THE BANKRUPTCY PROCESS

THE BANKRUPTCY PROCESS

STEP ONE: You pick up the phone or email me in order to set up an initial consultation.  I will usually ask you to bring a few recent pay stubs and list of monthly expenses with you to our initial meeting.  Depending on where you live, we can meet either at my Leesburg or my Alexandria, Virginia office.  And yes, I know that picking up that phone and calling up a stranger is not easy, but I assure you my clients do in fact feel better after meeting with me and hearing what I have to say.

STEP TWO: We meet for about an hour to discuss what has transpired in your life and to determine what your financial goals are.  Do you really want to keep the house?  Is it crucial for you to obtain a loan modification in order to keep the house? Is there urgency to your case? Are you better off filing now before separating from your spouse or moving to another state? There are all kind of considerations and details to keep in mind!

I then give you my “diagnosis” and advise you if bankruptcy is your best option and which bankruptcy you can and should file. At this meeting we will also discuss your other concern: How much does it cost to file for bankruptcy? This is a conversation that I much prefer to have face to face after I have obtained all the information from you and know what I am dealing with.

I will say this, am I the cheapest bankruptcy attorney in town? No. Am I the most expensive bankruptcy lawyer in the Loudoun area? Not at all.  I am probably somewhere in the middle.

STEP THREE: At this point you can either retain me on the spot or go home and think things over.  This is a bid deal so if you need some more time to think things over that is perfectly understandable. Once you decide that you want to hire me as your bankruptcy attorney then simply call/email me to set up another time to meet, at which time I will have you sign a Representation Agreement and make payment. We will then discuss what documents I will need from you in order to prepare your case.

STEP FOUR: You then gather the documents that I need in order to prepare your bankruptcy petition like your pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, etc. and bring them to my office.

STEP FIVE: Assuming that I have all the documents from you that I need I will then ask you to give me about one to two weeks to prepare your bankruptcy petition.  At that point we will set up a time to meet at my office to file your case. The filing of your bankruptcy case is done electronically these days, but I still need you to meet with me and go over the bankruptcy petition so that I can ensure its accuracy and have you sign the necessary documents prior to filing them with the bankruptcy court.

STEP SIX: About 1 month after we file your case we attend a meeting of the creditors. To learn more about the meeting of the creditors, please click on what should I expect at the meeting of the creditors.  I will of course be at your side during this hearing.  If you filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy (which is what most people file) you now sit back, relax, and wait about 70 days for the bankruptcy discharge to be issued by the court. Typically, the case will close within a few days thereafter.

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