My staff and I have been working hard these past few months helping an increasing number of Long Island consumers file for bankruptcy relief

I’ve reported several times recently that bankruptcy filings have zoomed up over the past year.

(See my post from last month:  Rate of National Bankruptcy Filings Now Over One Million a Year   and my post:  Bankruptcy Filings Surged in 2008  ).

Consequently, my Long Island bankruptcy attorney colleagues and I have been quite busy helping Long Island consumers who need to eliminate debts and stop foreclosure.

 For me, that has meant finishing up client appointments as late as 11:00 p.m. on some nights, skipping many a dinner, and spending less time with family. However, during these difficult economic times, many clients need urgent help.

 My two full-time associate attorneys, Jason Leibowitz, Esq. and Dean Weber, Esq., have also been burning the midnight oil with me on many an occasion and I am grateful for their contributions to my firm and their dedication to helping our clients file for bankruptcy on Long Island.

My Personal Observations about Bankruptcy Cases on Long Island So Far this Year

From the types of bankruptcy cases we have been getting this year, I have observed that although job loss has affected some Long Island consumers, I have not yet seen a big bump in bankruptcy filings that are strictly the result of massive layoffs.

Instead, we are filing bankruptcy petitions for a steady but greatly increasing influx of typical Long Island consumers who are suffering from overwhelming credit card bills that are the result of some financial calamity – a failed business, loss of work as the result of illness, massive medical bills, unemployment, inability to work overtime, or divorce and separation.

There is no doubt that many of these clients have debt problems that are the result of the current recession.

However, in the coming months I anticipate seeing the impact of layoffs in the greater New York metropolitan area which will likely have a trickle-down effect on Long Island in which event there will be even more Nassau County bankruptcy filings and Suffolk County bankruptcy filings.  Last month I wrote about how the recession is affecting everyone on Long Island (Long Island Economist Provides More Grave Commentary About the Long Island Economy ).

In addition, there are a much greater number of Chapter 13 filings from Long Island homeowners who are seeking to save their homes from foreclosure. This is directly attributable to the great number of sub-prime mortgages that were issued between two and four years ago.

Typical Bankruptcy Debt Levels Have Increased Substantially

Another observation is that the average amount of family debt is now much greater than ever before. Where many families would have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy a few years ago with $20,000 to 40,000 in typical credit card debt, the figures now routinely approach $100,000 and sometimes more.

I find many consumers are consulting with us in order to learn what their options are if their financial situation does not improve, in which case they will likely need bankruptcy relief down the road.

Many Long Islanders are Suffering from the Emotional Burden of Overwhelming Debt

I also regularly witness first hand the emotional toll my bankruptcy clients have suffered from overwhelming financial obligation.

The emotional cost of reckoning for people drowning in debt is high. However, so many clients have commented to me at the end of the initial bankruptcy consultation that they feel so relieved that there is an available debt relief solution, that they will now be able to sleep at night. This is a shame because many of them have been holding off calling a bankruptcy attorney for months.