Things You Need When You Come to See Me

         First of all, you do not have to bring any money. As I said at the onset, my initial consultation really and truly is FREE. During our initial consultation, I will discuss all fees with you and I will always put our fees in writing. There are no hidden expenses. If you desired to retain us at the first meeting, that is fine. Typically, I advise my clients to put about $300 down. This allows us to draw a credit report for you and provide you with our “Client Code” so that you can call Greenpath and complete the pre-filing Credit Counseling and they can bill us for the counseling session.

         Here is a client intake sheet that you can print and fill out and bring in with you.

         The new bankruptcy rules require me to try and figure out how much you’ve earned in the past six months. I really would like all of your paystubs for that time period, or a print-out from your employer. If you are in business for yourself, I would like a profit and loss statement on a month-by-month basis. Your bank statements might help deduce your gross income, if you are self-employed.

         I need a complete list of creditors (names, addresses, account #’s and balances). Be sure to use the address on the last billing statement, if they have contacted you by letter in the last sixty days. If there is an attorney or collection agency, I would like their name and address, as well.

         Here is a form I like to use for creditors.List of Debts

         Beyond that, there are a other things you might want to bring in with you:

         *    Lawsuits, including foreclosures and garnishments;
         *    Your divorce papers showing who owes what debt;
         *    The Real Estate tax bill from the County Assessor showing what your real estate is worth;
         *    The Deed or the Abstract for each piece of real estate that has the Legal Description the real estate.
         *    Any statements showing how much money is in your retirement plan or an IRA;
         *    Any appraisals of personal property that you may have that show what your personal property is worth.

         As you can guess from this list, we will need about an hour and a half of your time. My primary goal is to examine your assets, your debts, your income and your expenses. I need to be able to answer the following questions:

1.    Will you lose any property, if you file bankruptcy?
2.    Can you eliminate your debts? and
3.    Are you making too much to file bankruptcy?