Avoid personal bankruptcy advice
Q. I'd like to get a thread about personal bankruptcy going. I've personally declared bankruptcy in the past and it was a poor decision. Since then I have created a site discussing personal bankruptcy and options to avoid making the largest finanical mistake of your life. I would appreciate any feedback you financially minded folks can offer.
A. My thought here is that providing bankruptcy information on a website with "law" or "lawyer" in the title isn't a good idea unless you're an attorney. It would certainly violate the California Business and Professions Code, and could also satisfy an element of a violation of section 110 of the Bankruptcy Code. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 6126(a) Any person advertising or holding himself or herself out as practicing or entitled to practice law or otherwise practicing law who is not an active member of the State Bar ... is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year ... or by a fine of up to one thousand dollars ... or by both that fine and imprisonment. Upon a second or subsequent conviction, the person SHALL be confined in a county jail for not less than 90 days, except in an unusual case where the interests of justice would be served by imposition of a lesser sentence or a fine. 11 U.S.C. 110(f) A bankruptcy petition preparer shall not use the word "legal" or any similar term in any advertisements, or advertise under any category that includes the word "legal" or any similar term. .