Do I Need an Attorney to File Bankruptcy in Atlanta, Georgia?
“Do I need an attorney to file bankruptcy?” is the most common bankruptcy question. You are not required to hire an attorney to file for bankruptcy in Georgia. However, hiring a qualified bankruptcy attorney to help you through your bankruptcy case is probably a good idea. The only type of debtor I believe could file a case without an attorney is one with no assets. This means no or little income, and no secured debt, such as a mortgage or car loan.
Do I Need an Attorney to File Bankruptcy?
What Can a Bankruptcy Attorney Do for Me?
All other debtors who are considering filing bankruptcy in Atlanta, Georgia would benefit greatly from hiring a knowledgeable Atlanta bankruptcy attorney. A bankruptcy lawyer can help you do the following:
- Decide if bankruptcy is a good option for you or if alternatives to bankruptcy are available;
- If bankruptcy is a good option for you, guide you to the best type of bankruptcy for you, whether it be a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13;
- Analyze your financial circumstances to determine whether you can pay back less than 100% of your debts, keep your car, keep your home and other important assets under federal and Georgia bankruptcy exemption laws;
- Attend bankruptcy court hearings with you;
- Handle correspondence between you and creditors and the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 trustees;
- Assist you with complicated legal issues such as liens, the dischargeability of tax debt, stripping second mortgage liens, reducing interest rates and other ways to take advantage of the bankruptcy law to help you reduce debt and keep property;
- Help you with the timeline on items such as how long it takes to file bankruptcy, when you do credit counseling, and when your creditors must object or file proofs of claims;
- File and respond to motions before the court that would be necessary or beneficial in your case; and,
- Respond to inappropriate creditor collections and inquiries made after you are already protected by the bankruptcy court’s protective stay order.
How Do I Afford to pay a Bankruptcy Lawyer?
You may wonder how a person experiencing financial difficulties can pay attorneys’ fees to a bankruptcy attorney. The good news is that the CMC Law offers friendly payment plans. Further, if you are filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case in Georgia, you can pay your attorneys’ fees through a consolidated monthly payment to all of your creditors and to your attorney as well.
Some numerous complex legal issues and problems could arise in Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case in Georgia. Thus, you need to find an attorney who has the knowledge and experience to help you make sound decisions that will help your financial future. If you do decide to go the do-it-yourself route, you can find all of the official bankruptcy forms on the Georgia Northern District Bankruptcy Court website. In any case, if you have any questions about filing for bankruptcy in Atlanta, we offer free initial consultations. Call 404.585.0040 to schedule yours!