bankruptcy, you need straightforward answers and reliable advice. This handy guide covers it all — so you can get your finances in line and your life back on track. This updated new edition covers everything you need to know about the new bankruptcy law and includes even better resources. Don't get desperate — get out of debt instead!

Discover how to

• Weigh the consequences of bankruptcy
• Manage your spending
• Find professional help you can trust
• Decide on the right type of bankruptcy
• Pass the means test
• Keep more of your stuff

About the Author
James P. Caher, a practicing attorney with 30 years of experience, is a nationally recognized expert on consumer bankruptcies and authority on the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.
Jim coauthored, with his brother John, Debt Free! Your Guide to Personal Bankruptcy Without Shame (Henry Holt, 1996) and two highly regarded books for lawyers: Discharging Marital Obligations in Bankruptcy (LRP, 1997) and Discharging Credit Card Debts in Bankruptcy (LRP, 1998).
In addition, Jim has published scores of articles for bankruptcy professionals and is frequently called upon to analyze and interpret the complicated provisions of the 2005 bankruptcy law. He was labeled the “online guru” by a national legal weekly because of his regular appearances on the Internet as an expert analyst on bankruptcy law. Jim also serves on the editorial board of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Jim graduated from Niagara University and then earned his law degree from Memphis State University Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review and recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in the field of debtor-creditor relations. He filed his first consumer bankruptcy case shortly after graduating in 1975. Jim lives and practices in Eugene, Oregon.

John M. Caher is a legal journalist who has written about law and the courts for most of his 25-year career.
Currently the Albany bureau chief for the New York Law Journal, John previously was state editor and legal affairs reporter for the Times Union of Albany, New York. His legal reportage has won more than two dozen awards, including prestigious honors from the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Erie County Bar Association, and the Associated Press.
John coauthored, with his brother Jim, Debt Free! Your Guide to Personal Bankruptcy Without Shame (Henry Holt, 1996). He is the author of King of the Mountain: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of Chief Judge Sol Wachtler (Prometheus Books, 1998). In addition, John was the principal writer assisting former U.S. Treasury Secretary William E. Simon in preparation of his memoirs. Mr. Simon’s autobiography, A Time for Reflection, was published in 2003 by Regnery.
John is a 1980 graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in journalism, and a 1993 graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a master’s degree in technical communications/graphics. John lives in Clifton Park, New York.

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Customer Reviews

Personal Bankruptcy Laws for Dummies
Personal Bankruptcy Laws for Dummies is the one and only book I found that explains the intricacies of the new bankruptcy law, gives the reader all the information needed to make a rational decision on whether bankruptcy is the appropriate remedy for his or her financial illness, and provides a wealth of information in a manner that neither patronizes nor condemns. Although it recognizes the emotional toll that financial difficulties inevitably place on individuals and couples, its strength is in giving the reader all the information necessary to make a reasoned decision on whether bankruptcy is the best route and, if so, under which chapter of the Bankruptcy Code.

Before You Buy
For individuals with modest w-2, you will probably file under Chapters 7 or 13. The New Bankruptcy: Will It Work for You? (2nd edition) covers those Chapters well. For businesses or individuals who own businesses or have higher incomes or net worth, the choice will probably be Chapter 11. A great introduction to Chapter 11 is Chapter 11 Business Reorganizations: For Business Leaders, Accountants And Lawyers.