You should bring your most recent pay stub and tax return. Prior to your consultation, we will have you complete a short intake form regarding your property, debts, and income. We will go into those items in more detail during the meeting.
For business bankruptcy, you may need to bring additional documentation, including company balance sheets, budget reports, financial statements, and a list of company property. A list of any questions that you may have for your attorney.
Bankruptcy Consultation Documents: What to Bring to Your First Meeting with Your Lawyer. The most important, mandatory documents to bring to your initial bankruptcy consultation are a list of your outstanding debts and a list of your assets, focusing on major assets, such as houses, cars, boats, trailers, timeshares and the like.
While debtors certainly are able to file for bankruptcy on their own without the help of an attorney, it’s generally not advised. Bankruptcy can be complicated, outside the dozens of forms involved, and just a simple mistake with a document or overlooking an asset can get your case tossed and your debts will not be discharged.
In our experience, the presentation of the documents only serves to verify the truth of the matter, and that is that the overwhelming debt is much too onerous to deal with, and the need to file a bankruptcy is even more necessary.
The first step to prepare for bankruptcy is to gather proof of your income. Copies of your tax returns and copies of proof of income for the past six months are required when you file a Chapter 7 case. To prepare for bankruptcy under Chapter 7, you must complete the Chapter 7 Means Test.
Top Five Things to Do Before Filing for BankruptcyThe bankruptcy process is demanding and emotional. Bankruptcy is designed to provide a new start, but keep in mind that the process is complicated. ... Talk to an attorney. ... Pay some of your bills. ... Change your lifestyle and be realistic. ... Change your phone number.
Common Bankruptcy Trustee QuestionsDid you review your bankruptcy petition and schedules before you filed them with the court?Is all of the information contained in your bankruptcy papers true and correct to the best of your knowledge?Did you disclose all of your assets?
A bankruptcy lawyer specializes in giving legal advice to a client about bankruptcy, prepares legal documents for the client and represents the client in court. An attorney must hold a law degree and be licensed in the state where they do business.
You'll want to open checking and savings accounts at a bank that doesn't service any of your debt and use the new account for banking purposes before filing bankruptcy. Again, you don't need to close other accounts—leave them open and report all accounts when filling out your bankruptcy paperwork.
Unfortunately, it doesn't matter if the money is set aside for a specific bill or purpose; if it's not exempt, the trustee can take it. You are allowed to spend the money you have before filing your case. Although that may sound a bit strange, the bankruptcy law and exemptions exist to protect you.
Filing for bankruptcy is a scary experience, but within the entire process from start to finish, the 341 Meeting of Creditors is perhaps the most daunting. The idea of coming face to face with people who are trying to collect on a debt is understandably intimidating.
Judging by the questions people ask about 341 meetings, people seem to think they're going to be very scary and intimidating. As long as you're going in with a trusted bankruptcy lawyer on your side, there is no reason to be nervous.
Bankruptcy trustees will also look through your bank statements to see your cash deposits and withdrawals. Any large deposits in your account should be accounted for. The bankruptcy trustee may ask you to explain where the money came from and why.
With Chapter 7, those types of debts are wiped out with your filing's court approval, which can take a few months. Under Chapter 13, you need to continue making payments on those balances throughout your court-instructed repayment plan; afterwards, the unsecured debts may be discharged.
A bankruptcy attorney is a lawyer that specializes in the bankruptcy process, having knowledge about the various types of bankruptcy, filing the required documents with the court, and issues with creditors. Most bankruptcy lawyers handle either consumer (personal) bankruptcy, or commercial (business) bankruptcy.
This chapter of the Bankruptcy Code generally provides for reorganization, usually involving a corporation or partnership. A chapter 11 debtor usually proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time.
Preparing for a bankruptcy consultation, no matter if you’re within the Southern District of California Department of Justice, or within another place of jurisdiction, mostly boils down to preparing the same important documentation to bring to your initial consultation:
Now, besides preparing all of the documentation that is extremely important for your case and which allows your bankruptcy attorney to have the perfect insight into your financial troubles, there are two other things you can do in order to prepare for a consultation with your bankruptcy attorney:
In order to help you best, your bankruptcy lawyer will need to know about your life and finances. They will want to know what has brought you to consider bankruptcy , such as credit card debt, difficulty paying a mortgage, medical bills, and so on. They might also ask: If you’re married. If you have children. How much money you and your spouse make.
At your free bankruptcy consultation, you’ll meet your bankruptcy lawyer for the first time and share information about your financial situation and goals. Your attorney will use that information to determine if bankruptcy is right for you, and if so, what type. In order to get the best advice possible, you should prepare for your first meeting ...
Many clients also find themselves getting emotional during their first meeting with a bankruptcy lawyer. You might feel loss, anxiety, sadness, anger, fear, or even relief. Your lawyer understands that it’s natural to feel emotions as you start your bankruptcy journey, so don’t feel ashamed if they come up during your first meeting.
The most important, mandatory documents to bring to your initial bankruptcy consultation are a list of your outstanding debts and a list of your assets, focusing on major assets, such as houses, cars, boats, trailers, timeshares and the like.
If you are thinking of filing for bankruptcy, you are not alone. Lawyers can help you decided whether or not you even need to file a bankruptcy, but if you do, they’ll let you know which chapter would be most appropriate.
In order to keep the filing process as efficient and accurate as possible, we use electronic petition preparation tools. This means that our clients will not be asked to complete any lengthy, handwritten forms. Instead, everything is prepared online.
When it comes to helping our clients, at Hipple Law P.C., our first priority is to attend to any matter that might be urgent. For example, if you are being sued in a lawsuit, your wages have been garnished or you are facing repossession or foreclosure, we will want to address the matter immediately.
We have several office locations throughout the Chicagoland area. To schedule an appointment in one of our offices located nearest to you, give our firm a call. We would be happy to serve you anywhere in Kane County, Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, or Will County.