In Chapter 7 bankruptcy the average consumer only has one meeting with the bankruptcy trustee, and with the help of an attorney the process goes very smoothly. The purpose of the meeting is to give creditors a chance to ask questions, although typically the creditor is not present; it is usually handled by attorneys. The trustee may also ask you questions about particular items on your petition, usually centering on assets or income. These meetings often take only a few minutes.

      Many consumers feel anxiety or fear leading up to the meeting with the bankruptcy trustee, but there is no reason to fear. The trustee is trying to discover people who are hiding assets or trying to defraud the system; they don't want to harass or scare the normal consumer. The meeting will take place in a regular conference room, and the trustee is not a judge. The setting is informal. Once the meeting with the trustee is done, the last step is to simply keep your address current with the court and wait for your discharge to come in the mail.

      Most Chapter 7 Consumer Bankruptcy cases are fairly simple for the right law office, and we will do our best to keep your legal fees reasonable. As a guideline, we charge $750 in legal fees for an individual Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (plus the $299 filing fee).

      Under new bankruptcy laws, individuals filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 must take credit counseling and financial management courses in order to file bankruptcy and have their debts discharged. These courses are offered for a nominal fee by approved providers. Most of the approved providers offer the course by telephone or over the Internet. If you do not have access to the Internet, discuss this at your initial consultation. Arrangements can be made to use one of the computers in our office.

      Payment schedules can be discussed at the initial consultation. Contact us today to make an appointment and get the process started!