Cara O'Neill

Cara O'Neill

Attorney

Cara O'Neill is a legal editor at Nolo, focusing on bankruptcy and small claims. She also maintains a bankruptcy practice at the Law Office of Cara O’Neill and teaches criminal law and legal ethics as an adjunct professor. Cara has been quoted in bankruptcy, finance, small claims, and litigation articles by news outlets that include USA Today, CNBC, U.S. News & World Report, Nerd Wallet, and Yahoo Finance.

Cara received her law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where she graduated a member of the Order of the Barristers—a highly-selective honor society that gives national recognition to top law school graduates demonstrating excellent skills in trial advocacy, oral advocacy, and brief writing.

Working at Nolo. Cara started writing for Nolo as a freelancer in 2014 and became a full-time legal editor in 2016. She has authored a number of Nolo self-help legal books, including How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, The New Bankruptcy, Everybody's Guide to Small Claims (national version), and Everybody's Guide to Small Claims in California. She also co-authors and edits Solve Your Money Troubles and Credit Repair and has written hundreds of articles for Nolo.com, Lawyers.com, TheBankruptcySite.org, and AllLaw.com.

Early legal career. Before joining Nolo, Cara spent 20 years working as a trial attorney litigating criminal and civil cases. She also served as an administrative law judge mediating disputes between auto manufacturers and dealerships and began teaching law as an adjunct professor in 2004. She added bankruptcy to her practice after the 2008 financial downturn.

Origins of litigation and writing career. Thanks to her mother, Cara’s advocacy training began early and involuntarily. In junior high school, she took second place two years running in the local Optimist Club speaking competition. She also successfully competed on her high school speech and debate team for several years, eventually serving as president of the same. During law school, she competed on a nationally ranked ABA moot court team for two years (and was recruited for a third, but declined) and served as a law journal editor.

Articles By Cara O'Neill

Georgia Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Georgia has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Georgia bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Georgia bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Indiana Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Indiana has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Indiana bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Indiana bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Oklahoma Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Oklahoma has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Oklahoma bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Oklahoma bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Wisconsin Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Wisconsin has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Wisconsin bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Wisconsin's bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you must pay to certain creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Missouri Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Missouri has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Missouri bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Missouri bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Alabama Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Alabama has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Alabama bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Alabama bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you must pay to certain creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Nevada Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Nevada has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Nevada bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Nevada bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Tennessee Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Tennessee has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Tennessee bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Tennessee bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
South Carolina Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, South Carolina has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. South Carolina bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use South Carolina bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Florida Bankruptcy Exemptions
Like all states, Florida has its own set of exemptions you can use when filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Florida bankruptcy exemptions help you keep the property you'll need, like a home, car, instrument, retirement account, and furnishings. You'll use Florida bankruptcy exemptions to help you determine the property you can keep in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how much you'll pay to creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.