Bankruptcy Lawyer In Hyattsville
Legal Guidance Available in Silver Spring, Washington D.C., & All of Maryland
Bankruptcy laws were designed to give honest people a fresh start in life, free from burdensome debt. Loss of employment, illness, family issues, and financial mismanagement are common reasons that cause people to become overwhelmed by bills. Usually when a person becomes overwhelmed by bills, they must deal with their creditors aggressively attempting to get money from them. These collection attempts often include foreclosure, repossession, lawsuits, wage garnishments, and harassing telephone calls at home and work. The good news for people in these situations is that they may legally stop all collection attempts and protect their property while obtaining relief from their bills.
Immediately upon filing a bankruptcy case, an "automatic stay' is created that prohibits all collection action against the person who filed the case. While in bankruptcy, this person is referred to as the debtor.
This stay means that the mortgage company cannot foreclose, the finance company cannot repossess the debtor's car, garnishments must stop, and creditors must stop calling the debtor.
Types of Bankruptcy
There are basically two different types, or "chapters," of bankruptcy available to consumer debtors. Chapter 7 is a liquidation bankruptcy and Chapter 13 is a reorganization bankruptcy. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is best used when a person cannot realistically expect to pay a significant portion of their debts within a reasonable period of time. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy makes most debts disappear without paying anything to creditors. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy involves a payment plan in which the debtor pays all or a portion of their debt through a court-appointed trustee over a period of time, usually three to five years. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is commonly used when a person needs to catch up on missed mortgage and car payments. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy can be an extremely flexible and useful way to deal with debt problems.
Filing For Bankruptcy
In most cases, you will not lose any of your property in a bankruptcy. The law allows debtors to keep certain property, up to certain limits in value. You will still have to make all your mortgage and car payments if you want to keep those items.
Filing bankruptcy is not a death sentence to your credit rating. The bankruptcy will appear on your credit report for seven to ten years, but oftentimes, is the first step to rebuilding a good credit score. Most people who are candidates for filing bankruptcy already have damaged credit scores. When your debts are discharged by a bankruptcy, you have a clean slate and an opportunity to prove your creditworthiness. There are steps that you can take after filing a bankruptcy that will make it possible to re-establish good credit fairly quickly. We can discuss these steps during our initial consultation. It is possible to get credit cards and buy a house or car after filing bankruptcy.
Call To Discuss Your Case
If you think that bankruptcy may be necessary for you, contact us right away. You may be able to get relief in ways other than bankruptcy, and we have no problem telling you about other solutions even if it means that we don't get a fee. Your creditors only care about collecting money from you and do not care about what is best for your situation. You need someone who knows how to help you in your corner.
We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code. To schedule a consultation, contact us online or call (301) 891-8485. We offer same-day appointments.