When someone starts considering filing for bankruptcy to get out of debt, they need to start preparing.
Preparation for a bankruptcy filing can be tedious but absolutely necessary.
The first thing to do is get a basic education about the process of filing bankruptcy.
This is easily done by taking some time to search the Internet about the topic.
There are many government and legal websites online that offer a wealth of information about filing for bankruptcy.
After getting a basic knowledge of the legal process, jot down some questions that you would like to have answered and find a local bankruptcy attorney to get a free consultation.
Many people will visit multiple attorneys to get a few different opinions.
After your confident making the decision to file find a bankruptcy attorney that you're comfortable with.
It's best to interview a few of them so you can find the different dynamics of different law offices.
Big offices have a large staff of paralegals to deal with and small offices might only have the bankruptcy attorney to deal directly with.
Everybody is different, so it's important for someone to feel comfortable with that dynamic.
After hiring an attorney there'll be a list of documents that are required to fill out the bankruptcy petition.
It's best not to send these in piecemeal, but gather up an entire file and shoot it over to the office at once.
An attorney will get frustrated with their client if they don't follow simple instructions.
Sending over one document at a time will only cause stress in their relationship between the client and the attorney.
Many bankruptcy attorneys are now using online software that populates the fields of the bankruptcy petition.
If the attorney uses this kind of software, remember, until that project gets finished, the bankruptcy petition will not be filed.
If someone is in a hurry, it's best to get it done immediately.
Also required prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition is the completion of the pre-bankruptcy credit counseling course.
This course takes about an hour and can be taken online.
This is another thing that needs to be taken seriously and completed before anything else can happen.
Once everything is together, the bankruptcy attorney will submit the petition electronically and the automatic stay will go in place and the debtor will enjoy the freedom of no longer being contacted by creditors.
On a side note, most bankruptcy attorneys will field phone calls prior to filing bankruptcy as long as they are hired.
In many cases, this will also keep creditors from calling.
The creditors will call the bankruptcy attorney to get a status report until the case is filed with the bankruptcy court.