We Offer Flexible Payment Plans for WA Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

People Who Should File Washington Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
Are People That…

	Want to protect assets from creditors. You are allowed to keep up to a certain amount of property in a Washington State Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, such as $3,450 for equity in a vehicle, $125,000 in equity on a house, and other exemptions for household goods and furniture, clothing, jewelry, etc. The vast majority of Washington Chapter 7 cases, about 90%, do not result in anyone losing assets! If you don’t file, creditors can take your wages, bank accounts and even sell off certain assets, such as cars or houses. Note: Social Security, Pensions, 401(k)s and IRA’s are exempt, so they are safe in WA Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases.
	Are being hounded by collectors, even being sued or garnished. Chapter 7 bankruptcy stops these immediately upon filing.
	Have a pending foreclosure: Chapter 7 Bankruptcy can temporarily save a house from foreclosure, and give you extra time to move or find other options. Learn more about Chapter 13 Bankruptcy if you want to save the house.
	Want to get rid of judgments on their houses. If you own a home and have judgments against you, the judgments act as liens on your property.  In a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, we can remove judgments from your house.  Otherwise, you may end up having to pay them if you ever sell or refinance your home.
	Owe back taxes. Filing a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy can stop the IRS, and may be able to discharge income taxes that were due more than 3 years ago.
	Have lot of unsecured debt like medical bills, credit cards, etc. A Washington Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is ideal for people who owe a lot of unsecured debts.  Unsecured debts include medical bills, credit cards, payday loans, personal lines of credit, personal injury claims (with the exceptions below) and any other debt that does not have collateral - such as a car or home loan. Even old utility bills. A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy will discharge nearly all unsecured debts except: - Student loans (though you may qualify for a hardship discharge) - Most taxes, except income taxes over 3 years old - Fraudulent debt - Fines, traffic tickets, and criminal restitution - Debts from personal injury or death caused as the result of being intoxicated   while operating a motor vehicle - Domestic support, like child support or spousal support - Debts you are ordered to pay as the result of a family court order   (can be discharged if your ex does not object in time) - Secured debt like cars or houses, unless you surrender them back to the lender
	Owe a lot more on their vehicles than they are worth. You can surrender a vehicle back in a bankruptcy and get out from under that debt.  We can often change amounts owed on many vehicles through a “Redemption”, or you can agree to make payments through a signed Reaffirmation agreement through the court.

How It All Works

	You meet with one of our experienced Washington state bankruptcy lawyers for a free initial consultation. You will be asked to bring information about your income, debts, and assets. Make sure to discuss pending foreclosures, garnishments and other emergencies right away.
	The attorney will tell you at your free consultation what your options are, including non-bankruptcy options.
	If you decide to move ahead, we will start a file, and will give you a list of information to collect.
	We will work closely with you to prepare all 50-60 pages of court documents you will need to file your case.  We do all the work!
	After we prepare all the papers for you, we will have you come in to sign them.  We will go through each page with you so that you understand, and make any last-minute changes if necessary.
	We then file the case.  This will immediately stop all foreclosures, garnishments (except for domestic support obligations), and other collection activity.
	About 30-45 days after you file, you will have a "Meeting of Creditors." You will need to bring your driver’s license and social security card (or other proof like a W-2).  We will be there with you. The Trustee, a person appointed to handle your case, will ask questions to see if there are any assets they can take. Our job is to make sure you keep everything, and sometimes we will make changes and amend the schedules if there’s anything you might have left out.
	After all the needed changes are made, the Court will usually grant you a discharge of most of your debts (see the list of non-dischargeable debts above), about 4 months after you file.
	Congratulations!  You’re done and you have a fresh start!

Washington Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Attorney Fees

The amount of our attorney fees are based upon the complexity of your case and the years of bankruptcy experience and legal knowledge of attorneys. Our attorney fees for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy vary depending the complexity or relative simplicity of your case. If you are not self-employed (e.g., you are a W2 employee), our attorney fees are typically $1,100-1500, but may be somewhat lower or higher depending upon the amount of your debt, recent financial transactions, and/or your property issues, and whether you are a low income bankruptcy filer living primary on Social Security.

 

If you are self-employed, our attorney fees are typically $1,500 to $2,500 and your retainer is typically billed hourly against these fees. The most common reason our attorney fees are typically higher for cases where a bankruptcy filer is self-employed is because of the additional work required to determine the income of a person who is self-employed. For individuals who are self-employed, your attorney is required to review all of your last 6-12 months of personal and business bank statements, business expenses, last two years of corporate tax returns, and create an accurate, detailed 12-month Profit and Loss Statement. There may also be additional property issues where a bankruptcy filers is self-employed because of the assets of the business that your bankruptcy attorney will need to evaluate to try to protect all of the business assets. Attorney fees can be significantly higher for complex business cases.

 

Please call us for a free consultation for filing a WA Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: 

 

Everett: (425) 953-4061
Seattle: (206) 387-8500

South King County: (253) 458-4056

 

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