Zion Bankruptcy Attorney On Items To Bring To Your Initial Consultat...

The most important thing that you bring with you to your consultation with a Zion bankruptcy attorney is yourself.  You have the majority of the information that you need within your head.  You simply have to translate that information to your bankruptcy attorney and it’s typically done by way of a bankruptcy questionnaire.  A bankruptcy questionnaire is a multipage document which the individual fills out regarding name, Social Security number, address, marital status, income, expenses, assets, liabilities, property, automobiles; all kinds of information like that. 

I often have people tell me well, I don’t have all my paperwork together so I’m going to wait until I have it before I come in.  This is a big mistake.  People should come in immediately when they feel the need to get out of debt.  The majority of the information can be provided by the client right off the top of their head or we can acquire it through a credit report.  In addition, if the debtor has items or information that is still at their residence, they can get that later.  The most important thing to do is just come in, get the information from us, and provide what information you do have so we can start to advise you. 

For example, I can pretty much know without even looking at a credit report whether or not someone is going to be best in a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case.  Three quarters of the people who come to see me are looking for a fresh start.  One quarter of the people who come to see me are looking to reorganize and save a home for Chapter 13.  We can go through a lot of the information without having a credit bureau in front of us and without having a paycheck stub in front of us.  Of course, it’s always best if someone can bring a recent paycheck stub and if somebody can bring a credit report, but it is absolutely not necessary.  The best advice is to just get in, make the first step, listen to the information that your attorney tells you and answer the questions that the attorney asks of you. 

So don’t let the fact that you don’t have all of your paperwork prohibit you from coming in for your initial consultation.  What you are really garnering from that first consultation is information from the attorney.  The attorney is going to be able to give you advice on whether or not a Chapter 7 is in your best interest or whether a Chapter 13 is really going to solve your financial problems.  So in addition to meeting with your attorney, the attorney will advise you on what information he or she needs from you. 

Once again, don’t let the fact that you don’t have all of your information dissuade you from coming in for an initial consultation.  The information that you receive from the attorney is just as important or more than the information that you are going to be providing at some later date to your bankruptcy attorney.