Debt and Bankruptcy (Ask a Lawyer) [Paperback]

Steven D. Strauss (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ask a Lawyer | Publication Date: May 17, 1998

Know your legal rights without spending a fortune in legal fees; get the advice of an expert for the cost of a book.

It happens to everyone. You need legal help, but you have no idea what you're getting into or where to begin. The thought of hiring a personal attorney-and shelling out outrageous amounts of money in hourly legal fees-makes you cringe. Isn't there a better way?

The Ask a Lawyer series arms you with practical, usable advice about common legal situations, answering your questions and familiarizing you with legal procedure before you ever set foot in a lawyer's office. Each book walks you through simple explanations of the law, legal definitions, tips, and sample scenarios, describing what will happen and what your options are. In some cases, these books can keep you from spending money on a lawyer you really never needed.

Whether you ultimately decide to handle the matter by yourself or use an attorney's assistance for the completion of your plans, these books can easily save you thousands of dollars in the process.

You're in serious debt. It doesn't matter how you got there, but you're in way over your head and can't pay back your creditors. This book takes you through the steps you need to follow when you're having financial problems, including cleaning up your credit report, knowing when to file for bankruptcy and what to expect when you do, differences between a Chapter 7 and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, keeping your property, and reestablishing credit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven D. Strauss is an attorney practicing in Sacramento, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (May 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393317315
• ISBN-13: 978-0393317312
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,953,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven D. Strauss, often called "the country's leading small business expert," is an internationally recognized author, lawyer, and speaker. His column in USATODAY.com is one of the most highly syndicated business columns in the world. The author of fifteen books, including The Small Business Bible, he is also the President of The Strauss Group, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Beginner's Guide To Bankruptcy, December 27, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Debt and Bankruptcy (Ask a Lawyer) (Paperback)

Steven D. Strauss' Debt and Bankruptcy is an excellent, if not short, book on the personal bankruptcy process.

Because of its small size (around 140 pages, plus appendices), this is obviously not an exhaustive review of the entire legal process of bankruptcy, but manages to pack a lot of very useful and interesting information within its covers. I read the entire book over the course of a weekend, and was very impressed with how easy to read and understand the material was.

I have not read many other books on the bankruptcy process, but I certainly did learn quite a few useful things that I did not previously know from reading it.

Although the book briefly touches on other forms of bankruptcy, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 are the two, main types covered. There is a strong bias towards Chapter 7, which is probably the best solution for the majority of consumers seeking debt relief under bankruptcy protection.

Strauss' writing style is enjoyable and to the point. Most chapters are fairly brief, and delve right into the subjects at hand. There are some examples sprinkled throughout the book, but they are extremely limited in scope, and usually only a few sentences long. However, the information presented elsewhere makes the law easy enough to understand that examples are largely unnecessary.

I certainly enjoyed reading this book, and found it very useful, informative and entertaining. It is certainly well worth the modest cover price. For those of you contemplating personal bankruptcy, this is an excellent resource, especially if you are largely unfamiliar with the bankruptcy process itself. My only complaint is that it could have obviously been much longer and more detailed. Still, for its size, you are definitely getting your money's worth.