Category Archives: Uncategorized

One of the most frequently asked questions of our clients and prospective clients is “What happens to my credit after I file bankruptcy?” It is a simple question, but the answer is not as straightforward. As I often tell my clients, there is no “broad brushstroke” answer that applies to everyone equally.  Each person brings […]

Perhaps in honor of Prince, the Rapper formerly known as Fifty Cent could change his name to Seventy-Two Cent.  According to reporter David Owen with the Hartford Courant newspaper in Connecticut, the Bankruptcy Judge presiding over his Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Case confirmed his proposed reorganization plan in which it is predicted that unsecured creditors will […]

Sometimes you are so close to the problem your experience and anecdotes lead you to further empirical investigation. That is what happened to me when I realized in the early 1990s that I was advising more single women, single mothers, divorcees, widows and retirees about filing bankruptcy. I reviewed thousands of Bankruptcy Court files from […]

Scammers are constantly out there, be aware of scams of all types, there are many types of fake bill collectors. It is a good reminder to follow your instincts, if a creditor is being a bully, or very aggressive and insisting on instant payment and information, it likely isn’t a valid collection. You can and […]

Early February is the time of year when Punxatawney Phil sees his shadow, men panic about what to buy their betrothed for Valentine’s Day, and the go-getters get their tax returns done so they can get their refund back as soon as possible However, some taxpayers are discovering the refund they thought was coming has […]

By David G. Hicks of Pollak, Hicks & Alhejaj, P.C.             According to the Washington Post, in an article carried by the Omaha World Herald’s Money Section on November 6th, this shocking prediction is made by none other than IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. At a recent conference of CPAs and other tax professionals in Washington […]

This is a significant chance for all debtors to have clarity on the current requirement of proving ‘undue hardship’ to discharge student loans under the Bankruptcy Code. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will apply a liberal version of that test that considers the ‘totality of the circumstances’ faced by the debtor.  – See […]

Citing statistics from the Census Bureau and a recent study by the Brookings Institute, AOL news reports the startling information that men earn less now than they did forty-three years ago. According to the data, a full time male worker in the USA earned an annual “average” of $51,649.00 in 1972. In 2014, that average […]

By David G. Hicks Attorney at Law, Pollak, Hicks & Alhejaj, P. C. A new lending scheme by sometimes unscrupulous short term lenders has been called “legalized car thievery” by Rosemary Shahan, president of a California consumer advocacy organization results in about a quarter of a million Americans losing their vehicles to repossession. The Los […]

© David G. Hicks, Attorney at Law                 When multimillionaire big shots like Bowie Kuhn – corporate lawyer and former commissioner of major league baseball – buy beach front mansions in Florida and then walk away from most of their debts by filing bankruptcy back in New York, it tended to rub the public the […]