COVID-19: Connecting to our Clients

The Law Office of Douglas Barrett, LLC is and will remain dedicated to helping our clients in difficult times.  We recognize that with the constantly changing COVID-19 situation around the world, this is an unprecedented time for everyone and many people have concerns about their financial future. Our commitment to continue to help people file… Continue reading COVID-19: Connecting to our Clients

6 Things To Consider Before You File Bankruptcy

Most of the above mistakes can be fixed by simply by timing when you file your case. There are time periods for many types of transfers or actions — which means the bankruptcy court will examine certain types of transactions only within a certain period of time before you file. By delaying the filing of your bankruptcy until these periods have expired, you may be able to avoid problems. An experienced bankruptcy lawyer can walk you through the process and help you succeed in obtaining a fresh financial start before you file bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy Petition Preparer: Why you should avoid!

Hiring a bankruptcy petition preparer is a really bad idea. It’s also not a cost-effective. Instead, hire an experienced bankruptcy lawyer to guide you through the process.

Life after Bankruptcy: How to Create a Budget

Obtaining credit after bankruptcy is the key to having a credit life – after bankruptcy. Using credit wisely can help you get back on your feet quickly after bankruptcy. So even though you might qualify for a credit card you still need to use the credit you have wisely to create a budget. Make small charges on credit cards and pay the debt off each month. Don’t try and carry a balance from month to month since that may have been what got you into financial trouble before your bankruptcy.

Divorce and Bankruptcy

Money problems tend to impact every area of our lives so it is not a surprise that money problems are consistently listed as a major cause of divorce. Sometimes one spouse accumulates a huge amount of debt on a credit card and the parties simply cannot come up with a way to repay it. Other times medical circumstances of one spouse or a child overwhelm a couples finances and there is simply no way to make payment on the family medical debt.

Bankruptcy Planning

Because of abuses of the bankruptcy system in the past the current Bankruptcy Code is designed to penalize multiple bankruptcy filers. This multiple filing is called “serial filing” in the bankruptcy world. Individuals who are “serial filers” can lose important benefits in their bankruptcy – the most important of which is called the automatic stay – the act of stopping immediately a foreclosure, lawsuits or other collection activity.

Where does bankruptcy debt go?

Where does bankruptcy debt go? To be clear bankruptcy is a legal proceeding one carries out in the US Bankruptcy Courts to allow individuals or businesses to obtain freedom from their debts. It can also simultaneously providing creditors an opportunity for repayment of the debt under a court guided repayment program.

Bankruptcy without going to court

I get asked all the time by potential clients if they can file bankruptcy without going to court. The majority for my clients never see the inside of a bankruptcy courtroom. So if this is a major concern of yours rest assured that the odds are in your favor that you will not need to go into a bankruptcy courtroom