Although the NJ Department of Education now mandates financial education for high school students, most people who graduated high school more than 5 years ago were not taught financial skills in school.

Many intelligent people in and out of businesses do not learn how to use money and the protections offered by the legal system except by trial and error.

Sometimes the wreckage is just too much to work and earn your way out of it. The problems occur whether through divorce, illness, theft, substance abuse, business failures, job loss, underemployment, returning from incarceration, etc.

There are many tools to help individuals get back on their feet. The legal system provides some, but not all of the remedies. A combination of self-help and professional help and guidance is needed.

In my work, I try to find the least difficult way to solve a client's problems.

Bankruptcy laws are a tool to get a fresh start in your financial life. It can save homes from foreclosure, cars from repossession and stop the bill collectors from calling, etc. While you can file a bankruptcy case on your own, the bankruptcy laws are complex and not easily understood. You can make a serious mistake that may prevent you from getting the help you want from the law. You can lose a home, cars or the money in your bank or savings by not filing a bankruptcy case soon enough. I know of individual cases where people waited to file for bankruptcy protection until after foreclosure sales and lost their homes.

A lawyer who handles bankruptcy cases is able to properly guide you through the case preparation and dealing with the trustees. Creditors and the courts cannot advise you about your rights and legal duties. I have decades of experience helping people and businesses in financial difficulty. My office has a certified paralegal who assists me in preparing my clients' court filings. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your financial circumstances and your best options.