Access To Court Records

The foreclosure crisis has had a huge effect on individual homebuyers, financial institutions, the economy — and bankruptcy courts. In response, some courts have initiated programs to give debtors and lenders an opportunity to work through their differences — these programs serve the needs of both groups but don’t necessarily lead to foreclosure on the debtor’s home. This broadcast looks at these programs, how they work, and what affect they have had on debtors, creditors, and the bankruptcy courts that use them. Judges Arthur Votolato (Bankr. DRI) and Robert Drain (Bankr. SDNY) talk about the programs in their courts with Judge Elizabeth Stong (Bankr. EDNY), who will moderate the discussion. Bankruptcy practitioner Patricia Antonelli (Partridge Snow & Hahn, LLP) talks about working within the programs from the attorney’s perspective. John Rao (National Consumer Law Center) and Victor Milione (Nixon Peabody, LLP) discuss the programs from the debtors’ and creditors’ perspectives. Debra Miller, Chapter 13 US Trustee (ND Ind.), talks about the role and the view of the Trustee’s office. (April 2011)