In Just 7 Easy Steps
Complete Your Bankruptcy & Create Your Freedom

Step One: We will help you complete your bankruptcy petition.

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is started by the filing of a document called a petition. We will meet with you for approximately an hour, and we will complete the forms required for the filing of your Chapter 7 petition.

Step 2: You will make all  payments and set up your first credit counseling session

The legal fee for Chapter 7 is $996. In addition, the Bankruptcy Court charges a $299 filing fee, for a total fee of $1295. Additionally, you are required to complete two $50 credit counseling  sessions, one before we may legally file your petition, and one after your petition has been filed.

Step 3: Our office will file your petition with the Bankruptcy Court, on your behalf.
We now utilize electronic filing, which means that we can immediately file your bankruptcy case as soon as your payments are received, and the petition has been signed and completed.  We will file your bankruptcy petition with the Bankruptcy Court, once you have paid the full $1295 to our office. Your case officially begins after your $299 filing fee is paid to the Court and your Chapter 7 petition is filed with the Bankruptcy Court.

Step 4: Our office can notify your creditors, on your behalf.

Once you have paid the full $1295 to our office, we will be happy to help you keep your creditors from bothering you. Give your creditors our name and address and advise them that you are in the process of filing a Chapter 7 with our office. They will then be legally required to call us instead of bothering you! 

A few days after your case has been filed, the  Bankruptcy Court Clerk’s Office will send out notices to all of your creditors. You will be receiving copies of the same notices that your creditors will be receiving. Therefore, when you get your notice in the mail you know that your creditors are also getting their notices in the mail. If a creditor needs to be notified right away (before they get the official notice from the court clerk) let us know and we can notify them immediately. If a creditor takes inappropriate action against you after being informed that you have started your bankruptcy, then that creditor can be sanctioned by the Bankruptcy Court.

Step 5: Notice Of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case/ Meeting of Creditors

You will receive a document from the bankruptcy court called Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case. This document is very important because it will tell you when and where your bankruptcy meeting will take place. Your creditors will also receive this document, as this is their official notice from the Bankruptcy Court that you have started your case, and that you have listed them as a creditor. 

Your scheduled Chapter 7 meeting is called the Meeting of Creditors, but actually creditors hardly ever appear. You will be meeting with a person appointed by the court to act as what is called a “trustee”. This meeting is very easy and usually takes only five to ten minutes.

Remember you must complete your 2nd Credit Counseling Session after this meeting. If you do not complete the second session, you will not receive your discharge. This is very important.

Step 6: The Trustee Reports to The Bankruptcy Court

After the meeting is concluded, the trustee will submit a report to the bankruptcy court to indicate that you qualify for bankruptcy and that you should be approved.  If for some reason the trustee does not feel that your bankruptcy should be approved (this is pretty unusual), the trustee will let us know what has to be done so that your bankruptcy can be approved. 

Step 7: You will receive your Bankruptcy Discharge Notice, and other documents from the Court.

After Steps 1 through 6 outlined above have been successfully completed, and approximately 3 months after you have had your bankruptcy meeting with the trustee, you will receive your bankruptcy discharge notice. This discharge notice is your proof that your debts have been wiped out. Make sure you KEEP THIS DOCUMENT.

If you own real estate, you will probably get what is called a Notice of Proposed Abandonment of Property.  This means that the trustee is abandoning any claims of creditors against your property and that you can keep your property without any problem. Thus, receiving the Notice of Abandonment is great news because it means that you are on your way to successfully completing your case and receiving your discharge. We can then say to you:

Congratulations!
You have completed your bankruptcy.
Welcome to your fresh financial start!