Bankruptcy

Information coming soon.

TN, Apr 1980
Bar Number: 007075

Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney

All State and Federal Courts in Tennessee

• National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees • Nashville Bar Association • Association Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys

Because I am board consumer certified specialist, I must have 20 hours a year in CLE in nothing but Bankruptcy Law. Mainly I attend the National Association of Chapter 13's Trustee's annual seminar at which I gain about 14 of these hours. The rest of these hours are gained at various seminars around the state and the country.

Inter Spousal Tort Immunity in Tennessee, University of Tennessee Law Review 1979

Received a call from a client one morning about 9:00 or 9:30. He indicated that a real estate agent just knocked on his door and indicated the house was to be sold at foreclosure sale at 2:00 that afternoon and she wanted to see the house prior to the sale. He had no notice of the sale and he panicked. He called me. "Can you stop the foreclosure", he asked? I said that I could if he could get enough information together and be in my office no later than noon. He and his wife were in at about 12:15. We had enough paperwork prepared by 1:00 to file with the bankruptcy court. It was filed, we called the foreclosure attorney, and the sale was stopped. As of, November 2010, these clients are still in Chapter 13 and their house is still theirs.

1

Tennessee

I opened my office as a sole practitioner in 1989 after working several years as the bankruptcy attorney for Bart Durham. In 1990, I was appointed as a Chapter 7 Trustee and served as a Trustee for two years. I then resigned in order to concentrate on representing debtors in bankruptcy. I am board certified as a specialist in consumer bankruptcy law in August 1994, one of the first lawyers in Tennessee to achieve this certification.

The focus of this law firm is filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases on behalf of working people and small businesses in the middle Tennessee area.

After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law, I worked for the law firm of Willis & Knight which represented plaintiffs in Civil Litigation and defendants in White Collar crime cases. After approximately a year with that firm, I moved to the firm (which, at that time had been the oldest law firm in Nashville) Goodpasture, Carpenter and Woods. My primary focus was insurance and defense work. After approximately a year with that firm, I then began work with the law office of Bar Durham and worked for Mr. Durham first in the field of domestic relations and then ultimately as the firm's Bankruptcy lawyer until 1989.

• Former Chapter 7 Trustee • Board Certified Consumer Law Specialist • Rated AV by Martindale Hubble • Former President in Nashville Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys

Martha.

(615) 942-1895

Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

No

Fees vary from case to case. Chapter 13 fees are established by a formula set by the court. Chapter 7 fees, for an average case, I charge between $700 and $900. Anyone reading this can mention Nolo and I will discount their fee by 10%.

Hourly rates are generally not relevant, but when charged are $300.

All initial consultations are free. There is no minimum length.

Retainers are negotiable and vary from case to case. Generally there is no retainer required for Chapter 13. A small retainer, usually $200 to $300, is required in a Chapter 7. Also the court costs are required in a Chapter 7. Court costs are approximately $300. This would make the initial up-front fee approximately $600. In both Chapter 7 and 13 cases there is a $50 charge for a credit counseling course that must be taken. This goes to a credit counseling agency and not to my office, but I do collect it.