Busby & Associates offer a free “no obligation” initial consultation to review your budget, perform a basic means test analysis, review your debt & exempt and non-exempt property you hold, and in general advise you about the chapter under Title 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy code you may be eligible for relief. Evening appointments are typically offered one day per week. Please note that we have one Saturday off per month, but are open for the rest. Telephone consultation is also possible provided you file out our client intake questionnaire and sign the 525 disclosures. You can find the forms on the right side bar menu.
Because the qualifications and reasons for filing a bankruptcy vary, your facts and characterization of the debts will need to be reviewed before a recommendation is made on to how to proceed. Secured debt, priority debts, and unsecured debts are the three classifications given to the debts that one may have in a bankruptcy. Also, the type of property that you own will be reviewed. Is all of your property under exempt category or do you have some property that falls under the non-exempt category? Non-exempt property can be sold to pay off your creditors. Finally, your income is reviewed too. If your income is above certain guidelines set for bankruptcy cases, then your lifestyle can be in question. These guidelines are determined by the U.S. trustee who uses the IRS means test tables for determining what is reasonable based on the National Average.
If you choose to hire our firm, then a down payment towards the bankruptcy will be required. In most Chapter 7 bankruptcies a payment is made towards the entire fee, and then you file. In a chapter 13 bankruptcy, you rarely pay the entire fee up front, but instead pay it out over time inside your bankruptcy. Filing the case the same day as the consultation is possible and very common in a chapter 13 bankruptcy. In a chapter 7 bankruptcy, however, you do not usually file on the same day that you retained the firm. Instead, you generally file within 30 days from the date of retaining our firm. In most cases, the entire balance of the chapter 7 bankruptcy is paid upfront before filing.
Practice Limited to Federal Bankruptcy Law **Admitted to Southern District of Texas, licensed in the State of Indiana only