Credit Counseling Must Be Completed Before You File You're struggling to make ends meet, whether because you've been laid off, incurred medical expenses, gone through a divorce, or experienced other financial hardship. You can get immediate relief by filing for protection under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, right? Not quite so fast. Before you can … [Read more...]
The Credit Counseling Requirement Tied to a Personal Bankruptcy Filing
October 15, 2020 by Leave a Comment
The No-Asset Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
September 7, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Keeping All Your Property in a Bankruptcy Filing When you file for protection under Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy laws, you have the opportunity to permanently discharge many debts in exchange for the transfer of some of your property to the bankruptcy trustee. Some debts, such as child support, cannot be discharged by law, and others, including … [Read more...]
How Soon Can You Expect Relief in a Bankruptcy Filing?
August 21, 2020 by Leave a Comment
How Long Is the Bankruptcy Process? When you're struggling to make ends meet with little or no prospect of improving your situation,you want relief and you want it as soon as possible. The automatic stay that comes with a bankruptcy filing will immediately end harassing calls, letters, and legal action from creditors. But how long do the broader … [Read more...]
Proceedings Not Affected by the Automatic Stay
August 6, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Legal Matters that Won't Be Suspended When You File for Bankruptcy If you've been considering filing for protection under the bankruptcy laws to help you deal with unmanageable debt, one of the factors that may have attracted you is the automatic stay that goes into effect immediately upon filing for bankruptcy. The automatic stay prevents your … [Read more...]
When Friends or Family Ask About Your Bankruptcy Filing
July 9, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Helping Them Understand That You've Made a Good Decision When wrestling with unmanageable debt, whether because of a job loss, medical bills, or divorce, one thing that might hold you back from getting bankruptcy protection is the fear of how friends and family will respond. You may worry that you'll let them down or that they'll think less of … [Read more...]
Texas State Exemptions in a Bankruptcy Filing
July 7, 2020 by Leave a Comment
The Property You Can Keep When You File for Chapter 7 in Texas When you seek to permanently discharge debts in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition, part of the deal is that you must turn over to the bankruptcy court certain property that can be sold to satisfy your creditors. You do, however, get to keep some property that is exempt. Federal law has … [Read more...]
Can Anybody File for Protection Under Chapter 13?
June 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Are There Conditions You Must Meet to Qualify? If you've thought about personal bankruptcy filing as a way to get a fresh start, you may know that you must meet certain qualifications in order to file for permanent debt discharge under Chapter 7. A "means test" is used to determine whether you meet the requirements. There's a general perception … [Read more...]
Avoid These Common Mistakes When Taking the Chapter 7 Means Test
June 10, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Let an Experienced Bankruptcy Attorney Guide You Through the Process Under American bankruptcy law, individuals must submit to a "means test" to determine eligibility for the permanent discharge of debt under Chapter 7. The means test establishes whether you have the resources to repay your creditors over a three-to-five-year period. If you do, … [Read more...]
The Means Test in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings
June 1, 2020 by Leave a Comment
How the Court Determines Whether You Qualify for Permanent Discharge Under American bankruptcy law, you can seek to permanently discharge personal debt under Chapter 7 or else file for Chapter 13 "debtor's reorganization," in which you work with creditors to negotiate arrangements to pay your financial obligations over a three-to-five-year period. … [Read more...]
Consumer Bankruptcy—An Introduction
May 20, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Understanding Your Options and What You Can Accomplish If you've lost your job because of the COVID-19 crisis, you may already be feeling the financial crunch. Unfortunately, for many, it appears that those jobs won't be coming back soon. As your financial challenges mount, you might consider personal bankruptcy as a tool for getting a fresh … [Read more...]
