Thanks to a grant from the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation, MVLS is excited to launch our new Bankruptcy Bypass Program. This program targets individuals who are collection proof, but are still experiencing a lot of calls and/or harassment from creditors and want to file bankruptcy as a way to stop the harassment.

Bankruptcy Bypass is designed to help stop creditor contact/harassment of these individuals without having to burn through a bankruptcy filing – that way, if they should need bankruptcy in the future, they won’t have to wait to file. The program is designed after a similar program at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.

MVLS will be hosting clinics, where clients can come and meet with an attorney in order to establish if they are indeed collection proof.  If the attorney concludes that they are collection proof and their situation is unlikely to change, MVLS will send out letters on their behalf to creditors explaining that this person’s situation was reviewed by an attorney, the person is collection proof, and requesting that the creditor cease collection efforts and stop contacting the person.

The client leaves the clinic with instructions and a blank log to keep track of any subsequent contacts by the creditors, and we will have a process in place whereby the client can get further help if the creditors do not stop contacting them.

If you are interested in being a volunteer with this new program, please contact Amy Hennen, Managing Attorney for Consumer and Foreclosure at ahennen@mvlslaw.org or 443-451-4064.