Consumer Bankruptcy Journal Summer 2016 | Page 13

THE NACBA CONVENTION EXPEREINCE on point was “Working with Limited Proficiency Clients.” Coincidentally, shortly before the NACBA conference, I received a referral from a colleague for my first Limited English Proficient (LEP) bankruptcy client. The client is a low-income domestic violence survivor who was evicted from subsidized housing because her abusive husband did extensive damage to the apartment and failed to make the rental payments unbeknownst to the client. After leaving her husband and applying for a new housing voucher, the client was deemed ineligible because of the rental debt owed to her previous landlord – putting her and her children at risk for homelessness. A bankruptcy would discharge the rental debt (in addition to defaulted debts she was forced to co-sign by her husband), making her eligible again for housing assistance. While the bankruptcy case was straightforward enough, I was worried about my ability to effectively communicate with the client through an interpreter and the logistics of using interpreters in the bankruptcy proceeding. The LEP session I attended not only provided me with the resources I needed to navigate the logistics of getting appropriate language interpretation at the 341 meeting, but also provided practical advice about using interpreters to ensure LEP clients fully understand their rights and responsibilities throughout the bankruptcy process. Equipped with the knowledge I gained at the conference, I came home to Vermont and successfully filed a Chapter 7 for the LEP client and set up appropriate interpretation for the 341 meeting. Best of all, the housing authority agreed to National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Summer 2016 reverse its denial of the client’s housing voucher in light of the bankruptcy filing, and she and her children once again have housing security! Bankruptcy can have a profoundly positive impact on the lives of the lowincome, disabled and elderly debtors served by legal services agencies. I am grateful to NACBA for supporting the Henry J. Sommer scholarship and making it possible for legal aid attorneys like me to get comprehensive education in consumer bankruptcy practice. Every debtor, regardless of their ability to pay, deserves a competent bankruptcy lawyer. I look forward to continuing to expand and elevate my bankruptcy practice at Vermont Legal Aid with the resources and knowledge I gained at the NACBA convention. CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY JOURNAL 13