Jacob Braunstein | Portland Bankruptcy Lawyer

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About Jacob

Jacob D. Braunstein, the founder and managing member of Braunstein Law, PC, is a graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. During law school, Jacob concentrated on criminal law and procedure and clerked for both the Washington County District Attorney's Office and the Oregon Department of Justice. In his first year of law school, Jacob was awarded the honor of Best Appellate Brief in a legal writing competition among first-year law students. He took several classes focusing on criminal law/procedure and advanced legal writing, as well as representing Lewis & Clark Law School in national competition as a member of the Moot Court Mock Trial team.
 
Jacob is a licensed member of the Oregon State Bar, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon. Jacob began his legal career in 2006 as an Associate Attorney for a criminal defense firm in Portland, Oregon specializing in serious criminal charges such as aggravated murder, robbery and assault, as well as less serious charges such as Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. In 2007, Jacob broadened his practice to include Consumer/Debtor law with an emphasis on assisting clients with filing for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy protections. Jacob founded Braunstein Law, PC, in 2007 for the opportunity to grow both his practice and his client base. Jacob now assists clients with a variety of legal issues, including criminal defense, bankruptcy, general civil litigation and estate planning (wills/trusts) and maintains his main office in downtown Portland, Oregon. In 2010, Jacob opened a second office in Sandy, Oregon to better serve the legal needs of the mountain community.
 
When Jacob isn't in the office assisting clients or in court, he can usually be found kayaking, hiking or traveling and enjoying time spent with his children. He lives with his family in NE Portland, but spends a great deal of time in Sandy, Oregon and up on Mt. Hood.

Offers free consultation. Call today to learn more about my fee structure.

Experience

Owner

Braunstein Law, PC

Present

Associate

Des Connall PC

2006-2007

Admission

Verified Oregon

2006

Education

Miami University of Ohio

Bachelors

2002

Recognitions & Achievements

Associations
  • Multnomah Bar Association
    2006 - Present
  • Oregon Trial Lawyers Association
    2006 - Present
  • Multnomah Bar Association, CLE Committee
    2007 - 2009
  • Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
    2006 - 2010
Honors / Awards
  • Bankruptcy Clinic Pro Bono Award Legal Aid Services of Oregon
    2009- 2015

Notable Work

Cases

In re Yarber

Debtors filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy and claimed an exemption for an $8,500 bail deposit made in a criminal case (all charges were later dismissed). The chapter 7 trustee objected to the exemption claimed by the Debtors in the bail bond deposit made prepetition to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. At a hearing on the trustee's objection on October 21, 2014, after confirming some additional facts, the court overruled the objection. The relevant facts were few and undisputed. The Debtors filed their chapter 7 petition on May 2, 2014. In the schedules filed contemporaneously with their petition, the Debtors listed and clearly identified the Deposit on their Schedule B and claimed an exemption in the Deposit in their Schedule C under § 522(d)(5). The Debtors subsequently amended their Schedules B and C, but again, clearly identified the Deposit on their amended Schedule B and claimed the Deposit as exempt under § 522(d)(5) in their amended Schedule C. The Trustee filed the Objection, arguing that under § 522(g), the Debtors could not exempt the Deposit voluntarily transferred to Washington County prepetition. At the hearing, Mr. Braunstein confirmed, without dispute from the Trustee, that the Debtors paying the deposit by certified funds to the Washington County Sheriff's office, was the only way that Debtor could avoid being incarcerated on a criminal claim, that subsequently was dropped. The Court ultimately concluded that the Debtors' prepetition transfer of the Deposit to the Washington County Sheriff's office in lieu of a bail bond to keep Debtor out of jail was not a voluntary transfer for purposes of § 522(g)(1)(A), and overruled the trustee's Objection.

Braunstein Law, PC Highlights

Bankruptcy & Debt

Firm Size: 1
Firm Locations: 1
Languages: English