Well, I think just about every bankruptcy blog in Central Florida is posting on this topic this week, and I really don't want to go against the grain here. So, there's a law firm in town, who in this blog will remain nameless, that got banned from practicing bankruptcy in the Middle District of Florida. The particulars of why this firm was banned are not very important. The important thing is what happens to this firm's clients.
To start, the clients should be notified that their attorney is now ineligible to practice law in front of the court where the bankruptcy has been filed. This means that the attorney cannot file anything on behalf of the client and may not appear with the client at court proceedings. How exactly this firm will accomplish informing its clients that it cannot represent them, has yet to be seen.
What is clear, is these clients are now essentially pro se in their bankruptcies, or representing themselves. Given the frequency of filing by the banned firm, many of the clients are certain to be immediately impacted this week. At a minimum these people will be attending their 341 Meeting of Creditors alone and without the counsel for which they paid. I think it goes without saying that not being able to provide a service for which your client paid does not bode well for this particular firm.
Of course, the way our firm practices, taking time and care preparing each bankruptcy case and filing, is how we can assure our clients never end up in a similar position.
