Newtons.Law

02/21/2026

McGlinchey Stafford has shut its door and has filed bankruptcy.

Full-service law firm providing innovative legal counsel to business clients nationwide.

11/29/2025

10/24/2025

“Consumer prices rose 3.0% in September from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, hotter than August’s increase of 2.9%,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Economists and policymakers are paying close attention to the latest inflation report for clues on the state of the economy and the direction of interest rates. Hiring slowed to a crawl during the summer, prompting the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in September.”

“The report is out more than a week late because a government shutdown has stopped work on economic data.”

The September data gives the Fed a clear path for widely expected rate cuts heading into their remaining meetings this year.

10/02/2025

You are likely accustomed to receiving communication from a pro se debtor following a bankruptcy filing. Bankruptcy is a structured process that can be difficult for a novice. This includes notices that arrive, the automatic stay, and you direct all future communication from and to a creditor and attorney.

"Pro se" is Latin for "on one's own behalf." In the context of bankruptcy, it means the individual debtor is navigating the highly complex federal court process without legal representation.

While debtors have every right to represent themselves, the legal landscape of bankruptcy is notoriously difficult. These individuals often lack a full understanding of the Bankruptcy Code, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and the function of the automatic stay. This gap in knowledge is often the root cause of the direct contact you receive.

If a debtor is represented by counsel, the automatic stay and professional ethics dictate that all contact must go through the attorney. However, when a debtor is pro se, their call to you might stem from a few common misunderstandings, such as confusion about the automatic stay.

A creditor might be calling to confirm an account balance, inquire about a secured asset (like a car or house), or try to negotiate a reaffirmation agreement or plan payment—tasks their attorney would typically handle. Normally, the creditor might call the debtor's attorney, but in this instance there is no debtor's attorney.

Filing for bankruptcy is stressful. A pro se debtor is navigating this stress alone and may simply be seeking reassurance or trying to "speed up" a process that feels slow and uncertain.

For both the pre se debtor and creditor the primary goal is to remain compliant with the automatic stay while gathering the essential information you need to update your records. Here are a few professional guidelines:

Confirm the bankruptcy filing first.

Respect the automatic stay.

State your position, and do not be rude.

Terminate the call.

Maintain a meticulous record of the phone call.

The Bottom Line is to protect yourself when contacting or being contacted by a pro se debtor.

While dealing with a pro se debtor can be less straightforward than dealing with counsel, remember your legal obligations remain the same. The automatic stay is a powerful injunction.

09/24/2025

This addresses the nature and implications of a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). A HELOC functions as a revolving line of credit, secured by the equity in your home, allowing you to borrow funds as needed up to a predetermined limit, similar to a credit card. This differs from a home equity loan, which provides a lump sum. While both HELOCs and home equity loans may offer tax and interest benefits, it is crucial to remember they remain loans, secured by what is often your primary asset.

It is important to note that, in Texas and other jurisdictions, you may not incur personal liability for such a loan; however, your home will be the collateral. This could potentially jeopardize homeownership. The primary objective should be to pay off your home, a goal that becomes challenging if you further encumber the property. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid these types of loans.

09/10/2025

What if wealth had less to do with IQ… and everything to do with behavior?That’s the message in The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel — a book that redefi...

09/10/2025

In this video, I share my journey of transitioning from Apple to Google, using an affordable $350 Chromebook. Discover how this budget-friendly device has ex...

09/10/2025

I would like to share some thoughts regarding the evolving needs of judicial proceedings and the potential for technological integration within our legal system. It appears that while other professional environments, including law offices, are rapidly modernizing, courtrooms and hearings have been slower to adapt.

The pandemic highlighted the necessity and benefits of technology adoption, and it is crucial that we continue to embrace these advancements rather than regress. I believe that not every judge requires a large, dedicated physical courtroom. A focus on telepresence courtrooms could significantly enhance efficiency, reserving physical courtrooms primarily for trials. We anticipate that both law firms and parties appearing for hearings will need to embrace technological advancements to ensure seamless proceedings. Currently, there seems to be a tendency to retrofit existing courtrooms with numerous monitors, attempting to transform them into something they were not originally designed to be. Additionally, there appears to be a notable resistance among some judges to widespread, immediate change.

Ultimately, the optimal approach involves designing courtrooms with integrated technology in mind, rather than attempting to adapt existing structures. Such environments should also be acoustically sound and comfortable for all participants. I believe that courts and judges should proactively lead the way in this technological evolution.

09/01/2025

I am done with by HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw. I have used it and enjoyed it for a number of years. But, in the last couple of years HP has instituted a policy where you cannot use printer cartridges HP does not manufacture. This is regardless if the cartridges have a chip. And, paying HP its outrageous price for cartridges might be one thing, but you cannot easily find the correct cartridges online or in stock at big box office supply stores. I just replaced the cartridges. I went to pay the price and buy HP's product. I could not easily find the HP cartridges near me. So, I bought some other brand. I can still print off one page by hand. It will not print the whole document unless I stand over it. I no longer make a lot of copies, unless I have to mail out a summons by First Class Mail. So ... when I have used the cartridges I will simply throw the HP Laser Jet in the trash, and buy something that is not HP -- you know something where a big corporation does not try try to cut you off if you do not pay them extortion money for years.