The Bankruptcy Lawyers Blog

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Contact
Stephanie Tolley
Start Fresh Today
(954) 377-9368 phone
stolley@startfreshtoday.com

Start Fresh Today® and LegalPRO Systems, Inc. form Strategic Partnership to Deliver
Credit Counseling and Debtor Education Courses

Integration Provides Expanded, Single-Source Access to Consumer Bankruptcy Solutions

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, January 14, 2012 – Start Fresh Today, one of the nation’s largest providers of federally-required consumer bankruptcy courses today announced the integration of its pre-filing credit counseling and post-filing debtor education courses with LegalPRO Systems, Inc., a leading developer and supplier of bankruptcy software solutions for attorneys. Under the integration agreement, Start Fresh Today will deliver its courses directly through the LegalPRO platform, BankruptcyPRO® (http://www.legal-pro.com/2012/01/order-credit-counseling-debtor-education-bankruptcypro/) and provide access to a host of other products and services to help attorneys comply with the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA).

The new partnership means that participating bankruptcy attorneys and their consumer clients can now enjoy single-source access to the required courses.

"Our integration with Start Fresh Today further expands the features and functionality of the BankruptcyPRO® platform," said Keith Crusius, President of LegalPRO Systems, Inc. "Our bankruptcy attorney customers now have fast, convenient access to the consumer data they need to support their clients efficiently and confidently."

LegalPRO Systems, Inc. is the most recent Start Fresh Today strategic partnership for 2012. The integration capabilities this partnership provides will leverage information exchange to benefit consumers in the bankruptcy process and their attorneys.

"We are pleased to partner with LegalPRO Systems, Inc., one of the industry’s leading providers of advanced bankruptcy software solutions," said Cris Frankel, CEO for Start Fresh Today. "The seamless integration provides our mutual bankruptcy attorney customers and their consumer clients with quick and efficient access to their required courses – all from a single online source: http://www.legal-pro.com/2012/01/order-credit-counseling-debtor-education-bankruptcypro/.

About Start Fresh Today

Founded in 2005, Start Fresh Today, Inc. was developed by bankruptcy attorneys and technology professionals to assist consumers and their attorneys in fulfilling BAPCPA requirements quickly and easily. In addition to delivering EOUST-approved Credit Counseling and Debtor Education Courses within a nationally-recognized proprietary platform, Start Fresh Today has also positioned itself as the one-stop-shop where consumer bankruptcy attorneys access due diligence products and receive free document storage. To learn more about Start Fresh Today, call (800) 247-0864 or visit www.startfreshtoday.com.

About LegalPRO Systems, Inc.

Based in San Antonio, Texas, LegalPRO Systems, Inc., has been pioneering bankruptcy software solutions for attorneys since 1985. The company’s flagship product, BankruptcyPRO®, is an easy-to-use, feature-rich software solution that helps attorneys assist consumers with bankruptcy filings quickly and efficiently. Serving small to large law firms, LegalPRO Systems, Inc. was founded by Charles A. Fielder, III (Charlie).  His goal was to assist the bankruptcy practitioners to get cases entered and filed more efficiently.   With the advent of CM/ECF, BankruptcyPRO® was even more helpful as it could generate the official forms into PDF files needed by the courts, calculate the exemptions, and handle Chapter 13 plan calculation. For more information, call (210) 561-5300 or visit www.legal-pro.com.

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Are African-Americans not getting the "fresh start" they deserve when filing for bankruptcy? According to a new study entitled "Race, Attorney Influence, and Bankruptcy Chapter Choice," by Jean Braucher of the University of Arizona and Dov Cohen and Robert Lawless, both of the University of Illinois, blacks file Chapter 13 at higher rates than all other races.

The abstract states that "although chapter 13 can offer some legal advantages for persons seeking to
protect valuable assets such as a house or automobile, it generally offers less relief and costs more than the primary alternative available to consumers, chapter 7. The chief feature of a chapter 13 bankruptcy case is a plan under which the debtor must devote all of his or her disposable income to creditor repayment over a 3‐ to 5‐year period. Chapter 7, in contrast, requires only that the debtor turn over all nonexempt assets, with over 90% of chapter 7 debtors having no assets to turn over."

You can download the full paper from the Social Science Research Network here.

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The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel’s Cary Spivak reported on the latest ruling cracking down on the “hotbed for bankruptcy petition preparers” that is Milwaukee. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Pamela Pepper cited Jennell McKinley for contempt of court and will be facing possible criminal charges.

McKinley is the fifth preparer to be found in contempt. Bankruptcy court officials argue that some preparers’ filings leave out critical information causing dismissal of the case and leaving the debtor liable.

The bankruptcy filer in the McKinley case, Richard Marek, paid $180 for the assistance in filing bankruptcy which was filled with numerous errors and omissions that led to a “nightmare” of a 341 meeting.

Judge Pepper has ordered McKinley to return the $180 to Marek, plus an additional $500 fine. Even better news for Marek is that a generous local attorney heard about his situation and is handling his case pro bono.

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According to a new report from Fitch Ratings, 2011 personal bankruptcy filings declined by 12% to 1.35 million from the year earlier. It was the first decline in four years, possibly resulting from somewhat improved economic conditions and decreased consumer spending.

Credit card charge-offs, which are directly affected by bankruptcy filings, fell significantly through 2011, sliding 37% from the year earlier. Lower personal bankruptcies had a less profound, but still important, effect on auto ABS, Fitch said.

Fitch said it plans to release its 2012 bankruptcy forecast in the coming weeks.

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When a debt collection company or buyer shows up in District Court, they are usually just going by a person’s name, last known address and Social Security number to obtain a judgment against that person.

Reacting to a flood of uncontested debt collection cases, the Maryland high court has just ruled that for all cases filed on or after January 20, 2012, collectors and creditors must produce actual proof that the debtor incurred the debt. It is a national problem that has generated concern among the District Court, the Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation and the Office of the Attorney General.

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