Chelsea Bankruptcy Lawyers & Bankruptcy Attorney

If you reside in Chelsea, Alabama and are dealing with rapidly mounting debt, then filing for bankruptcy might be a good option for you and your family. Our bankruptcy attorneys are currently charging a flat fee to file most Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases in and around Shelby County. Our Chelsea bankruptcy lawyers will help you through the process of obtaining financial relief and guide you through the entire bankruptcy process.

After setting up the initial consultation with our Chelsea bankruptcy lawyer you will receive a questionnaire to fill out. Should you opt for a phone consultation, one of our Chelsea bankruptcy attorneys will call you back the same day in most cases to quickly review your financial situation. Sometimes, it is necessary to meet in person after the phone consultation. If this is the case, then we can set up a meeting  in the nearest office to you.

Some specific documentation will be needed to file your bankruptcy, which can vary depending on your specific situation and our Shelby County and Birmingham bankruptcy attorney can advise you on what to get together.  For example, we will need such things as your last two years tax returns, your last six (6) months of income information (usually in the form of your pay stubs), and a list of your creditors will almost always be needed.

After reviewing your situation and narrowing down what type of bankruptcy options are right for you, if any, then we can discuss moving forward with your filing. If you need a bankruptcy attorney in Pelham, Chelsea, Pelham, Alabaster, Calera, Vincent, Montevallo, or Columbiana, then you will likely be filing your bankruptcy in the United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you will have a hearing called a Meeting of the Creditors. If you live in the City of Chelsea then your bankruptcy hearing will be in downtown Birmingham.

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy are the most common types of filings for consumers.  A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a three to five year payment plan that is administered through the Bankruptcy Court, where you pay something to your creditors over time. It is a solution that may allow you to get caught up on certain important bills such as your mortgage or a car payment.  However, when most people think of filing bankruptcy, they are thinking of a Chapter 7, which is a much quicker and simpler process than a Chapter 13, usually lasting only about three months.

Filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy can eliminate much, if not all, of your unsecured debts in a very short amount of time.  You file it, go to one hearing called a Meeting of the Creditors about a month later, and then two months after that you get a discharge order in your mailbox, eliminating all of your unsecured debts that can be discharged. The whole process last about three months. However, not everyone can qualify to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. There are certain income based tests that must be performed in order to determine if you qualify and your last six months of pay stubs or other proof of income for the last six months is required in order to make this determination.

Once the bankruptcy case is filed, whether a Chapter 7 or 13, the next step is your attendance of a Meeting of the Creditors or 341 Hearing.  This meeting doesn’t actually have any creditors present in most cases. It is mainly meant as an opportunity for the Trustee in your case to ask you a few questions under oath.  One of our Chelsea bankruptcy lawyers will be there with you for this meeting, and it usually consists of the Trustee in your case asking a few simple questions.

For ‘no asset’ Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases in Shelby County, Alabama, our Chelsea bankruptcy lawyers are currently charging a flat fee in attorney’s fees. This would include most Chapter 7 filings with the exception of those that have complex legal issues such as business, divorce, or other such issues that would require a significant amount of additional time to handle or are likely to involve hearings.

However, there is always a filing fee that the court charges as well as other fees for pulling your credit report, tax returns, and online courses (a debt management and a credit counseling course) that you must complete and pay their fees. If you call our bankruptcy lawyer in Chelsea we can tell you the total amount to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy with our law firm.

While a Chapter 7 bankruptcy can help to potentially discharge your unsecured debts, sometimes another type of bankruptcy called a Chapter 13 would make more sense when we examine your financial situation more closely.  A Chapter 13 case is much less expensive to get filed, since most of the attorney fees get paid in the five year payment plan.  When you call our bankruptcy lawyers in Chelsea and set up a consultation, we will go over your situation and help you figure out which type of bankruptcy is the best option for your family.

The Harris Firm regularly files bankruptcy cases in the Shelby County area and the surrounding areas and are well versed on the local requirements in the U.S. Courts there.  Our bankruptcy lawyer is a member of the Central Alabama Better Business Bureau and the local Birmingham Bar Association.  If you need some financial relief then give our Chelsea bankruptcy attorneys a call today for a consultation in person or over the phone.