From: Bloomington, Minnesota

NACBA’s October Member 2009 Member of the Month and NACBA’s State Chair for Minnesota, Craig Andresen, has been a sole practitioner for the past 21 years. Craig’s firm, located in Minneapolis, focuses exclusively on consumer and small business bankruptcy law. Craig especially enjoys cases that might not be easy or that might involve challenges from adverse parties. And he offers the following perspective on the origins of bankruptcy protection: “I’m fond of remembering that the idea of periodic debt forgiveness came to Western civilization by means of the Old Testament. It’s so ingrained in our culture that even non-attorneys seem to know there’s something immutable about Chapter 7 and the need to forgive debt when it’s necessary.”

Craig joined NACBA in 2005. He has been an active listserv participant since then and as State Chair, decided to bring this important tool to the local level in Minnesota. Along with NACBA member Ian Ball, Craig created a listserv for Minnesota consumer bankruptcy attorneys. It has been valuable in recruiting new NACBA members. On a debtor attorney-only listserv, they can talk freely about legal issues and strategies. There are over 100 lawyers on the Minnesota consumer bankruptcy listserv, with an average of about 650 posts per month.

Craig has several reported cases in which he represented the debtor:

-In re Wegner, 91 B.R. 854 (Bky.D.Minn.1988) (707(b) motion cannot be sustained against a debtor who is ineligible for a chapter 13).
-In re Irwin, 232 B.R. 151 (Bky.D.Minn.1999) (lawnmowers are exempt under Minnesota law, computers are not).
-In re Makinen, 239 B.R. 532 (Bky.D.Minn.1999) (debtor denied a discharge under section 707 where he could repay his debts).
-In re Katusky, 372 B.R. 910 (Bky.D.Minn.2007) (spendthrift trust excluded from bankruptcy estate even if inherited within 180 days of filing).
-In re Ansar, 383 B.R. 344 (Bky.D.Minn.2008) (ten day “notice of non-determination of abuse” statement filed by UST failed to meet section 704 standards, debtor’s discharge allowed).

Reflecting on his association with NACBA, Craig said: “During the four years I’ve been a NACBA member, my law practice and professional life has improved beyond measure, by the people I’ve met, the things people have taught me, and those who’ve given their time to me. In Minnesota it’s fair to say we’ve had an explosion in NACBA membership since 2005. It’s been gratifying to see Minnesota NACBA members getting things done in this court district. NACBA member Jessica McKinney is our state bar Bankruptcy Section’s new education coordinator, and NACBA member Ron Lundquist was instrumental in getting our Local Rules amended regarding the need for detailed financial information in lift stay motions. Much of the credit for developments like this in Minnesota belongs to NACBA. “

Craig graduated from St. Olaf College with a B.A. in Political Science in 1984 and went on to the
William Mitchell College of Law, from which he graduated in 1987. He has been a Member of the Minnesota State Bar’s Bankruptcy Section since 1988. He is a frequent speaker, including serving as Moderator of a panel discussion for new lawyers on “How to Defend 707(b) Motions” for the state bar’s Bankruptcy Section in September 2009. He was a panelist at 2008 NACBA Convention in Hollywood on Means Testing and at the 2003 Minnesota Bankruptcy Institute on the issue of Bad Faith and Ethics Issues.

Craig has two daughters, ages 23 and 24, and enjoys mountain bike racing and doing triathlons with them.