Bankruptcy Lawyers in St. Joseph

Helping You File for Bankruptcy with Confidence

Patton Dean, LLC and our St. Joseph bankruptcy attorneys believe that everyone facing bankruptcy should not have to go through it alone. With our compassionate legal guidance, you can decide if bankruptcy is right for you, and take steps afterwards if it is. Throughout our decades of combined legal experience, we have helped thousands of people in situations much like yours understand and file for bankruptcy with success.

We are here to guide you at each step along the way, never leaving you in the dark:

• We listen to you before filing for bankruptcy to determine if it is the best choice.
• We represent you during your bankruptcy so there are never any surprises.
• We offer after-bankruptcy guidance to help you rebuild your credit score and finances.

Want to know more? We’d love to tell you more. Call (913) 203-4786 to schedule a free consultation.

Should You File for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13?

Bankruptcy is divided into Chapters, which apply to specific types of debt and debt relief options. For the most part, an individual will file for either Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Our St. Joseph bankruptcy lawyers will take the time to sort through your unique financial situation to figure out which type of bankruptcy will most likely provide you with the most benefits by the time of its conclusion.

In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you have to qualify by passing a “means test” that compares your finances to the finances of the average household in your region. If you do pass the means test, then you can file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which usually offers a complete discharge of all your unsecured debt. You may risk some of your nonexempt property to creditor collections. For example, homeowners may risk their house to foreclosure in some situations. We want to do everything we can to make certain you keep as much property as possible while eliminating a maximized amount of debt.

In Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you usually do not risk much property to collections because you agree to try your best to repay as much of your debt as possible or as much as your budget allows. This works by first reducing your debt and then restructuring what remains into a manageable repayment plan. The plan spans three or five years, and for any debt that remains, it is generally discharged. Chapter 13 may be an ideal choice if your debt is significant but could be less overwhelming with careful rearrangement and negotiation.

Ready to learn more about bankruptcy? We are ready to tell you more! Call our St. Joseph bankruptcy lawyers (913) 203-4786 now.