Current Clients
Once you have retained our office to file for Bankruptcy, there are several different steps along the path to receiving your discharge:
SIGNING APPOINTMENT
At your signing, your second installment payment is due ($549). This includes the $299 federal filing fee that the US Bankruptcy Court will charge us to file your case. At your signing, we will review all of your Bankruptcy Petition paperwork with you to ensure accuracy. We will complete an Asset Review to make sure that we have listed and protected the personal property which you own. You will then watch a brief video about Bankruptcy. And finally, you will sign all of your paperwork for filing with the Court. Please allow 90 minutes for your signing appointment.
CREDIT COUNSELING, ROUND 2
Your second round of credit counseling must be completed through Greenpath after your case is filed, but before your 341 Hearing. We will contact you after filing with your case number, which is needed to complete this second round. You can either complete this by contacting Greenpath at 1-866-332-8435 or at www.greenpathbk.com. As a reminder, you will need our individual lawfirm code when you contact them. Please call the office if you need to be reminded of the code.
341 MEETING OF CREDITORS
For most people, this is your only Bankruptcy Hearing. You must appear before the Chapter 7 Trustee who has been assigned to your case, to answer questions about your current financial situation and possibly regarding your assets. We will have an attorney present with you at the hearing to help you through the process. You must bring the following items with you to the hearing:
- Copy of last 4 paystubs for all wage earning adults in the household
- 90 days worth of bank statements
- Drivers License or State issued photo ID card
- Social Security card for each debtor
The Trustees are very prompt, and we require that you arrive at least 20 minutes prior to your scheduled hearing time. Please allow 1/2 hour for this hearing, though many are often shorter. If the Trustee requires any additional information following the hearing, he/she will contact our office, and we will get in touch with you in the week following the meeting. If you fail to appear for this hearing, you will incur an additional $300 fee for rescheduling, and risk your case being dismissed.
Hearing Locations:
Grand Rapids: 125 Ottawa NW (Ledyard Building), 2nd Floor, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(serving Barry, Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, and Ottawa counties)
Kalamazoo: 410 W Michigan (US Federal Building), Room 114, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(serving Allegan, Berrian, Branch, St. Joseph, Van Buren, Hillsdale, Cass, Calhoun, and Kalamazoo counties)
Traverse City: Logan Place West, 3249 Racquet Club Dr, Traverse City, MI 49684
(serving Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Lake, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Osceola, and Wexford counties)
Bay City: 111 First Street, Suite 103, Bay City, MI 48708
(serving Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Bay, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Iosco, Isabella, Midland, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Saginaw, and Tuscola)
(If you do not see your county listed, we are not currently accepting clients in your area at this time)
For directions to your hearing, please go to www.maps.google.com and click on “Get Directions”. From there you can input your home address, and your hearing site address listed above, to obtain turn-by-turn directions.
REAFFIRMATION AGREEMENTS
If you have chosen to keep your home or vehicles, you will need to sign a Reaffirmation Agreement for each item as part of your Bankruptcy case. This document is your individual statement to the Court that you are going to retain the item and keep making the payments on it. The terms of payment (amount, interest, etc), are all written out in the agreement for your protection. Usually creditors provide these to our office 30-60 days after the filing of a Bankruptcy case. We will then mail them to you for signing. You should always make and keep a copy for your own records, and then mail the original back to us for filing with the Court. You MUST continue to make your payments on time for the items which are being reaffirmed, or you risk losing them.
DISCHARGE
Your discharge will come through from the court approximately 60-90 days after your hearing is complete. This discharge allows you a full and final release from the debts which were listed in the Bankruptcy (unless they have been reaffirmed, or are nondischargable). All of your creditors will a receive a copy of your discharge by mail, as will our office. The court will send a copy directly to you as well.