Consumer Legal Services, LLC BLOG

For so long as we have had wars, we have had Veterans; and for so long as we have had Veterans, we have had a need to provide care and services for Veterans. Beginning with our country’s first war, the Revolutionary War, there was a Bureau of Pensions for Veterans. As the country developed, and...Read More

On a cold, grey day in early March, I drove into New Haven with a friend. We parked across the street from the Apple Store in the public parking lot designated for the Shops at Yale, walked down Broadway a few blocks and took a left onto the Yale Campus. We meandered our way through,...Read More

Most people file for Bankruptcy in the hopes of a fresh start. In the simplest of terms, there are two main types of Bankruptcy: (1) Chapter 7 where debts are erased and (2) Chapter 13 where debts are repaid. At the end of a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, the person who filed (called a “Debtor”), will...Read More

My parents were married right before Valentine’s Day in 1960. Their bridesmaids carried heart-shaped bouquets and wore red lace dresses over taffeta. My parents remained married until my father passed away, and had they both still been alive today, they would have been celebrating their 65th Wedding Anniversary this month. I will still mark the...Read More

Alimony, rooted in the Latin word “alimonia,” and meaning nourishment or sustenance, is also known as spousal support or maintenance.The history of Alimony is fascinating and dates far back to the 1750’s BC when it first appeared in the Code of Hammurabi, which stated in pertinent part that a man must support a women who...Read More

Qualification for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is based solely on income. Specifically, income from the last six complete months. So if we are sitting in November, we analyze gross (not net) income from May 1st to September 30th. (It is a rolling six-month basis, so in December we will count June to November.) We go by...Read More

Below is a copy of a letter that attempts to scam bankruptcy filers. If you receive something like this, please contact me immediately so we can report it to the proper authorities.Read More

If you are struggling to pay your electric and gas bills, you are not alone. Recently, I called the United Illuminating Company for a client and explained that he is living solely on Social Security and cannot afford his electric bill. It did take a few minutes to get through to the customer service representative...Read More

The Judicial Branch of the State of Connecticut tells us in an informational pamphlet that “a child needs emotional and financial support of both parents.” When parents are not together (as a result of never having been married or getting a divorce), the financial support comes in the form of Child Support.The history of child...Read More