Small Firm Takes Big Bankruptcy Fight to High Court


For a number of lawyers across the country, a 2005 federal law requiring them to advertise as a debt relief agency -- regardless of whether they offer sporadic or regular bankruptcy advice to clients -- irritates like a pair of ill-fitting shoes. Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, a 10-lawyer Minnesota firm, has waged a four-year battle against the law's provisions, which they argue pose ethical conflicts and strike at the heart of First Amendment values. That odyssey culminates at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.