Filing bankruptcy provides a person who is in financial trouble with a fresh start. If you are having trouble paying bills, and have been unable to make ends meet despite your best efforts, filing bankruptcy may be an option for you.

There are different bankruptcy chapters to choose from, but most people file a Chapter 7. If your situation fits into a Chapter 7, you should be able to discharge all your unsecured debts, such as credit cards and medical bills. Secured collateral, such as a home and vehicle, may be kept as long as those loans are current.

Attorney Paullin would be able to explain the bankruptcy procedure to you in detail. In a nutshell, all your debts and assets are listed on documents called schedules. Those schedules are filed with your petition in federal bankruptcy court. Once filed, your case is then assigned to a bankruptcy trustee who reviews the information in your case. You will come before the trustee at the meeting of creditors, which is scheduled approximately one month after your case is filed.

The meeting of creditors is held in Des Moines, and Ms. Paullin will accompany you at the meeting. It lasts about five to ten minutes, and consists of the trustee asking questions to you about your financial situation and the papers that were filed in your case. It is called a meeting of creditors because all of your creditors are invited to come and ask you questions. However, most do not appear at the meeting. If all goes smoothly, you will receive a discharge in the mail approximately eight weeks after the meeting of creditors. The discharge usually ends your involvement in the case.

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy costs $209.00 to file in court, and the attorney legal fee is another $500.00. Therefore, the total amount for a Chapter 7 is $709.00. Other chapters have different fees. The above stated fees will be available only to clients whose matters are encompassed within the services described, and if the matters are not so encompassed, or if an hourly rate is necessary, then you would be entitled, without obligation, to a specific written estimate of the fees likely to be charged.

If you are interested in learning more about bankruptcy, you could make an appointment with Ms. Paullin. The first consultation is free, and your situation would be examined and determined if bankruptcy may be an option for you. To make an appointment, please contact Paullin Law Office Here