Bankruptcy Facts

Bankruptcy is a Federal Court procedure which allows individuals and businesses to eliminate or discharge their debts or repay all or a portion of them over time.

Any person or business can file for bankruptcy if they owe money to a creditor, with a few exceptions.

• Last 60 days of pay stubs for each individual or spouse (even if only one spouse is filing a bankruptcy case, we still need to review the pay stubs for each spouse to evaluate your household income).
• The two most recent federal income tax returns and any W-2s or 1099s received during those years.
• A copy of your most recent bill or statement for each and every creditor. If you do not have all of your bills our office can obtain a credit report for you.
• Copies of any credit reports you have received. Our office can obtain a credit report during your initial consultation.

We can reach an installment plan agreement on the payment of your Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing fees. Once the initial retainer is paid, we are hired as your attorney, and you can refer all creditor calls and harassment to our office. However, your bankruptcy case cannot be filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court until all fees are paid in full.

Yes, to be eligible to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case, you must first obtain a credit-counseling certificate from an approved agency. As part of your filing fees paid to my office, we will help you obtain your credit counseling certificate through a credit counseling agency. You will not need to take the credit counseling course prior to coming to our office for the initial consultation.

Please continue to browse our website for more information regarding Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Chapter 11 bankruptcy, debt consolidation, Internal Revenue Service and State of Alabama tax issues, and creditor workouts. If you would like to talk to us, please call our office at 205-978-3550.