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Getting A Fresh Start

I will not mislead you. Bankruptcy always looks bad on your credit report, and it will stay on your credit report for seven to ten years. But, by the time most people come to see me, their credit report is already shot. At that point, filing bankruptcy can sometimes improve the credit report since, upon receiving your discharge, you are no longer legally liable for the discharged debts.

Yes. You will be eligible for most VA, FHA and conventional mortgages, two to five years after your discharge. Many car lenders will finance a car for you quickly after your discharge if you file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Also, you may even purchase a vehicle, if you file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, during your plan if the Chapter 13 Trustee or Court approves. Please understand, however, that you will still need to qualify for these loans and you will probably be charged higher interest than a person with good credit, but you will be allowed to begin rebuilding a good credit rating.

Generally, fees and fines owed to a government - whether local, state or federal - are not dischargeable, e.g., traffic violations, parking tickets, toll fee violations, and criminal restitution.

Generally, no. Most of these programs cost more than filing bankruptcy, most of them are not successful, and some are scams. They often take longer than bankruptcy and can leave your credit in shambles, even after all the payments are made. There are many debts that cannot be addressed with debt settlement companies, like car payments, etc. You will be left to deal with those creditors directly. How is that helping to get you into "one lower payment" per month? It isn't.

No. A married couple has the right to file a joint bankruptcy, and I do not charge extra fees for filing a joint case. However, just because you are married doesn't mean your spouse must file, too. I find many situations where the spouse has little debt and good credit. In that instance, I advise my clients for their spouse NOT file with them. In most cases, the non-filing spouse's credit will not reflect the bankruptcy of the filing spouse.

No, you will remain liable for these obligations after your discharge. However, in Chapter 13, past-due child support and alimony can be paid through your plan over 3 to 5 years and prevents your ex-spouse or DHR from garnishing your wages to collect the past-due amounts. You are required to stay current on your regular support payments in Chapter 13, and your case will be dismissed if you get behind on these payments.

Yes. The time between filings depends on whether you received a discharge in the previous case or your case was dismissed before discharge. It also depends on the Chapter you previously filed and the Chapter you are looking to file now.

If you received a discharge in your prior Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you are eligible to file another Chapter 7 eight years following the filing date of your first case; if you want to file a Chapter 13 after a Chapter 7, you are eligible to file four years after the filing date of the prior case.

If you received a discharge in Chapter 13, you might file a Chapter 7 six years after the filing date of your prior bankruptcy.

If you filed a Chapter 13, and it was dismissed, you may file another chapter 13 bankruptcy at any time if you can show a change in circumstance since the dismissal, unless the order of dismissal in the prior case bars you from filing for a specified time period (often 180 days) which can happen if you voluntarily asked for the case to be dismissed after a motion for relief from stay was filed or for other grounds the court may specify.

Yes, you will be able to get credit after you file bankruptcy. Most people find that shortly after filing bankruptcy, they receive many credit card offers. Although we do not encourage you to take credit card offers-after all, we are trying to get you out of debt-you will be given many offers for credit.

Probably not. First, bankruptcy discharges your liability on unsecured debts - if you do not make payments on a secured debt, such as your house, car, or furniture, that creditor still has the right to repossess its collateral. In Chapter 13, these secured debts can often be restructured or the past-due payments paid back through your Chapter 13 plan. Also, not ALL unsecured debts are dischargeable in bankruptcy. For example, many taxes, child or spousal support, most student loans, and restitution obligations are not dischargeable in any Chapter in bankruptcy, although they may be repaid through a Chapter 13 Plan. In Chapter 7, there are more debts that are not dischargeable. When you come in for your free consultation, we will review these 'problem' debts and decide what options are best for you.

That depends on your problems. In Chapter 13, our legal fees are set by the Bankruptcy Courts to ensure that they are fair and reasonable.

In Chapter 7, all fees must be paid before filing the case. We do not mind taking payments on a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but cannot file the case until all fees have been paid in full. In Chapter 13, the attorney fees are generally paid in and through the Chapter 13 Plan, unless there are unusual circumstances.

No. Bankruptcy filings are public record, which means if someone went to the Federal Court, they could search records to ascertain who has filed a bankruptcy; however, most people will never do that. No one has time to go through all of those records. Notices of foreclosure do run in the local newspaper, but there is NO notice run for anyone filing for bankruptcy.

Not necessarily. Bankruptcy discharges your personal liability on unsecured debts. So, if we file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for you, and you do not make payments on secured items, like a house, car or furniture, the company you owe money to has the right to repossess or foreclose on the collateral. If we file a Chapter 13 for you, these secured debts can usually be reorganized or consolidated to a lower monthly payment. We can also use the Chapter 13 plan to catch up past due payments on secured items.

Also, not ALL unsecured debts are dischargeable in bankruptcy. For example, child support or alimony, many taxes, most student loans, and criminal restitution are not usually dischargeable in a bankruptcy though some may be repaid through the Chapter 13 plan.

When you come for your free consultation, we will discuss all of the options and decide which form of bankruptcy is best for you.

We are here to discuss the options available to you regarding bankruptcy. I have often told clients that I am here to advise them of the options for the journey, but they ultimately make the decision. I always give my best recommendation; but if a client is set on a particular form of bankruptcy, if that option is available to them, I am happy to help. Always remember that not every case is like another. So, if your friend or relative had a certain situation, yours may be different. Please give us as much information as possible so that we may best advise you.

There is no minimum amount needed to file for a bankruptcy. Though we have told many who come for a free consultation that bankruptcy is not their best option due to the small amount of debt, there is no minimum amount. I have told other clients that have a small amount of debt, but are being GARNISHED, that I would absolutely recommend bankruptcy to stop the garnishment. Each case is different. I will happily discuss the options when we have your schedule free consultation.

If someone is old enough to incur debt, they will be old enough to file for bankruptcy. Also, no one is ever too old to seek the help of the Bankruptcy Court to get relief from their creditors.

The law says that a bankruptcy may stay on the credit report for up to 10 years. And, though bankruptcy never looks good on your credit report, by the time that most people see us for bankruptcy, their credit report is already pretty ugly...or will be soon! Once we file a bankruptcy case, many people see their credit score increase because once a discharge is received, you are no longer responsible for the ugly debt.

We are required, by law, to list ALL debts in the bankruptcy. However, some debts are excluded from discharge. The most common debts that are non-dishargeable include: child support or alimony, many taxes(recently incurred in the last 3 years), most student loans, and criminal restitution. However, if we choose to file a Chapter 13, some of these debts may be repaid through the Chapter 13 plan.