2024 Consumer Bankruptcy Externship Program
Now in its second year, the Mercer Law School Consumer Bankruptcy Externship Program will assist selected Central Georgians in filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief. The assistance provides a need where there is a lack of access to justice for people who cannot afford it. The program runs Jan. 15 through March 1 2024. Mercer Law is partnering with Georgia Legal Services Program to assist with client intake and screening. To get more information and determine whether you qualify, please call Georgia Legal Services Program at (833) GLSPLAW, (833) 457-7529 for a screening or email freshstart@law.mercer.edu.
A straightforward liquidation bankruptcy, Chapter 7 enables people to get a fresh financial start by disposing of many types of unsecured debts, typically in a span of three to five months and can put a stop to foreclosures, evictions, repossessions, and other types of creditor collection efforts. In a Chapter 7 case, people typically pay their attorney the legal fees upfront, which many can’t afford.
Mercer Law students are working under the supervision of mentor attorneys to provide no-cost legal assistance to qualified people who could not otherwise afford to pay a lawyer to file their bankruptcy case. In the spring of 2023, Mercer Law students provided approximately $30,000 of free legal service to community members in need.
Mercer Professor Ishaq Kundawala, who holds the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute and W. Homer Drake Jr. Endowed Chair in Bankruptcy Law, oversees the program.
“This is a serious access to justice issue with many people in our community,” Kundawala said. “Oftentimes people find themselves in situations not of their own making, such as unexpected medical expenses, death of a family member or other circumstances, that prevent them from fulfilling their financial obligations. Our goal is to get our community members the help they desperately need. We want to bridge the gap that exists between people, lawyers and the justice system.”
As the only law school in Georgia to offer students the ability to represent real clients in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases, Mercer Law stands apart from other schools in experiential education.
