Miami Lawyers

  • The 910-Day Rule: Explaining The Cramdown on Car Loans

    Can you reduce your car loan balance in Chapter 13? Learn how the 910-Day Rule and “hanging paragraph” affect your vehicle cramdown. Prof. Hernandez explains how to save on interest, the PMSI loophole, and why lenders prefer payments over repossession.

  • Cramdown vs. Lien Stripping: What’s the Difference in Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

    Learn the key differences between a Chapter 13 cramdown and lien stripping. Find out how to reduce car payments or eliminate second mortgages in bankruptcy.

  • How to Reduce Your Car Loan Balance Using a Bankruptcy Cramdown

    Is your car loan underwater? Discover how the Chapter 13 cramdown process can “shave” your debt down to the vehicle’s actual value and lower your interest rate. — Prof. Hernandez

  • Robbing Your Future: The Hidden Risks of Using a 401(k) to Buy a House

    Should you use your retirement plan to buy a house in 2026? Prof. Hernandez breaks down the math behind the Home Savings Act and shares a personal lesson from the Great Recession on why your 401(k) is safer than home equity.

  • Record 401(k) Hardship Withdrawals are a Leading Economic Indicator for 2026

    Prof. Hernandez analyzes the record 6% surge in 401(k) hardship withdrawals reported by Fox Business. Discover why this “last resort” move is a leading indicator for the 2026 bankruptcy filing lag.

  • Discharging Your IRS Tax Debt With Bankruptcy: The 3-2-240 Rule for 2026

    Prof. Hernandez explains how to discharge tax debt in 2026 using the 3-2-240 rule. Learn how to navigate IRS priority claims and tax refunds on Bankruptcy.blog

  • Why Chapter 13 is the Ultimate IRS Tax Debt “Restructuring” Tool

    Stop the interest bleed in 2026. Prof. Hernandez explains how Chapter 13 bankruptcy freezes IRS penalties, utilizes the Till Rate for secured liens, and restructures tax debt more effectively than a standard installment agreement. Learn how to pay back priority tax at 0% interest and secure your fresh start.

  • Prof. Hernandez: Using Tax Installment Agreements to Qualify for Chapter 7

    Can’t pass the Means Test? Prof. Hernandez explains how IRS tax payments can legally reduce disposable income on Schedule J to help you qualify for Chapter 7.

  • Small Business Tariff Inflation and Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in 2026. The Quiet Crisis

    Is tariff inflation pushing your small business toward Chapter 7? Prof. Hernandez explains how to bypass the Means Test using the non-consumer debt loophole and navigate personal liability in the 2026 bankruptcy surge.

  • How the National Debt is Forcing Consumers into Debt and Bankruptcy

    How the national debt raises borrowing costs, shrinks household budgets, and pushes families toward Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

  • Avoidance, Abandonment, and the Scope of Bankruptcy Trustee Powers

    Learn the Chapter 7 trustee’s powers: understand the one-year insider look-back, post-petition freezes, and statutory abandonment.

  • Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and Car Loans: Can You Keep Your Vehicle?

    Worried about your vehicle? Learn how Chapter 7 exemptions protect your car loan, how a trustee buy-back works, and the real financial risks of reaffirming.

  • Bankruptcy Code Structure: The Different Chapters Explained | Prof. Hernandez

    Learn about the U.S. Bankruptcy Code structure from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13. Featured in Consumer Bankruptcy Law by Prof. Hernandez.

  • Can You Go to Jail for Debt? The Reality of Debtors’ Prisons

    Debunk the debtors’ prison myth. Learn how aggressive creditors exploit state-court contempt loops to trigger civil arrest warrants, and how to stop them.

  • Why You Should Never File for Bankruptcy on Payday

    Filing bankruptcy on payday is a costly mistake. Learn how the snapshot rule under 11 U.S.C. §541 can trap your paycheck and trigger avoidable financial loss.

  • Why Chapter 7 Liquidations Are Outpacing Chapter 13 Cases

    Chapter 7 filings are growing at triple the rate of Chapter 13. Learn how escrow shock and the $18.8T household‑debt crisis are driving a wave of liquidations.

  • The Hidden Risk of Passive Business Ownership in Consumer Bankruptcy

    Does bankruptcy put a relative’s business at risk if your name is on the paperwork? Bankruptcy attorney & law professor Prof. Hernandez analyzes passive equity.

  • The Statutory Distribution of Debt in Bankruptcy

    A clear guide to how bankruptcy distributes debt, from priority claims to Chapter 13 feasibility and the liquidation test that protects unsecured creditors.

  • The Redfin Delisting Surge: The  “Buying Time” Strategy

    Redfin data shows a surge in delistings as homeowners try to “buy time.” This article explains the risks of becoming an accidental landlord in a tightening economy.