Experts Available to Discuss President Bush Signs Bankruptcy Law.

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TOPIC: President Bush signed a rewrite of the bankruptcy law Wednesday, which will make it more difficult for Americans to clear their debt by filing for bankruptcy, according to an article by The Associated Press. Under the new law, people who receive an income above their state's median income will need to participate in repayment plans. Many bankruptcy lawyers are anticipating a rush on bankruptcy filings, as the law will go into effect in six months.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Professor Karen Gross, of New York Law School, has testified on several occasions before the National Bankruptcy Review Commission and Congress on bankruptcy issues. She has also spoken publicly about and authored books on bankruptcy, repairing credit reports and credit scores, realizing the true cost of minimum payments and compounding interest, protecting consumer privacy, and understanding legal rights when it comes to debt collection. Most recently, she authored Failure and Forgiveness: Rebalancing the Bankruptcy System (Yale University Press, 1997), which won the Association of American Publishers 1997 Business Management. Professor Gross teaches bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, financial advocacy, and contracts. She also conducts empirical and historical research on these topics. Professor Gross advocates preserving and improving the United States bankruptcy system as a safety net, serving as President of the Coalition for Consumer Bankruptcy Debtor Education, an award-winning pro bono organization she co-founded, and as Director of New York Law School's Economic Literacy Consortium. Professor Gross is also an expert on financial management education and consumer credit counseling.

David M. Levine, of Tew Cardenas, has represented a wide range of clients in major and complex loan and business workouts, business and bankruptcy reorganizations and Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement proceedings. His clients have included creditors, committees of creditors, including banks and other lending institutions, equity receivers, trustees, debtors and acquiring entities. Mr. Levine has been lead insolvency counsel for committees of creditors, creditors, Chapter 11 debtors and bankruptcy trustees in many major cases. Levine has represented various banks and lending institutions in the enforcement and workout of loans in both non-bankruptcy and bankruptcy proceedings.

Dianne L. Wilkman brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her position as president and CEO of Springboard, Non Profit Consumer Credit Management, formerly Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Inland Empire. Wilkman participates in numerous regional and national associations. She is a member of the California Reinvestment Committee, the Inland Empire Bankruptcy Forum, the Orange County Bankruptcy Forum, the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum and is chairman for the Education Committee of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. Springboard's mission is to deliver professional personal finance education, confidential financial counseling, and debt resolution programs in order to strengthen our communities through loss reduction. Springboard is approved by the IRS, State Franchise Tax Board, and State Board of Equalization to offer workout plans on taxpayer debts and, as a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, Springboard is dedicated to increasing and maintaining home ownership as a part of its overall mission.

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