Does Standard Legal’s Bankruptcy Software Make Adjustments When Only One Spouse is Filing?

Standard Legal’s Bankruptcy forms software requires the filer to make decisions regarding the inputs on any form. The legal forms software doesn’t “adjust” any decision-making required; a filing with the Court requires the user to decide who is filing and create inputs accordingly.

However, complete instructions and overviews on these types of requirements and decisions are included in the package. 

Read more

Can I Remove My Attorney from the Case in the Middle of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

If you have already filed your case, removing counsel should be as simple as contacting the Clerk of Court in writing and informing the Court that you no longer care to utilize the services of your attorney. (You can state the reasons for removal or not, as you wish.)

You should also state in the letter that you will proceed with your bankruptcy case pro se and will represent yourself going forward.

Read more

If My Ex-Husband’s Name is On the Mortgage But Not the Deed and He Files Bankruptcy, Can I Lose My House?

It depends what steps you take in advance of his bankruptcy filing, and what the mortgage company chooses to do.

Generally, going through the refinancing process for any mortgage on a home when a quitclaim deed has been filed is the safest avenue for a homeowner to pursue. When a quitclaim deed is filed, the obligation within the mortgage documents changes essentially: from the couple jointly owning the property, to just one of the original individuals named in the deed. So the mortgage holder has one less person from which to collect payment, thus increasing their exposure.

Read more

How Much Will I Have to Pay Monthly in a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Plan?

The amount of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan payment is generally a person’s monthly ‘disposable income.’  This figure can be arrived at by looking at the amounts set forth at the bottom of Schedule I and Schedule J: monthly income, less monthly allowable expenses, equals ‘disposable income.’ These calculations can be determined by properly using … Read more

If I Own a Home in Foreclosure and Wish to File Bankruptcy, Must I Stay in that Home to File?

There is no obligation under federal bankruptcy law to remain in a home you own in order to file bankruptcy, whether that home is in foreclosure or not.  You are permitted to move to a different jurisdiction and file your bankruptcy case there. You may also move to a different residence within the same Bankruptcy Court jurisdiction.

Read more

Do I Need to Complete ‘Credit Counseling’ Before I Can File for Bankruptcy?

To successfully file for bankruptcy, debtors must complete both a Credit Counseling Briefing prior to filing and a Debtor Education Course before a discharge is entered. These courses must be approved by the U.S. Trustee, and failure to file certification that these courses have been completed at the appropriate time may mean that your case is dismissed or your discharge denied.

Read more