How to File Bankruptcy

An overview of the steps to file bankruptcy

Every bankruptcy is a little different, but the basic process for filing bankruptcy with the assistance of our bankruptcy attorney is as follows:

  1. Set up a free, no obligation, consultation meeting to learn about your options. We can offer appointments in the early evening if needed for your schedule.
  2. Come to your consultation, bringing with you some basic financial information.
  3. After the consultation, if you decide to file, sign an attorney agreement, at which point we become your attorneys. We offer flexible payment terms for our fees in chapter 7 or chapter 13.
  4. Gather up and return important financial documents and information so that you can obtain the maximum relief that you are entitled to under the law.
  5. Ask us any questions by phone or email; we'll do the same to clarify the content of your bankruptcy petition.
  6. Complete an online credit counseling course.
  7. Review and sign your completed bankruptcy petition. Pay the filing fee and any remaining fee installments in chapter 7. After you sign it, we'll file it electronically with the bankruptcy court.

We are flexible as to the how quickly to proceed through the pre-filing process. Absent an emergency filing to deal with urgent circumstances, we recommend two to three weeks from entering a fee agreement to filing the petition. For those cases where the fee is being paid in installments we prefer to file within 90 days, although longer pre-filing periods will sometimes make sense.

To learn more about what happens once the bankruptcy is filed, please read our post about what happens in bankruptcy.