| Compensation for Professionals |
| The Bankruptcy Code provides the statutory authority for compensating the services and reimbursing the expenses of officers of the estate. These claims are afforded first priority in the distribution of an estate. The Bankruptcy Code prescribes the standards according to which the amount of compensation is to be determined. More... |
| Preferential Transfers |
| A trustee in bankruptcy may avoid certain statutory liens, fraudulent transfers, as well as preferences. The Bankruptcy Code provides that certain transfers made by a debtor within close proximity of bankruptcy are preferential to the recipient and violate the Bankruptcy Code's policy of equal treatment of creditors. The elements of a so-called "preference" or "preferential transfer" are easy for a trustee in bankruptcy to prove. The defenses available to the creditor are limited and the cost to litigate can be high. More... |
| Conversion and Dismissal of a Chapter 12 Case |
| Chapter 12 specifically provides that a debtor may voluntarily convert a Chapter 12 bankruptcy case to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or dismiss the case at any time. Creditors, however, may not seek the involuntary conversion of a debtor's Chapter 12 bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy unless fraud is shown in connection with the case. More... |
| Contested Matters |
| Whenever there is an actual dispute, other than an adversary proceeding, before the bankruptcy court, the litigation to resolve that dispute is a contested matter. For example, the filing of an objection to a proof of claim, to a claim of exemption, or to a disclosure statement creates a dispute that is a contested matter. Even when an objection is not formally required, there may be a dispute. If a party in interest opposes the amount of compensation sought by a professional, there is a dispute that is a contested matter.More... |
| Property Interests of Debtor and Other Family Members Affected by Bankruptcy Case |
| Analysis of the extent and nature of the bankruptcy estate is essential to determining what will happen to a debtor's property in bankruptcy, a subject that is often of enormous importance to the debtor's spouse or former spouse and to other members of the debtor's family. More... |



