If creditors are threatening to take your property or money for a debt, you may want to ask a lawyer how you can stop lawsuits, garnishments, repossessions, foreclosures or other collection efforts.

Do you know what to do before filing bankruptcy? Most people know very little about the bankruptcy process, unless they’ve been through it firsthand. The only information an average person has about bankruptcy is what is in the media or what other people are saying. One of our objectives is to educate individuals this process, including the steps that should be taken before filing bankruptcy. We believe that if you know what to do before filing bankruptcy, your concerns and stress about the entire process will lessen significantly.  

A myth is an idea or belief that is believed by many people to be true when in reality the idea or belief is false. Myths can be harmful because they are passed from person to person until people begin to believe them without question. Bankruptcy myths can be especially harmful, because those who truly need the financial relief bankruptcy provides won’t even consider it as an option.

Are you considering filing a personal bankruptcy? If so, I’d be willing to bet you feel like you are all alone; however, that is far from the truth. Often, when you are facing a problem, you feel as if you are alone and no one understands your situation. It is very easy to feel this way when dealing with overwhelming debt. I’d venture to say the vast majority of our clients have felt this way at some point during their struggle with debt. The frustration of not being able to pay your bills combined with the fear of losing everything you worked so hard to build is terrifying. It may seem like you are fighting an army of creditors and debt collectors with no one on your side to help you.

Personal Bankruptcy Filing Statistics

Thousands of Americans file for bankruptcy relief each day. The statistics show that bankruptcy filings have decreased in the past few years; however, the number of individuals seeking personal bankruptcy still falls in the hundreds of thousands. Over one million Americans filed for bankruptcy relief in 2013. Of that number, 14,295 of those filings occurred in Minnesota. For many, filing a personal bankruptcy remains a cost-effective and efficient way of dealing with debt.

When you make the decision to resolve your debt problems through bankruptcy, the next step you will need to take is to choose a bankruptcy attorney. The attorney that you choose is one of the most important decisions you will make after you decide to file a bankruptcy. Below are 10 questions that you should ask before hiring a bankruptcy attorney. 

1. Is Bankruptcy All They Do? 

Would you let your family physician perform heart surgery on you or your family? Of course not! The same principle applies to the professionals you lean on during your financial illness. Bankruptcy is not just what we do, it’s ALL we do. Because bankruptcy is all we do, we are good at it.

Financial problems can happen to anyone, for a variety of reasons. One of the most common reasons is job loss. I’d like to share a story about job loss, and overcoming the fear of friends, family and employers knowing that bankruptcy was filed.

A Story of Financial Trouble Caused By Income Loss

My name is Karen and a few years ago my husband and I were unsure what to do about our financial problems. My husband, Chris, had lost his job and we were behind on all of our bills. We were able to keep our heads above water until his unemployment compensation ended and he still did not have a new job. My salary was not enough to pay our monthly bills and living expenses, so we started falling behind on our bills. At first it was just the credit card bills, but then the mortgage and car loan soon followed.

We were facing foreclosure and had no idea where to turn. That is when we decided to schedule a free bankruptcy consultation. We had no idea how we would feel after bankruptcy, but we know it had to be better than what we were feeling right now.

Once you decide to consult with a bankruptcy law firm to discuss your options, some of the stress that you have been experiencing will start to diminish as you take a positive step toward resolving your financial problems. However, some of our clients feel overwhelmed by the legal terms that get used throughout the bankruptcy process.  During our initial consultations we explain everything in great detail, but below is a list of the most common legal terms used, for your reference.

An initial bankruptcy consultation should help you decide if bankruptcy is the right option for you based on an analysis done by an experienced bankruptcy attorney. If you schedule an initial bankruptcy consultation with our office, here are some of the things you can expect:

Getting out of debt is a top priority for many Americans today. Debt is a huge problem in our country and is causing many people to struggle financially. Debtors depend on a number of different solutions to help them get out of debt; some rely on the bankruptcy court while others are able to make changes to their budgets, get second jobs or refinance their debts.

There are a few things debtors can do before filing bankruptcy that can end up hurting their bankruptcy case. In some cases, those actions taken before filing for bankruptcy can result in the loss of property or not receiving a discharge.

Depending on the individual case, the number of pages in a typical bankruptcy petition and schedules is between 50 to 70 pages. The majority of the pages consist of your list of creditors. Each creditor that you owe on the day that you file your bankruptcy case must be listed in your bankruptcy schedules. Therefore, if someone has 20 creditors, his bankruptcy schedules will not have as many pages as someone who has 50 creditors.

Some people may believe that they are eligible for bankruptcy regardless of their current financial status — they are partially correct. Others believe that the changes in bankruptcy law that came with the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) of 2005 made it impossible for most people to find debt relief through bankruptcy — they, on the other hand, are completely wrong. While changes in the bankruptcy laws did restrict some of the eligibility requirements, it did not remove the right of any individuals to seek relief from creditors through the protections offered in bankruptcy.

The Eligibility Confusion

The confusion can be summed up in two words: media and creditors. Creditors, with the help of media outlets, did a fantastic job of convincing most Americans that if they did not file bankruptcy before October 2005 when the new bankruptcy laws took effect, they would not be able to file bankruptcy (or that filing bankruptcy would be much more difficult).

While it is true that the new bankruptcy laws did contain some significant changes, experienced bankruptcy attorneys had already learned the new rules and laws and were ready to continue helping debtors find debt relief through bankruptcy.

I strongly believe that a person should not fear losing his or her wedding ring due a debt. Wedding rings are a symbol of a couple’s union and should be preserved at all costs. As a bankruptcy lawyer and a citizen of Minnesota, I did not think that the existing laws (prior to 2005) were fair because they permitted creditors to take a person’s wedding ring to satisfy a debt; so, I decided to do something about it.

Lack of Protection for the Symbol of Marriage

Prior to the change in Minnesota exemption laws, a creditor could obtain a judgment against you that would allow them to seize your wedding ring to satisfy the debt you owed. Under Minnesota Statute 550.37, certain assets of a debtor are considered exempt. In other words, creditors cannot seize these assets from a debtor to pay the debtor’s debts. Under the old exemptions laws, a debtor’s wedding ring was not exempt. Creditors were able to seize your wedding rings, sell them and use the proceeds to pay the debt that you owed. Can you imagine owing a dentist bill for $300 and having your wedding ring seized and sold to pay for the debt?

Some people wondered why I was so passionate about working to change the exemption laws where wedding rings were concerned. To me, the prospect of losing a wedding ring to your creditors is despicable. I can understand losing a jet ski to your creditors to satisfy your debts, but not a wedding ring. A wedding ring is the symbol of marriage between two people.

Student loans are a serious debt problem for millions of Americans. Bankruptcy is designed to help provide relief for debtors who are struggling with overwhelming debt. However, in most cases, student loans are non-dischargeable in a bankruptcy proceeding. Debtors who desperately need assistance resolving their debt issues are not truly afforded a fresh start if a majority of their debt stems from student loans. This is why I am working to change the laws governing student loans in bankruptcy.

When you decide to file for bankruptcy relief, you are ready to hit the ground running. For most people, the weeks and months leading up to this decision are emotionally draining. Therefore, once you decide to meet with a bankruptcy attorney, you do not want to wait weeks or months for your case to be filed.

Managing credit cards after bankruptcy can be a tricky matter. Some individuals are so fearful of going through bankruptcy again that they avoid using credit cards at all; however, this is not an effective way to rebuild credit after bankruptcy (which is a goal you should work toward after receiving a bankruptcy discharge). Other individuals jump back into credit without a clear idea how to manage credit wisely. This article is for all of those individuals, as well as those looking for some guidance and advice on how to manage credit cards responsibly.