injury at work and was subsequently unable to return to her job. After her injury, she began receiving Social Security Disability Insurance( SSDI). Ms. S contacted the Pro Bono Center for help during a period when she was receiving many letters from her creditors. She was very concerned and confused about her debt. Living on the limited SSDI income, she would not have been able to pay back her debt. The Pro Bono Center placed her case with a pro bono attorney, who had attended the Pro Bono Center’ s bankruptcy training series supported by American College of Bankruptcy Foundation. While originally Ms. S had contacted the Pro Bono Center to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the volunteer lawyer worked closely with Ms. S to determine her options. Ultimately, the attorney concluded that Ms. S was actually collection-proof and issued letters to her creditors, informing them that they would not recover any debt through litigation. Additionally, all future communications were to be directed to the attorney. This effectively rendered further pursuit by creditors unfeasible, while also ensuring that Ms. S would no longer directly receive distressing letters from her creditors.
• The Pro Bono Project( New Orleans, Louisiana). After meeting with a volunteer attorney at one of our local community clinics sponsored by the America College of Bankruptcy Foundation, a client requested legal help with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. She was self-employed, a student, had recently lost her transportation due to a car accident, and had about $ 45,000 in debt. She gave us a list of her creditors and debts and met with a volunteer attorney to discuss her legal options. After he determined that she was a candidate for Chapter 7, another volunteer accepted the case. The volunteer attorney met with the client, made sure she
met all legal requirements, represented her at a hearing, and ultimately secured a discharge order. The client is now able to move on with her life and pursue her goals.
• Nashville Conflict Resolution Center( Nashville, Tennessee). A single mom had gotten behind on her rent due to daycare bills. At first, she communicated with her landlord that her rent would be late, but then went silent as time went on. Her landlord explained that he felt he had no choice but to file for eviction since he had not heard from her. At the start of mediation, he said he just wanted her to move out within 10 days. After hearing of her hardship, he expressed that he was frustrated that she did not communicate, but that he really does not want to formally evict her. He is a new, young landlord, and expressed that he“ has had some awful landlords himself”, and that he wants to do things differently and” be one of the good guys.” They waffled between getting caught up on the rent so she could remain in the property, but eventually the tenant opted to move out so that she can get her security deposit back and find a cheaper place. Landlord agreed to forgive her last month of rent so long as she moves out on the date they agreed to.
• Legal Aid Society of San Diego( San Diego, California). Jane Doe Client was a senior citizen in her late 70s living on Social Security and food stamps. She fell for an online impersonation scam in which she maxed out all of her credit cards buying gift cards for the scammers. Because of the nature of the scam, the client could not get relief under the laws applicable to identity theft or electronic funds transfers. LASSD worked with the client to prepare a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition and guided her through the case to a successful discharge, providing
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