On January 12th, Robert E. Girvan III spoke at the 24th Annual MCLE Bankruptcy Law Conference in Boston on “Thorny Lien Issues” to an audience of attorneys and professionals. The panel focused on various complex lien issues that sometimes arise in bankruptcy proceedings.

A lien is a legal claim against a person’s property that “secures” a debt owed to a creditor. The most common example of a lien is a mortgage upon your real estate, or if you finance an automobile loan it is likely that whoever you borrowed money from to purchase the vehicle has a lien on the title of your vehicle. But there are also less common lien issues that arise in bankruptcy, and these issues were the subject of the presentation.

Attorney Girvan and the panel discussed various complex lien issues, namely the avoidance of judicial liens in bankruptcy, mechanics’ lien issues, and issues relating to tax liens filed by the IRS or the state taxing authorities. These liens are not as commonplace as liens made by agreement such as mortgages or auto loans, but there are complexities involved that practitioners and anyone filing for bankruptcy need to be aware of before seeking bankruptcy relief.

If you are dealing with liens on your property, bankruptcy may be an excellent option for dealing with those liens. However, there are also difficult issues to consider, and therefore you should speak with an attorney about the liens on your property and whether bankruptcy would help or hurt your situation with any liens. Weiner Law Firm, P.C. has the experience and knowledge needed to navigate these intricate issues.