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In today’s economy, more and more business owners are facing the prospect of bankruptcy. If your company is struggling financially, there’s a lot you need to know before filing for bankruptcy.

Financial difficulties can make running your business next to impossible—if you’re facing the prospect of filing for bankruptcy protection, there’s a lot you need to know!

Bankruptcy May Not Be Your Only Option

Even when debts are piling up and creditors are harassing you and it seem like there’s no end in sight for your money woes, corporate bankruptcy may not be your only option. There are non-judicial solutions, including workouts and turnarounds, that can be used to satisfy your business debts without declaring bankruptcy. These bankruptcy prevention strategies may be right for your company, so contact your local bankruptcy attorney for specific advice about your particular situation.

You Need a Bankruptcy Lawyer

Filing for bankruptcy without an attorney may seem like a great way to save money, but this plan is likely to backfire in the long run. Keep in mind that your bankruptcy lawyer is a professional with years of experience dealing with the complexities of bankruptcy law. As an expert, he or she has the knowledge and expertise you can rely on to successfully guide you through the bankruptcy proceedings. While it may feel like you’re all alone when your company is in dire financial straits, hiring a corporate bankruptcy attorney means you’ll have a pro on your side! Whether it’s helping you develop a viable alternative to bankruptcy or arguing your case in the courtroom, your business bankruptcy lawyer will be an invaluable asset to your company.

Bankruptcy Should Be a Last Resort

At first glance, bankruptcy may sound like a great idea if your company has financial problems: freeing you from unmanageable debt, bankruptcy protection does have a glimmer of allure. But bankruptcy should not be entered into lightly! In the case of filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your company will be liquidated to satisfy your creditors, eliminating the business you worked so hard to build. Even with bankruptcy filings that don’t dissolve your company, you’ll be saddled with the social stigma of the bankruptcy, creating complications down the road. Bankruptcy can be a resolution for your insolvency issues, but be sure it’s your only option. Your bankruptcy attorney can provide specific advice and guidance, so contact them today

Bankruptcy is a term we hear all the time but don’t necessarily understand. We’ve put together a brief overview of business bankruptcy in the US to help you understand the meaning and consequences of corporate bankruptcy in today’s down market.

With today’s tough economic situation, we’ve been hearing more and more about business bankruptcies in the news. But what exactly is bankruptcy and what does it mean when a business says it’s filing for bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is a legal filing that enables struggling businesses to resolve issues of insolvency. Generally caused by a lack of cash flow, filing a bankruptcy can be initiated by the business or by its creditors (called an involuntary bankruptcy). Once a bankruptcy case has been filed, the judicial system works to create a fair settlement between the business debtor and its creditors.

Most business bankruptcies fall into one of four categories, or types of filing:

• Chapter 7: Bankruptcy Liquidation—This type of bankruptcy dissolves the company, selling off its assets to pay all or part of its debts. Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection is generally utilized by companies with irresolvable cash flow or financial problems and by small, sole proprietorship businesses.
• Chapter 11: Bankruptcy Reorganization—This type of bankruptcy takes the corporation through a period of structural and financial reorganization with the goal of regaining profitability. Operations are typically streamlined to reduce costs, some assets can be sold off to satisfy creditors, and other changes are all options with this type of corporate bankruptcy. Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings are generally used by large and medium-sized corporations.
• Chapter 12 Bankruptcy: Bankruptcy for Family Farmers and Fishers—this specialized form of business bankruptcy is designed for family farming and fishing operations, and is used with less frequency than Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
• Chapter 13: Wage-Earner Bankruptcy—Frequently used in personal bankruptcy filings, this type of bankruptcy can also be used by sol proprietorship companies. Enabling them to repay debts over a set time period (usually three to five years), Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows the business owner to retain their assets.

If you’re considering filing for corporate bankruptcy, give us a call before making any final decisions. We can provide you with expert advice regarding the future of your company.

Bankruptcy Lawyers Make Corporate Bankruptcy Easier and Less Stressful

Why should you turn to a bankruptcy lawyer when your business is in trouble? Because these professionals can make the process of filing a corporate bankruptcy easier! Contact your local bankruptcy attorney today.

For many companies facing financial difficulties, the first question that comes up is, “Why should I use a bankruptcy attorney?” Oftentimes the issue is rooted in money concerns, with small business owners wondering if they can afford to hire a bankruptcy attorney. But when it comes to corporate bankruptcy, the better question is can you afford not to hire a bankruptcy lawyer?

To start with, a bankruptcy attorney is a professional in the industry. That means he or she has years of experience dealing with situations like yours. While it may feel like you’re all alone, when you hire a skilled corporate bankruptcy attorney, you suddenly have a professional batting for you. Not only can this expert best argue your side in a courtroom, he or she may also be able to find a bankruptcy prevention solution.

In many cases, it’s easy for business owners to simply become overwhelmed by their financial obligations and debts, and assume that filing for bankruptcy is the only option. However, there are sometimes better alternatives, including financial workouts and debt restructuring. Even if you’ve given up all hope, your bankruptcy attorney may be able to identify an alternative to bankruptcy protection and work with your debtors to resolve your money problems out of court.

Finally, hiring a bankruptcy attorney allows you to focus on rehabilitating your business while he or she deals with resolving your company’s debt issues. From stopping the harassing phone calls from creditors to working on debt restructuring or bankruptcy negotiations, your bankruptcy lawyer can handle all aspects of your debt resolution while you handle the day-to-day operations of your business. Let your bankruptcy lawyer handle the legal stuff while you do what you do best—run your business.

If it does come down to bankruptcy in the end, your lawyer can provide endless help on technical issues such as filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy versus a Chapter 11 bankruptcy as well as handling the paperwork and negotiations. So no matter how your corporate bankruptcy turns out, a bankruptcy attorney will prove invaluable during the process. Contact us today for additional information.

Corporate Bankruptcy: When Should a Business File for Bankruptcy?

When your company is facing money problems, it can be hard to know when to file for bankruptcy. Consulting with an experienced bankruptcy lawyer can help you determine if your business must file for Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

In the current economic climate, more and more businesses are suffering from increased financial stress. When your debts are piling up, it can be hard to decide if or when to file for bankruptcy protection. Here is a brief overview of the issues surrounding bankruptcy, but you should always consult with a professional bankruptcy attorney prior to making any decisions regarding a bankruptcy filing.

The simple answer is, try every other solution before filing for bankruptcy. Even if your company is overwhelmed by debts and creditors, there may be non-judicial resolutions available. Financial restructuring and workouts can help you satisfy your debtors without having to file for bankruptcy. In fact, simply letting your creditors know you’re considering bankruptcy may be incentive enough for them to come to the bargaining table! These types of bankruptcy prevention strategies create a compromise solution between your company your business debtors. The end result is a negotiated partial repayment whereas a bankruptcy would likely result in the creditor getting nothing. Workouts and debt restructuring are a way of resolving your debts without the hassle, cost, or embarrassment of filing bankruptcy.

For small business owners, a business bankruptcy can also impact your personal finances. In partnerships and sole proprietorships, you can be held personally liable for your company’s debts, and your assets can be used to satisfy your creditors. Obviously, in these cases, you’ll want to seek every possible alternative to bankruptcy in order to safeguard your personal property. Additionally, filing for bankruptcy will likely make it harder to start a new business in the future. Not only will you have depleted assets, but the social and financial stigma of bankruptcy may also be a problem for you.

However, if your debt problems can’t be resolved any other way, bankruptcy protection may be your only option. Depending on your company’s structure, there are a number of different options available for corporate bankruptcy. In order to determine the most appropriate type of bankruptcy for your business, you’ll need to consult an experienced bankruptcy attorney. In fact, if your debts are mounting, you may want to speak with a bankruptcy lawyer before the situation becomes truly dire. He or she may be able to help get your company turned around from the brink of disaster with knowledgeable advice and guidance.

If you’re considering business bankruptcy, take control of your circumstances by contacting a bankruptcy professional today!

Because involuntary cases are just a small percentage of bankruptcy cases as a whole, parties do not always realize that the administration of such cases differs in significant respects from the more familiar voluntary cases. The purpose of this article is to provide some pointers to those who occasionally practice in this area. This two-part series presents my top twenty tips for petitioners, judges, alleged debtors, assignees, secured creditors and trustees.

Tips for Judges

11. Wait Until The Return Date Before Setting A Status Or Ordering Relief

In an involuntary case the petitioning creditor must summon the debtor to answer the petition. More often than not, the summons is served by mail. Pursuant to Fed.R.Bank.P. 1011(b) & 9006(f) the debtor has 23 days to answer or otherwise plead after service by mail. Therefore, you should not set a status on the case or enter an order for relief at least until that amount of time has elapsed; otherwise, you will just be wasting the parties’ time and your own.

In that regard it is useful to check the docket or court file to see if a proof of service has been filed. Oftentimes, service is not effected on the day the case is filed, so the time limitations discussed above may need to be further extended. In the absence of prompt proof of service by the petitioner, you should consider entering a show cause order why the case should not be dismissed for failure to prosecute it.

12. Make Sure The Summons Is Fresh

Fed.R.Bank.P. 1010 provides for service of involuntary petitions and allows for the petition and summons to be served by mail. The rule incorporates Fed.R.Bank.P. 7004(e), which mandates that the summons be deposited in the mail within 10 days of issuance. Because debtors in involuntary cases have been known to be elusive, it is not uncommon for the petitioner to encounter difficulty in effecting service. If the summons is mailed more than 10 days after issuance, it is stale and you should not enter an order for relief because in personam jurisdiction has not been obtained.

13. Do Not Authorize The Appointment Of A Gap Trustee Without A Bond

As noted in Tip #2 the petitioner may request the appointment of a trustee before the order for relief. In a chapter 7 case Fed.R.Bank.P. 2001(b) requires the court to condition the appointment on the petitioner’s posting a bond to ensure payment of any judgment that may be entered against the petitioner pursuant to § 303(i). For example, the bond would cover debtor’s damages should the court find that the petition was filed in bad faith. Note that the interim trustee’s bond which protects creditors in case of defalcation of estate funds is entirely different and cannot serve for complying with Fed.R.Bank.P. 2001(b). Also note that the bond requirement applies only in chapter 7, not in chapter 11 cases.

14. State Reasons For Appointing A Gap Trustee And The Trustee’s Duties

Typically, reasons for orders are stated in opinions, not in the orders themselves. An exception applicable to involuntary chapter 7 cases is provided by Fed.R.Bank.P. 2001(c), which provides that the “order directing the appointment of an interim trustee shall state the reason the appointment is necessary and shall specify the trustee’s duties.”

Because of the exceptional nature of this kind of order, the requirement is easily overlooked, but, of course, it should not be. Again, note that this requirement does not apply where the court authorizes the appointment of a chapter 11 trustee before the order for relief. Also note that whereas in chapter 7 cases the rule requires an explicit statement of the § 704 duties imposed on the “gap” trustee, the duties of a chapter 11 trustee authorized before the order for relief are as provided in § 1106.

Tips for Alleged Debtors

15. You Can’t Act Like A DIP If You Aren’t One

As the alleged debtor you are ordinarily free to act as if the involuntary bankruptcy petition had not been filed. See § 303(f). Of course, sometimes you might wish to have the bankruptcy court enter an order approving conduct you are considering, such as a sale of property or the retention of counsel. You should not make this request, nor should the court approve it if you do, because as the alleged debtor you wholly lack the power and authority to act like a trustee in bankruptcy or debtor in possession. Without any statutory basis for such a request, such a request must be denied.

16. You Should Consider Converting An Involuntary 7 To Chapter 11

An order for relief under chapter 7 is a business debtor’s financial death knell. Unless your business is dead, you should consider converting a chapter 7 involuntary to chapter 11. Doing so will leave you in control of the business, at least for the time being, and, even if the business is not viable in the long term, you can influence, if not control, the manner of its eventual liquidation.

You need not consent to the entry of an order for relief under chapter 7 at all. Section 349(a) provides that simply by converting the involuntary chapter 7 petition to chapter 11 the order for relief under chapter 11 is effected. Section 349(e) provides you an additional bonus: conversion to chapter 11 terminates the service of any trustee and restores you to possession. One negative consequence of conversion is the Clerk’s conversion fee and the U.S. Trustee quarterly fees that will apply until your case is closed. Another is that you cannot retain any professional that you owe money as of or before the order for relief, because that professional will not satisfy the disinterestedness test of § 327.

A Tip for Assignees

17. Know Your Rights And Duties Under § 543

As assignee for the benefit of creditors you liquidate a debtor’s assets outside of bankruptcy and distribute the proceeds in accordance with the priorities of state and federal non-bankruptcy law. If you received the assignment within 120 days of the involuntary petition, the entry of the order for relief is automatic under § 303(h)(2). Furthermore, once you know the bankruptcy has been filed, you may not do anything to complete the assignment, even if the order for relief has yet to be entered, and may take only such action as is necessary to preserve the property under your control. See § 543(a).

Section 543 imposes other duties upon you, such as turning over the property to the trustee and filing an accounting of your administration, but these duties may be excused in whole or in part if the interests of creditors and, if the debtor is not insolvent, equity security holders, favor your continuing administration of the property. Therefore, you should strongly consider requesting such relief from the court, especially where you have completed a significant percentage of the assignment.

Note that if you are not excused from the turnover requirements of § 543, Fed.R.Bank.P. 6002 requires you to provide the court and U.S. Trustee a prompt accounting of your administration. You should request the court to approve your fees at the same time as you do the final account of your administration.

A Tip for Secured Creditors

18. You Are In The Catbird Seat, So Take Advantage Of It

Even though the filing of the involuntary case triggers the automatic stay of § 362, you are still in the catbird seat. You can move to lift the stay before the order for relief and the appointment of a trustee. Under Fed.R.Bank.P. 4001(a)(1) you need only serve the debtor and debtor’s attorney, if there is one, and the U.S.Trustee, if so requested or ordered by the court pursuant to Fed.R.Bank.P. 2002(k). Technically, under Fed.R.Bank.P. 4001 you do not have to serve the petitioning creditors or their counsel, but it is unlikely any court would grant relief in the absence of such service.

Whether the involuntary case is a chapter 7 or 11, quick action on your part is likely to result in a situation where you can prevail on a default basis, since the debtor may not be prepared or willing to respond and no trustee may have been appointed. While the court may be reluctant to grant relief in this circumstance, you should strongly consider not waiving your right to a hearing in 30 days as provided by § 362(e). See also Tip #3 which you may be able to use to your advantage.

Tips For Trustees

19. Enforce Compliance By A Contempt Motion If Necessary

Once the order for relief is entered, Fed.R.Bank.P. 1007 requires the debtor to file the list of creditors, schedules and statement of affairs within 15 days. It is not uncommon for the debtor to either disregard this rule or unreasonably delay in complying with it, effectively frustrating the administration of the case.

As the trustee, you are the representative of the estate and should take steps to enforce compliance. If no order has been entered designating a specific individual as the one responsible for filing the papers on behalf of the debtor, you can request the court to make that designation under Fed.R.Bank.P 9001(5). Once the order is entered, you can enforce it through a contempt motion under Fed.R.Bank.P. 9020.

If the debtor or the debtor’s designee has skipped the jurisdiction or it is otherwise impractical to follow the strategy suggested above, you can request the court to designate a petitioning creditor as the person to file the lists and schedules, or do it yourself. See Fed.R.Bank.P. 1007(k). While doing this task is not an attractive prospect, at least the cost of doing so is allowable as an administrative expense.

20. Anticipate A Trustee Election

In an involuntary case the creditors are almost by definition more organized and motivated than in a typical voluntary case. Even before filing the case the petitioners may have settled on the person they want to serve as trustee, and that person may not be you. Remember that Fed.R.Bank.P. 2006(d) prohibits you from soliciting proxies on your behalf, and that it is inadvisable for you to preside at the meeting of creditors or conduct the election yourself. If you suspect that an election will be called, advise the U.S. Trustee and request that a U.S. Trustee representative preside at the meeting and conduct the election if one is requested. Finally, remember that you are the trustee until you aren’t, and, therefore, have the responsibility for discharging the trustee’s duties under § 704 as long as you serve.

[i] The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, the United States Department of Justice or the United States Trustee Program. Contact the author at Richard.C.Friedman@usdoj.gov.

Richard C. Freidman is Trial Attorney, United States Trustee Program, Region 11 (Chicago) and can be reached at Richard.C.Friedman@usdoj.gov.