I know that customer service sounds like a cliché, but it happens to be highly relevant. I know, every Minnesota bankruptcy law firm says they have excellent customer service or treats their clients well, blah blah blah. The problem is these statements don’t always square with what is said about them in Google reviews or by former employees in Glassdoor reviews.

How does one go about choosing a Minnesota bankruptcy law firm that is kind, helpful, professional, and has exceptional customer service? Spend your time researching different firms and reviewing lots of google reviews. Today, I want to discuss two things you should avoid when hiring a Minnesota bankruptcy law firm.

Most of the time, it is a wonderful thing to have equity in your home.  There is a sense of pride in it and it can be considered an investment that will someday pay off.  Sometimes, though, the fact that you have equity in your home is like blood in shark infested water.  If you have an unsecured debt (such as a credit card) that went unpaid and a creditor received a judgment, that creditor could put a judgment lien on your home.  That means if you sell your home, that creditor could get a portion of the equity in your home. Is there any way to protect the equity in your home in Walker, Minnesota?  Do you have any options for getting rid of the debt and the lien? How do you fix this and get your life back?

One of the reasons people file bankruptcy cases is to preserve vehicle ownership. If the client has a car loan, a chapter 13 case in which the terms of the vehicle loan can be re-set to make the payment more affordable is often attractive.  Or some clients prefer the liquidation approach of a chapter 7, in which other, unsecured debts are discharged, thus freeing up money in the monthly budget to make the car payment easier to afford.

As a Bankruptcy Attorney in Maple Grove, I hear it all the time- I want to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, not anything else. Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, referred to as a “liquidation bankruptcy” or a “fresh start bankruptcy” is a four-month process where at the end of the process most unsecured debt is discharged, wiped out, tax free! Of course, there are many clients who do fit squarely within the parameters of a chapter 7.

After filing any bankruptcy you could be face with a variety of legal, financial and/or emotional consequences. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Regardless, let's start by taking a look at the legal outcomes of filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. 

If you’re afraid that filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy will prevent you from purchasing your dream home or concerned that you’ll be unable to replace a vehicle that was repossessed, don’t be! While some conditions do apply, it is still possible for you to buy a new house or car after filing for Chapter 7 in Minnesota.

And, if you file for Chapter 7 with Kain & Scott, you can take advantage of our Free 90 Day Credit Repair Program that will help you raise your credit score and obtain financing from one of our trusted Minnesota lenders to help you purchase the things your family needs.

Lawmakers in St. Paul may spend much of 2018 wrestling with a projected $188 million shortfall. While not a staggering sum, the state will surely look for new revenue sources before it trims services. So, expect the Department of Revenue to be even more aggressive than usual in collecting past-due income taxes. That’s especially true for older delinquent accounts which have not seen much activity lately.

These tactics are actually good news for Minnesota taxpayers looking to discharge their tax debts in bankruptcy. As set out below, the Bankruptcy Code sets out very specific rules in this area. Taxing authorities strictly adhere to these rules and almost never grant exceptions.

Last week I wrote about why being able to file a chapter 13 bankruptcy case quickly is advantageous to debtors. Chapter 13 is often the “emergency” bankruptcy - in many cases that end up being filed as chapter 13s, a mortgage foreclosure is days away, or the repossession agent has been out looking for a client’s car to repossess.  Or in some cases, the repossession has already taken place and the owner has a short period of time in which to redeem the vehicle prior to the vehicle being sold at an auction.  So there are numerous situations in which time matters, and the time is short.  Being able to file quickly is an advantage - and at Kain & Scott we can file a case quickly and professionally.  So the question is, what is there about the Kain & Scott law firm that enables the firm to file a case quickly?

If you live in Bloomington, Minnesota and are considering filing a bankruptcy this is a lesson in buyer beware! At Kain & Scott our Bloomington Bankruptcy Lawyers have seen several bankruptcy services advertised on park benches, back pages of newspapers, and from out of state companies. Take our word for it, here’s the main thing you need to watch out for…

It can happen to any one of us. One catastrophe can happen after another. You might have started a business 10 years ago that failed miserably right? That caused the first bankruptcy. 5 years ago you might have been diagnosed with brain cancer. While you beat it, the illness left you with an insurmountable pile of medical debt. That led to the 2^nd bankruptcy… Now what?

There are some universal truths in the world. These are things that always apply no matter what. When you are contemplating filing a bankruptcy in St Paul, Minnesota, I can tell you there are 2 things you should NEVER do before filing bankruptcy.

Just like consumer bankruptcy can stop home foreclosure, wage garnishment, vehicle repossession, and most other types of adverse creditor action, bankruptcy can also stop lawsuits. Even if the trial is scheduled for tomorrow, bankruptcy can halt it.

For many people, a creditor lawsuit is a remote, theoretical possibility. They know it can happen, but they do not believe it will ever happen to them. Suddenly, there’s an unfamiliar knock on the door at an unusual hour and someone, usually a Minnesota peace officer, delivers a summons.

Yes, bankruptcy records are public information in general. It’s no different than your divorce records or criminal records which are public too. But, when is the last time you went down to Ramsey County and checked out your neighbor’s criminal or divorce records? Likely never right?

Most people have too many concerns and worries in the world themselves- they don’t have time to worry about someone else’s problems, because they have enough problems themselves.

For the past six weeks we’ve taken a pretty “deep dive” into the nuts and bolts of bankruptcy. This week, I’ll try to wrap this up with a look at the function of the bankruptcy discharge - the “finish line” for bankruptcy. Again, the lens through which I will look at this issue is the twin policy goals of bankruptcy - to treat creditors fairly and to allow debtors to live with dignity.

Sports fans have been anxiously waiting and the time is almost here: March Madness. As you gear up for a series of exciting games and limitless chicken wings, there’s one preparation that any dedicated basketball fan takes very seriously: picking a winning bracket.