What exactly is bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy is a federal court process designed to help consumers and businesses eliminate their debts or repay them under the protection of the bankruptcy court.  Bankruptcies can generally be described as "liquidation" (Chapter 7) or "reorganization" (Chapter 13)

Under a liquidation bankruptcy (Chapter 7), you ask the bankruptcy court to wipe out (discharge) the debts you owe. Under a reorganization bankruptcy (typically Chapter 13, for consumers), a plan is filed with the bankruptcy court proposing how you will repay your creditors. You must repay some debts in full; others may be repaid only partially or not at all, depending on what you can afford.

Attorney James P. Doan will advise you as to which Chapter, 7 or 13, would be most appropriate for you after analyzing your unique financial situation. 

Will filing for bankruptcy protect me from creditors' efforts to collect what I owe?

After you file for bankruptcy, the automatic stay offers potent legal protection against bill collectors.

When you file for bankruptcy, something called the automatic stay immediately stops any lawsuit filed against you and most actions against your property by a creditor, collection agency, or government entity. Especially if you are at risk of being evicted, being foreclosed on, being found in contempt for failure to pay child support, or losing such basic resources as utility services, welfare, unemployment benefits, or your job (because of a raft of wage garnishments), the automatic stay may provide a powerful reason to file for bankruptcy.  The automatic stay prohibits most creditors from taking any action to collect the debts you owe them unless the bankruptcy court lifts the stay and lets the creditor proceed with collections.

• We actively pursue and sue abusive creditors.
• Often, we are able to get money back to you for creditor violations.
• Some clients may recover more money than what their bankruptcy cost in the first place!