In every bankruptcy consultation, law firm gives, they are asked to evaluate whether a bankruptcy is appropriate based on the client’s particular circumstances. And if so, which type of bankruptcy should be filed. Bankruptcy Law is filled with legalese which may not be too clear to a non-attorney. Words such as trustee, liquidation, contest, exempt and even discharge have legal meanings beyond the lay-person meaning. In plain English, a bankruptcy should be considered anytime when an individual is unable to meet his or her financial obligations. In plain English, a Chapter 7 is appropriate when an individual wants to eliminate all debt (complete liquidation of debt) which can be discharged so long as the client does not want to keep
A compulsory medical examination, “CME” for short, is a medical examination conducted by a doctor to verify the claimed injuries of a person who is involved in a lawsuit. The purpose of a CME is to evaluate whether the injured person is telling the truth about the nature and extent of her injuries. CME’s are a powerful tool for defendants in personal injury cases, including insurance cases, because the results of a CME may contradict the plaintiff’s claim. The “compulsory” part of a CME means that, in many circumstances, a plaintiff may be required to undergo a CME by law. If a defendant is not entitled a CME by law, he still may be able to request an court order
As a Memphis car wreck attorney, I’ve sat with hundreds of clients as they describe their accidents. These are terrible and frustrating experiences for everyone. Sadly for some, it might even be the worst day of your life. Even for “minor” accidents, people forget or don’t realize how traumatizing car accidents can be. You have so many things to worry about: Seeing a doctor Reporting the crash Fixing the car Explaining it to your boss Increased insurance premiums And so much more And in the case of severe accidents, you may have ongoing medical bills and a lifetime of recovery. Tragically, some families have to deal with all of the above and also the trauma of losing a loved
Medical malpractice claims are made against physicians for all kinds of issues arising out of patient care and medical practice. A misdiagnosis or medical mistake can lead to serious consequences when the physician is involved in a divorce or family law matter. A pending lawsuit for malpractice certainly causes a lawyer, to proceed cautiously, knowing that the physician’s assets and ability to pay for their own living and that of their former spouse and children, if any, can be impaired by the outcome of a malpractice case. A medical malpractice settlement should not be the liability of the spouse. As a general rule, the debts of one spouse are not held against the other. In a medical malpractice lawsuit, the
Did you set a New Year’s goal to get control of your finances? This time of year, a lot of people decide to get out of debt once and for all. I love it! As a Memphis bankruptcy lawyer, I support anyone who wants to crawl out from under their debt. But I also know a lot of people can’t do it on their own. That’s where your tax refund can make a huge difference. Did you know you can use your tax refund to file bankruptcy? Why You Might Want to Use Your Tax Refund to File Bankruptcy Around tax season, many of our clients will use their tax refunds to pay for a bankruptcy. In my opinion, if you
A recent USA Today investigation into port trucking companies in the Los Angeles area has uncovered some sobering information about the increase of fatigued truck drivers on the road. The news agency found that impaired drivers are put on the road daily, with trucking companies pressuring them to work on barely any sleep and in violation of safety laws. In August 2013, for example, a trucker with Container Intermodal Transport hit stopped cars while going 55 mph, killing a young man and injuring seven other people. In that case, the trucker testified that he often broke the mandatory sleep time laws. Less than a year later, a driver at Pacific 9 Transportation struck and killed a woman who was crossing
It’s the most-viewed video on our YouTube channel and one of the most common questions I hear every day as a Social Security Disability Lawyer in Memphis, TN: how much Social Security Disability back pay will you receive? People joke that attorneys always say, “Well, it depends” – and it does. But fortunately for you, it depends on certain factors controlled by law. I explain more in this video: Transcript: How Much Social Security Disability Back Pay Will You Receive? If you’re medically unable to work and you’re entitled to Social Security Insurance or Social Security Disability benefits, how much back pay are you entitled to? Hi I’m Darrell Castle. I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee.
After days of finger-pointing and politicizing, our government shutdown came to an end. And during those toxic few days, as a bankruptcy lawyer in Memphis, I recognized a common fear: families were terrified of losing a paycheck. From military forces to civil servants who work in the National Parks, you could see the uncertainty on every news channel. And it makes perfect sense. The vast majority of American workers live paycheck to paycheck, and that includes government employees. CNBC recently reported these sober numbers from CareerBuilder: “Seventy-eight percent of full-time workers said they live paycheck to paycheck, up from 75 percent last year. Overall, 71 percent of all U.S. workers said they’re now in debt, up from 68 percent a year
What To Do When You Can’t Make Your Car Payment As a attorney to stop repossession in Memphis, TN, I’ve helped thousands of people avoid losing their cars. But not everyone comes to me first. Sometimes people will try to hide their cars in order to avoid a repossession. Here’s why you shouldn’t do that and why you should call me instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPNi2z6Z3ow Video Transcript Hello I’m Darrell Castle. I’m an attorney here in the state of Tennessee, and I help people stop repossession. That’s one of the things that I do. Sometimes people come into my office and they ask me, “Help me hide my car from the repo man.” I say no, I can’t do that. Number one:
Creating a Budget to Help You Get Out of Debt and Improve Your Credit We’ve talked a lot on our blog about how to get out of debt and how bankruptcy can help many people get back on track. But how can you prevent debt from accumulating in the first place? To do that, you should know how to create a basic budget. A monthly budget allows you control over what you spend. It can help you decide how and when to spend your money, plan for your future by saving money each month through reduced wasteful spending, and reduce your overall debt. If you’ve never tried to create a basic budget before, it can feel daunting, but rest assured,