Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
Choosing the right attorney is the logical first step to dealing with a serious financial problem. The Sughrue Law Firm offers the following advantages to help ease the process for our clients:
- $999.00 Flat Attorney Fee for Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases for below median income clients
- Immediate Same Day Relief from creditor harassment for as little as 199.99 down
- Offices in Your Neighborhood by appointment in Greenspoint, Sharpstown, Katy, The Woodlands, ...)
- A Dedicated experienced Attorney, from A-Z you have the same attorney you met day one.
- Only One Trip to Court with Mr. Sughrue, not a lawyer you have never met before
- Post Bankruptcy Credit Recovery & Rebuild Representation Included at No Additional Cost
- Free Initial Consultations with your attorney Mr. Sughrue NOT a paralegal
Please take a look at our frequently asked questions below and then give us a call at 713 518 1833.
- What is a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
- Who Should Consider Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
- What is the Process in a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case?
- Do I Keep/Lose all my property in a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case?
- Do I have to go to Court?
- What is a Chapter 7 Discharge / When do I get one?
- What is an Unsecured Debt?
- What will happen to my credit if I file a Chapter 7?
- What is a Stay Violation?
What is a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
A Chapter 7 is a 5 step solution to an out of control financial problem, and The Sughrue Law Firm will help you with all 5.
- Stop the Problem
- Regain Control
- Fresh Start
- Credit Rebuild
- Credit Protection & Management
Many of our clients come to us because they can't take any more harassment from their creditors. Even with our reasonable attorneys fees some clients can't afford to pay all of their fees and file a case on the first day. The Sughrue Law Firm will work to stop the harassment day-one with a client's first payment of $199.00 toward their fees.
Once the Chapter 7 Bankruptcy case is filed the Automatic Stay will continue to stop any creditor calls, lawsuits, judgments, garnishments, etc. A Chapter 7 case only lasts a few months (generally no more than 3 to 4 months). At the end of that period the client receives their Chapter 7 discharge.
Most law firm's representation of a client ends with the discharge, not with The Sughrue Law Firm. Our clients will be given advice about how to start to Rebuild their credit life after discharge. We also offer several very inexpensive products to Protect & Maintain your credit.
Who Should consider Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
Determining whether to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy does not have to be as complex as you might think. In most cases it's easy to see the signs that Chapter 7 should be considered.
The bottom line is that if a client is overwhelmed with unsecured debt payments after they pay for the essential parts of their life (house, car, utilities,...) and there is no reasonably expected change upward in their income on the horizon, then Chapter 7 Bankruptcy should be considered.
Many of our clients are able to finance automobiles within months after a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and homes with in one to two years after a Chapter 7. Therefore, if a client looks at their unsecured debt payments and realizes that paying them off will take years and years sitting down with Jason Sughrue is time well spent.
What is the Process of a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case?
The process of a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy case with The Sughrue Law Firm includes 3 parts.
- While a client takes time to pay her retainer to have Mr. Sughrue file their case they are protected from harassment by using Texas Debt Collection Laws. Creditor phone calls for example, are rerouted to Mr. Sughrue's office. The client during this time completes the required paperwork for the case as well as a credit counseling course which takes about an hour.
- About 4 to 6 weeks after the client's case is filed they accompany Mr. Sughrue to court for one appearance which takes about 5 - 10 minutes from beginning to end. 45 days after that meeting and a second round of credit counseling the client receives his discharge of debts (this is when he is officially no longer obligated to the creditors in his case in any way).
- In the year after discharge The Sughrue Law Firm will counsel its client and help assist in rebuilding their credit, AT NO EXTRA CHARGE. At that same time and for as long afterward as is necessary the Firm's client can choose to let Mr. Sughrue monitor and protect their recovering credit from identity theft, automatic stay violations, unfair and illegal debt collection, and the like.
Do I Keep / Loose all my property in a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case?
In the vast majority of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases clients choose to keep most if not all of their property even when there is a debt associated with that property. In terms of personal assets, The Sughrue Law Firm has never had a Chapter 7 client that had to choose to actually liquidate or sell anything to pay back creditors.
A client of The Sughrue Law Firm will know what property they choose to keep or give up before the decision is even made to begin the process of a Chapter 7.
Do I have to go to Court?
With our client's cooperation, The Sughrue Law Firm sets out to make sure that our Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases are filed in such a way that only one trip to court is required. As it turns out in most cases The Firm is able to achieve this goal.
What is a Chapter 7 Discharge / When do I get one?
45 days after a client's first and hopefully only trip to court the Judge will sign a Discharge Order. In simple terms this is the moment when the client is officially and permanently no longer obligated to the creditors listed in her case.
What is an Unsecured Debt?
Simple! An unsecured debt is a debt that is not secured by collateral. Jason refers to these debts as those that when you don't pay CANT come and take anything away from you. These debts include credit cards, medical bills, pay day loans, old repossessions, old foreclosures, broken leases... These are also the reason that most people consider Chapter 7 bankruptcy because they are wiped out by a Chapter 7 discharge.
What will happen to my credit if I file a Chapter 7?
In most cases when a client walks in to ask about a Chapter 7 bankruptcy all the damage that can be done to their credit has already been done. Chapter 7 is referred to as a Fresh Start and The Sughrue Law Firm knows that it can be. This is especially true when you don’t stop representing the client at discharge.
The Sughrue Law Firm will counsel a client about how to Rebuild and then Monitor and Protect their credit after discharge. The most important part about Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is not the 4 months they are involved in the court process, but rather the improvement that can be realized once their financial life is put back together.
What is a Stay Violation?
During and after a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, a client is protected from Debt Collection of any kind. If a creditor attempts to collect a debt by making a phone call to a debtor, sending a letter, or reporting a debt to a credit agency, that creditor is violating the law by committing a stay violation and should be held accountable.
A stay violation is a serious matter that is overlooked by many clients and attorneys. A client that files a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and receives a Discharge has rights that extend for the rest of their lives. The Sughrue Law Firm offers counseling and a variety of products to clients after their discharge to ensure that all their hard work and money don’t go to waste because no one is watching when their credit is compromised.
Please give us a call to schedule a free consultation at one of our satellite offices near you. 713-518-1833
723 Main St. Ste 801
Houston, TX 77002
ph: 713-518-1833
fax: 713-228-0201
