What Happens After I File My Chapter 7 Case?
The bankruptcy laws require a great deal of effort from both debtors and their lawyers prior to the filing of a Chapter 7. As the debtor you have to gather pay advices, tax returns, creditor information and you have to attend a credit counseling session.
Once your case has been filed you will still have a great deal of work to do and issues to address:
- you should make note of your case number and date and time of your filing. Creditors receive notice by mail within a week or so of your filing. You can help stop the phone calls and other creditor action if you are prepared to provide basic information about your case if creditors call.
- you must obtain a Financial Management Course certificate and have it filed with the Clerk of Bankruptcy Court - if you do not obtain and file this certificate you will not receive your Chapter 7 discharge
- you must provide us with copies of your most recently filed tax returns - your tax return must be provided to the Chapter 7 trustee prior to your Section 341 hearing
- you must attend your Section 341 meeting of creditors
- if your income changes, you must let us know
- if you receive money from an unexpected source, such as a bequest in a will, you must let us know
- if requested by the trustee you may need to provide copies of canceled checks, deposit records, copies of bills and other financial records. This documentation is not required in every case, but you should be prepared just in case
- you should review every page of your petition to make sure that nothing was left out and that there are no errors. If you see a mistake, please call our office to discuss
- you should make your own “personal bankruptcy” file and keep copies of the paperwork associated with your case. You will most likely need access to this paperwork in months and years to come.
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