Many clients have told me it was difficult for them to call my office for their first consultation. I understand how hard it can be. I see the enormous stress people are under trying to deal with their financial situations. This stress can be over-powering, even debilitating. It can cause feelings of loss of self-worth, affect the relationship between spouses, affect the happiness of children in the family, and it can be a severe detriment to a person’s physical and emotional health. If you are having these same feelings and thoughts, I encourage you to call and schedule an appointment. Please do not let the idea of what others might think prevent you from becoming educated about your bankruptcy options. I believe it is more important that you take the action necessary to care for yourself and your family by lessening the financial stress you are under, even if that means filing for bankruptcy. After all, that is why Congress saw fit to pass the bankruptcy law in the first place, to give the honest, but unfortunate debtor a fresh start when they are overcome with debt.

I do not charge a fee for initial consultations and you will not be under any obligation to proceed with legal services. It would be my pleasure to visit with you and take the opportunity to explain your bankruptcy options to you.

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Clients often tell me they did not think they could file bankruptcy after the new bankruptcy law was passed. This is a misconception. The new bankruptcy law does require more paperwork from the client and more work by my office to prepare a bankruptcy case for filing, but it rarely prevents someone in need of bankruptcy protection from filing bankruptcy.

Filing bankruptcy does not necessarily mean someone has acted irresponsibly. In fact, financial difficulties most often occur when things happen that are out of one's control and they are prevented from meeting their obligations. I see this most often in cases of divorce, death of a spouse, job loss, business failure, reduced income or increased living expenses in these tough economic times, and unexpected medical illnesses that lead to both huge medical bills and reduced or loss of ability to work. If you are experiencing any of the following situations, filing for bankruptcy protection may benefit you:

• Are you behind on mortgage payments?
• Is your mortgage lender threatening foreclosure?
• Has your mortgage lender actually sent you notice of foreclosure?
• Are you behind on vehicle payments?
• Has the vehicle loan creditor threatened or given you a deadline for repossession?
• Has you vehicle already been repossessed and the lender has given you a deadline to recover your vehicle?
• Have you been served with notice of a lawsuit filed against you by a creditor?
• Are your wages being garnished?
• Has the IRS sent you a notice of tax lien or tax levy?
• Are you being constantly harassed by unscrupulous debt collectors?
• Have you lost income and are now juggling your bills?
• Are you able to meet all monthly obligations, but have to charge food and medicine before the month is out?
• Has your driver's license been revoked due to an uninsured auto accident?

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On your first visit to my office, you will meet with me personally. I will spend as much time with you as needed to answer all questions you might have. Our meeting and your personal information will be held in strict confidence. When you call my office to make an appointment for consultation, you will be given a list of documents to gather and bring with you.

I normally begin the consultation with a series of questions designed to methodically discover your current financial situation. I will ask you about all assets you own or have an interest in so we can list them and determine their value. We will look at all debts you owe. I will ask a number of questions regarding current and past financial transactions. I will also ask you about your income and monthly living expenses. This process usually takes about an hour.

After I have a clear understanding of the facts of your financial situation, I will explain the various chapters of bankruptcy, how filing bankruptcy would effect your situation, the requirements and duties placed upon you by federal bankruptcy law, and whether filing bankruptcy is a valid or proper course of action for you. You will then be able to make an educated decision about how to best handle your financial affairs.

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