For the first episode of Beyond the 341, Massachusetts bankruptcy attorney Michael Goldstein takes the guest chair. Sean Dennin, executive director of the California habitability firm Birch Citadel, interviews Mike about what two decades of consumer bankruptcy practice teaches, how AI is changing the way firms work, and why the bar needs a show that goes past Bankruptcy 101.

The conversation starts with judgment calls that come with experience: a high-earning client who belonged in Chapter 7 once his business debts were sorted out, and clients earning $300,000 or more who used Chapter 13 to deal with underwater second homes. Mike makes the case for bankruptcy as a strategic tool for people who aren't in crisis, alongside the foreclosure and repossession cases that bring most people in.

From there, Mike and Sean get into AI on both sides of the consult. Clients now arrive with ChatGPT-drafted memos, while firms use AI voice intake to triage foreclosure dates, judgments, and wage attachments at 9:30 at night. They also discuss why bankruptcy works like an emergency practice, where response time often decides who gets retained, and how better triage helps a firm decline the cases it shouldn't take.

Mike closes with the topics he plans to cover with guests: the 2022 student loan attestation process, Zoom hearings and remote 341 meetings, and whether practitioners are facing the biggest shift since BAPCPA rewrote the Code in 2005.

Starting next week, Mike returns to the host chair for conversations with bankruptcy attorneys from around the country. New episodes post Fridays.

The chapter markers and pre-release fixes from my last message still apply to this version.