Due to Covid 19 the Meeting of Creditors for Chapter 13 is by Zoom. We encourage our clients to come to our office to participate with Mark or Cindy Podis. Chapter 7 Meeting of Creditors are by Zoom or Phone Conference. We encourage our clients to participate at our office with Cynthia Podis. Court hearings are conducted by AT&T conference call. Please remember to mute your phone unless it is your turn to speak. By Cynthia Podis Nashville Bankruptcy Attorney Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Please contact our office for an appointment to hire our firm to represent you in a Bankruptc ..read more

By Cynthia Podis, Bankruptcy Attorney Nashville, Tennessee Bankruptcy is often a great option for those struggling with debt. The additional unemployment and stimulus payments in the latest Covid 19 Relief Laws are protected for you in the bills signed by the President. Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is available to wipe out debts you just cannot pay, as long as you qualify under the income / means test. The Means Test income amounts change every 3 months. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is a repayment plan based on your income, expenses and protection of equity in your home or other assets. The repayment plan ca ..read more

By Bankruptcy Lawyer Cindy Podis The extra $600 per week unemployment benefit ends July 25, 2020 (the final FPUC payments go out July 25, the last Saturday of the month). If you have not been recalled to work, the reduction to unemployment benefits will be a difficult time. Getting ahead of the problem can include getting a different job, taking 2 part time jobs, or filing a Chapter 7 to wipe out debts or a Chapter 13 to repay the debts you have gotten behind on like your house or car. While it is a difficult decision to seek bankruptcy protection, the relief it gives is tremendous ..read more

By Cynthia Podis, Bankruptcy Lawyer, Podis and Podis As state courts open, eviction proceedings have re-started. The General Sessions Courts handle these proceedings where damages are under $25,000. The landlord files a Detainer Warrant with the court. It is served on the tenant and a court date is set. Usually the court date is 5 to 10 days after you get the Warrant. This is a civil matter and they are just looking to recover their rent, get the defendant to move out of the property and present evidence for any damage to the property. If you do not appear, the Judge will enter a judgment for ..read more

Attorneys are considered an essential service. We are open in all 6 of our offices. We have been working limited hours (8 am to 4 pm). We will go back to 8 am to 5 pm in the coming weeks. We are working hard to keep our offices disinfected by wiping down surfaces between seeing clients. We offer phone and skype appointments, too. Our court appearances have been by phone conference call or Zoom video conference. You can attend your Meeting of Creditors via Zoom or Phone conference from your home or work. For Chapter 13 Meeting of Creditors, you can watch the Trustee’s speech and the Discharge V ..read more

By Cynthia Podis, Bankruptcy Lawyer, Middle Tennessee As Tennesseans and the world struggle with the realities of the Covid 19 virus, the Court system has deferred in person hearings on most matters for a while. However, as we shelter in place we see the bills stacking up for our friends and neighbors. Especially when only “essential services” are allowed to go to work. Many restaurants, hotels, bars, stores and other employers are forced to lay off employees indefinitely for lack of work. We understand not all employers can allow their employees to work from home. We hope the economic ..read more

Please be aware the Bankruptcy Meeting of Creditors for the week of March 16 through 20 will be held via video chat at your attorney’s offices. For our clients, please come to the 1161 Murfreesboro Pike Office for the Meetings scheduled for Nashville. We will try to keep you updated through this website, our facebook pages and the Bankruptcy Court site at http://www.tnmb.uscourts.gov/ . The Chapter 13 Motion Dockets for Wednesday, March 18 (Nashville), Thursday March 19 (Cookeville) and Friday, March 20 (Columbia) All hearings will be conducted telephonically.  There will also be ..read more

Can I keep my Income Tax Refund in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? By Cynthia Podis Nashville Bankruptcy Attorney      Clients in my office ask this question every day!  The answer is it depends on the amount of your refund and other assets.  The Bankruptcy Code allows you to keep some personal assets in Chapter 7 by referring to your state law or in some special cases, the Federal Exemptions.  The Tennessee Code Annotated, as referred to by 11 USC §522 under the Bankruptcy Code, allows each person filing bankruptcy to keep up to $10,000 in personal property including: furniture, electronics, c ..read more