Choosing a chapter
Chapter 7 or Chapter 13: four questions that decide it
Your income, your house, your car and what you're behind on. Answer these four and you'll know which chapter to ask about.
Georgina Pendarvis6 min read
Flat-fee bankruptcy, by video
Get out from under your debt without leaving the kitchen table
We file Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 for one flat fee, quoted before you sign. You meet your lawyer on video, sign from your phone, and most clients never need to visit our office.
2,140
petitions filed612
Chapter 13 plans drafted385
garnishments stopped148
sale dates stopped
Our own counts since the firm opened. Every case is different, and these numbers don't predict the result in yours.
Guides
Read these before you answer the next collector
Two short guides from our lawyers, written for the night the letters keep you up.
GarnishmentA garnishment notice came. Here's the next 10 days.
What the notice means, what your employer has to do, and the one filing that stops the deductions.
Leonor Aldana5 min read
What we file
Four problems, each with a fixed price
Pick the one that sounds like your week. Each page says what happens, how long it takes and what it costs.
- Flat fee
Chapter 7
Credit cards, medical bills, payday loans and old judgments, cleared in about four months.
About Chapter 7 - Flat fee
Chapter 13
A court-approved plan that pays what you can over three to five years while you keep the house and car.
About Chapter 13 - In the Chapter 13 fee
Foreclosure
A sale date on the calendar? Filing stops it, and the missed payments spread across your plan.
About foreclosure - In either fee
Wage garnishment
Money coming out of every check stops once your case is filed and your employer is told.
About garnishment
Watch first
A Chapter 7 case, from first call to discharge
Nine minutes, with captions: what you send us, what the trustee asks at the meeting, and the day the calls stop.
A Chapter 7 case, start to finish
Questions
What people ask in the first five minutes
Will I lose my house or car?
Usually not. Exemptions protect a set amount of equity in each, and Chapter 13 lets you catch up on missed payments over time. On the free call we put your numbers next to the exemptions and tell you plainly.
Can I really do the whole case by video?
Almost always. You send documents through a secure upload, we go over the petition on screen, and you sign on your phone. The meeting of creditors is often held by phone or video too; if yours is in person, your lawyer is there with you.
Do I have to pay the fee all at once?
No. A Chapter 7 fee can be split into up to three payments before we file. In Chapter 13 you make a first payment to start and the rest goes through the plan the court approves.
Will my employer find out?
Only if your wages are already being garnished, because we have to tell them to stop. Otherwise there's no reason for your employer to hear about it.
What does bankruptcy do to my credit?
It stays on your report for seven to ten years, but most clients already have late payments and collections there. Many see offers for secured cards within months of discharge; we send a short guide on rebuilding when your case closes.
Thirty minutes on video, and you'll know your options
Book a time that suits you, evenings included on Wednesdays. Have your last two paystubs nearby if you can.