Attorney L. Jed Berliner has practiced in bankruptcy, commercial litigation, creditors' rights and debtor's remedies since 1982, having generally practiced since 1976. He has headed Berliner Law Firm of Springfield, Massachusetts since 1988, which operated a satellite office in Northampton, Massachusetts from 1990 to 2007.
Attorney Berliner received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Cornell University in 1972 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas in 1977. He now practices exclusively in consumer bankruptcy law and related consumer protection areas.
Professional memberships include the American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (conference speaker), The National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (associate member) and the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Civic duties include participation in the 2007 Financial Literacy Program at South Hadley High School, South Hadley, MA, and serving on the Zoning Board of Appeals for his hometown of Hampden, Massachusetts since 1987 (Chair 1990-2000).
Attorney Berliner is a contributor to LETTERS FOR BANKRUPTCY LAWYERS: ESSENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR CLIENTS, CREDITORS, OPPOSING COUNSEL, AND OTHERS edited by Marc S. Stern and Joel Pelofsky (American Bar Association 2006). He is a founding member of the Bankruptcy Law Network (www.bankruptcylawnetwork.com) and is a regular contributor to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the Bankruptcy Roundtable, two specialized bankruptcy forums on the Internet. Attorney Berliner is a mentor to bankruptcy practitioners throughout the Commonwealth. He contributed to the local rules on electronic filing rules through his past membership on the initial ad hoc committee, and is recognized by his peers as an expert in consumer bankruptcy issues. He enjoys universally being rated ?excellent” in his client surveys. Among his successes in litigation are the prohibition of foreclosure deficiency notices without an inapplicable-in-bankruptcy legend from Silva v. Harmon, D MA 2003 (CA 01-30140-MAP), and the prohibition of an out-of-state law firm controlling in-state bankruptcy litigation from MBNA v. Steele, Bankr D MA 2003 (02-4137). He changed local practice in 1996 when he successfully argued against payment of a Chapter 7 trustee's fees as a prerequisite for conversion to Chapter 13, and also has successfully challenged (1) the practice of Chapter 13 meetings of creditors being held in Worcester, MA for Springfield, MA cases, (2) Chapter 13 trustee objections to plans having a liquidation analysis with assets valued at a liquidation standard, instead of the higher replacement value standard, and (3) Chapter 13 trustee objections to liquidation analyses using estimated fees of a hypothetical Chapter 7 trustee. Attorney Berliner is at the cutting edge in his region for mortgage defense litigation. He takes his greatest pride in avoiding needless, costly litigation and risks for his clients by successful pre-filing planning.
