Are You Facing Bankruptcy?
If you are facing a tremendous amount of credit card debt, medical debt, past due mortgage payments, and more, you are not alone. Many people in the US are overwhelmed by their expenses and the never ending calls from collection agencies and creditors. You may be afraid of losing everything that you hold dear to the mounting debt that threatens to bury you in mounds of bills. The more time that goes by, the higher these expenses get, with late fees and penalties tacked on until you can’t find the light at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, there is something that you can do.
There are multiple ways to address consumer debt, including consolidation, debt negotiation, and – when push comes to shove – bankruptcy. The goal of bankruptcy is to eliminate all of your debt, by dismissing it entirely, so that you can start again fresh. Of course, this isn’t a simple decision, and you may be fearful of the process and the outcome, especially if you don’t know much about it. This is where the bankruptcy attorneys at Cornerstone Law Firm can help.
What Can a Bankruptcy Lawyer Do For You?
Perhaps the most important role of a bankruptcy attorney is to ensure that you are well informed about the process of bankruptcy, the goals of bankruptcy, and what the outcome of filing for bankruptcy will be. Our attorneys want to make sure that you know what to expect before you get started. Your lawyer will then help you every step of the way, from pre-filing all the way to post-filing.
Your Free Consultation with a Bankruptcy Attorney
Everything starts with a phone call or an email to discuss your situation and set up a free consultation with a Missouri bankruptcy attorney at Cornerstone Law Firm. When you call or email us, we’ll ask questions about your financial circumstances and schedule the in person consult. Some of the questions we’ll ask to begin with will include what your most pressing debt concerns are, whether or not you are employed and if you own property.
We’ll also ask about your less pressing debt concerns and whether or not you’re trying to support a family in the midst of it all. The more you tell us about your unique financial circumstances, the better able we will be to fully understand your position and needs.
Once we’ve established what your goals and needs are, we’ll schedule an in person consultation and discuss what you need to bring with you to this appointment. You will need to bring as much relevant documentation as possible, including your paycheck stubs, any recent home appraisals, mortgage and car loan statements, your income tax documents for the past four years and your bank statements for the past six months. If there have been any lawsuits or judgments against you, you should bring these as well. These documents will help us to evaluate your economic situation in more depth and detail.
By creating a clear picture of your financial debt, income, and goals, we can determine whether or not bankruptcy truly is the best solution for you. There are other debt relief techniques that may be a better fit for you, and if these other methods could work for you, we will help you to pursue them. If bankruptcy is the best solution to your debt struggles, then we’ll discuss the different forms of bankruptcy and the pros and cons of the options you’re facing.
Pre-Filing Bankruptcy Steps
There is more to the process of filing bankruptcy than simply filling out some paperwork, though this is how it all begins. We’ll help you to fill out some questionnaires and ensure that you complete the required session of consumer credit counseling. From this point, we’ll gather your proof of monthly income and living expenses, your various debts and loans, any real estate holdings you have, and the sum of your personal assets and property. You’ll also need to provide evidence of any large financial transactions that you have made for two years in addition to two years of tax returns.
All of this is needed to ensure that you provide to your creditors and the bankruptcy court a full and honest disclosure of your financial circumstances and ability to pay debt. Failing to provide full, honest, and accurate evidence and information will lead to undesirable consequences and complications.
Filing the Bankruptcy Petition
The next step, once all of your paperwork is in order, is to file the bankruptcy petition with the federal bankruptcy court. Your attorney will do this for you, and at this point, all creditor calls, wage garnishment, and home foreclosure proceedings will legally have to stop. Until your filing is completely settled, you will not have to worry about any such procedures, and you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Post-Filing Bankruptcy Steps
The steps that follow the filing of your bankruptcy petition will include a trustee, appointed by the court, to address your creditor payments. You will have to meet with this trustee and your creditors and also attend further credit counseling sessions.
Do You Need a Kansas City Bankruptcy Attorney?
If you’re facing bankruptcy, there is no need to face it on your own. In fact, you will be far better off with the guidance and representation of a Kansas City bankruptcy attorney from Cornerstone Law Firm. Contact us today to learn about the various debt solutions that might work for you, and to discuss the details of your finances and how to begin filing for bankruptcy in Missouri.
