As a bankruptcy attorney in Asheville NC, clients come to me because they need a fresh start.Many have endured some sort of financial hardship: job loss, medical problems, or divorce.These problems frequently lead to important financial documents not being readily available.Regardless, one of my firm’s tasks is to help a client organize the documents we need to prepare their bankruptcy petition.
We can help organize
Here is a list of the documents I will likely ask for once I offer to represent you for a case, and you decide I am the right bankruptcy attorney for your family.
Tax Returns:I’ll usually need the past two years of both federal and state tax returns you have filed (presently 2011 and 2012).If you no longer have a copy, we can order a copy of the return (or return transcript) directly from the Internal Revenue Service or North Carolina Department of Revenue.If you are not required to file a tax return, we will need to inform the bankruptcy trustee that you don’t file.
List of Creditors:In a no-asset Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, any debt incurred prior to the date we file your petition will be discharged, whether we list the creditor or not.However, I want to get each and every creditor who is owed money (or might be owed money) listed on the petition.If a creditor is listed on the petition, you will likely never hear from them again.The best way to figure out who you owe money too is by pulling a credit report.You can pull a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com or my office can order a credit report for you.
Bank Statements:We generally need 12 months of bank statements from any account which you owned prior to filing a case.The easiest way to get these is online, and my office can show you how to save the statements as PDF files in order to examine and deliver them to your bankruptcy trustee.
6 months of Paystubs:If you do not have your paystubs, your employer is required to email them to you, and they don’t need to know that you are in financial trouble.You can simply tell them that you are examining your budget (we will be), and need the information.Or, my office can request the paystubs from your employer for you.
Questionnaire: The personal information we need for your petition is contained in our law firm’s questionnaire.If you have trouble filling any portion out, my office manager Michelle Rogers can set up a ‘bring-back’ appointment with you to help fill in the blanks.
Once we decide to work together, I can help you gather the required documents to file a bankruptcy case.The first step is to schedule a free, initial bankruptcy consultation where I can determine what relief you and your family is entitled too.If you live in Western North Carolina, I would be pleased to sit down with you face to face or speak with you over the telephone to get you headed in the right direction.
*The information contained on this website is not intended and does not constitute the providing of any legal advice or any legal opinions or services to any user thereof. The information available on or through this web page is not intended and shall not be used as a substitute for the advice and consultation provided by an attorney. Any factual examples used to illustrate concepts are hypothetical and do not depict actual events or real persons.
