Thorny Chapter 7 and 13 Consumer Bankruptcy Issues: Homeownership Preservation and Student Loan Debt

Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 3:00-5:00 PM via Zoom

PRESENTED BY:

Natalie Jean-Baptiste 
Staff Attorney, The Legal Aid Society

Alexander Knipenberg 
Deputy Program Director for Consumer & Economic Advocacy, Build Up Justice NYC

Peter S. White II
Supervising Attorney, Homeowner Assistance, Access Justice Brooklyn

MODERATED BY:

Merly Lopez
Legal Assistant, Access Justice Brooklyn

This CLE will have three components that will provide practitioners with valuable information in helping to resolve homeowner and student loan debt issues in bankruptcy court. The first part of the presentation will cover the basic structures of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. The presenter will also discuss how the automatic stay and adversary proceeding are important in a consumer context. The second portion of the presentation will address how bankruptcy works in a foreclosure prevention context. The presenter will detail some of the common bankruptcy mechanisms that practitioners use to help debtors retain their real property. The third portion will discuss the discharge of federal and private student loan debt in Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The presenter will discuss how changes in the law regarding student loan debt discharge has paved the way for a straightforward loan discharge process. The presenters will take questions at the end. 

Please register for this CLE by noon on Tuesday, November 18th. An invitation to the virtual Zoom presentation will be emailed to you.

CLE Credit: 2 CLE credits available. Appropriate for newly admitted and experienced attorneys. 

*This course is FREE to those who accept one bankruptcy matter from Access Justice Brooklyn before November 1, 2026. Experienced attorneys who take a pro bono case can receive additional CLE credit for every 2 hours of eligible pro bono service. The cost is $50 for registrants who do not wish to take a pro bono referral. 

For more information regarding CLE credit and volunteering with Access Justice Brooklyn, please email Anne O'Grady, Pro Bono Director, at anne@accessjusticebk.org.