John Hart Bauer

.Summary:

Besides bankruptcy, I specialize in returning Excess Cash Equity to foreclosed homeowners.  Most people don't know about this California law...The simple fact is that Calif. law allows you to get cash back when the cash bid exceeds the foreclosed amount at the auction.  This can be a lot of money for you.  But don't wait long after your foreclosure.  I can file a timely claim for you with the foreclosure trustee.

After the real estate debacle of 2007, I learned about mortgage issues and how to handle mortgage lenders.  I focused my legal practice on Chapter 11 Bankruptcy where I would work with individuals and companies to reorganize their mortgages and other debts with the hope of keeping most of these assets by making them all more affordable.  As a sub part of my practice, I assisted people with Chapter 11 cases, both personal and corporate, to relieve themselves of terrible debt which stopped them from moving forward with financial freedom in their lives.  Finally, I have spent considerable time writing litigation letters to credit card and other debt  holders to assist them to defer collection proceedings and/or enter into settlements which would relieve them of substantial debt.  I have helped many people achieve their financial goals--all the way from reorganizing their companies to simply clearing themselves of credit card debt and medical bills.

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I was a very active real estate investor for a number of years.  When the real estate depression of 2007 hit, I was profoundly affected.  As a result, I learned how to negotiate with banks to either retain my properties or surrender them to the lender without further loan or tax liability.  I was able to do this very effectively in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida.  In fact, I authored a book entitled "The Financial Massacre of America:  A Conspiracy to Kill the American Dream" which became an early best seller in Google in 2016 to describe the difference between judicial and non-judicial disclosure and how best to effectively negotiate mortgage debts with lenders. 

Since I was already a California licensed Attorney and Real Estate Broker, I fit my personal experiences and accomplishments into the practice of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.  I learned that this was generally not a liquidation bankruptcy.  I learned that Chapter 11 allowed for reorganization and reduction of mortgage debts, contract debts, and lease obligations to make them AFFORDABLE on a monthly basis--so that an individual or company could RETAIN his/her/its properties and businesses. This was a genuine breakthrough in my life when I learned about the very protective Chapter 11.

Since starting my Chapter 11 practice in 2009, I became very experienced and very successful in the area of Chapter 11.  I have saved my clients their entire portfolio of properties by reducing the amounts of their mortgages, loans, leases, and unsecured debts. I have preserved my clients' assets and saved them from millions of dollars in losses!  I have helped my corporate and personal clients to retain their businesses, but now at affordable debt levels.  I have also handled many clients' individual debt matters outside of bankruptcy including loan modifications, loan forebearance, and simple debt negotations.  I have taken great pleasure in helping people to get straight with their debt situations. 

Let me give you an example of how Chapter 11 may be of benefit to you:  If you have monthly payments on investment real estate or personal property where the present day valuation is less than the loan balance, the loan balance can be reduced to its present day value by Court Order and the interest rate dramatically decreased to reduce the payment substantially.  Here's a recent case I had--my client, a national printing company had signed a lease for large printing presses and owed $3.1 million on that lease.  After an appraisal, we found that the present day value for that equipment was now $800,000.  I procured a Court Order that the present value was now $800,000. and the monthly payments were reduced substantially to repay this much lower balance ($800,000. rather than $3.1 million) over 6 years at 6% interest.  This saved my client thousands of dollars in repayments per month. I have been able to procure savings like this for many of my clients' investment properties and also eliminated 2nd loans altogether from those properties. 

In addition, I was contacted by individuals who had lost their properties through foreclosure, but had some equity remaining in those properties.  They asked me whether they could procure a return of those excess funds from the Trustee.  The answer was "yes," depending upon the values of their properties at the time of foreclosure. Many parties who suffer foreclosure don't realize that they have excess funds over and above a lender's foreclosure.  They have the right to file a claim with the Trustee following the foreclosure to procure a return of those excess funds!  This can amount to a lot of money, indeed!  This has been a very exciting new area of my practice and provided clients with many thousands of dollars that they thought they had lost when their properties were foreclosed upon.  This money gave them the opportunity to start over with new homes and new investments!  I assist people to turn a very negative situation into a positive situation again...

Finally, I decided to represent individuals and companies to develop legal Cannabis Businesses in the State of California.  I became an active member of California NORML, the leading Cannabis Organization in the State of California.  Although Cannabis remains illegal per federal law, it is legal under California Law.  A Cannabis business may therefore generally be licensed and maintained in California as long as it strictly adheres to California law.  This field of experties requires licensing at the local or county level and final approval by the State of California.  If you are considering a Cannabis Business here in California, please contact me so we can discuss the possibility of creating a new Cannabis company.

Call me if you need legal assistance.  I take great care to achieve my clients' goals.  I provide you with my direct telephone number so that I can be reached without the need to proceed through my secretary.  I return all telephone calls within 24 hours--usually 2 hours if I'm not available when you call.  If I take your case, I am taking your case to be successful with your case.  Let's talk shortly.