Auburn Bankruptcy Lawyer

Auburn is a city that is uniquely located in both King and Pierce Counties. It has population of over 70,000 people and is currently ranked as the 14th largest city in Washington State. Boeing is the largest employer in Auburn. Auburn is one of the largest cities and retail districts in South King County, as well as a major provider innovative health care services for residents of the community. Our debt relief lawyers and bankruptcy attorneys have been serving clients throughout Auburn, WA for years.

Due to the recent recession and slow pull out, many Auburn residents have suffered financially and are unable to maintain all of their financial obligations. Many have fallen behind on your bills and have sought financial relief by filing for consumer bankruptcy. Our bankruptcy services law firm has represented many residents of Auburn community. Our Auburn bankruptcy attorneys have helped them wipe out millions of dollars of debt while achieving financial relief and independence through Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

The City of Auburn is a beautiful place to live and work. But, like a lot of working class suburbs, it's been hit especially hard with this latest economic downturn. Fortunately, if you live in Auburn and find yourself struggling every month just to keep a roof over your head, put food on your table, keep gas in your car and cover other basic necessities, there's a good chance that you may qualify for bankruptcy protection. If you find yourself consistently behind the financial eight ball every month, our Auburn bankruptcy attorneys are here to help.

Your creditors want you to believe and think that if you even contemplate for one minute the thought of filing for bankruptcy that you are somehow a horrible person and a terrible failure in life. Our King County debt relief lawyers want you to understand that this is total hogwash! In truth, the bankruptcy laws were first enacted so that good people who fell down could get up again and become financially productive citizens. No one benefits from someone who is working hard but only falling further behind each month.

No one starts out their financial life with the intention of one day failing. But, life is filled with curve balls. From death and divorce to job loss and medical emergency, life has a way knocking almost everyone down at some point in their lives, often through no fault of their own. Our bankruptcy attorneys understand that life can be unfair at times.

In fact, it can be a real bitch. We get it, and we're here to help you get back on your feet. And, here's what your creditors fear more than anything, that you will pick up the phone can call us. Why? Because they know that if you qualify for bankruptcy protection, after you get off the phone with one of our Auburn debt relief lawyers, they will NEVER see another penny of your hard-earned money again. Ever. We often advise clients to stop paying all qualifying creditors the instant that they decide to file for bankruptcy protection.

That's why they are constantly walking a fine line between bullying you and playing nice. They want to bully every dollar out of you that they can. But, they are often just nice enough at time to not push you over the edge. The last thing they want is for you to pick up the phone and call one of our lawyers. If they do, they know that their days of being able to harass you day and night for every dollar they can get are almost certainly over.

Bankruptcy is one of the misunderstood yet immensely powerful financial tools available anywhere in the world. The best Auburn bankruptcy lawyers know how to carefully analyze each client's case in order to ensure that their protection and their relief are both maximized under the Bankruptcy Code. Listen, bankruptcy isn't for everyone. We talk with clients on a regular basis that are better of going another route. In the overwhelming majority of cases, however, where someone is truly struggling every month just to get by with no real relief in site, bankruptcy is their best option.

Let's talk more about how bankruptcy can immediately help you and your family.

The second a bankruptcy case is filed, all creditors are prohibited from trying to collect a debt by the automatic stay. Attempts to collect a debt include law suits, garnishments, collections calls, evictions, utility cut offs, foreclosures and repossessions. And, our Auburn bankruptcy lawyers will have your back if creditors keep calling and harassing you. In most situations, they stop harassing you as soon as you retain our bankruptcy services. But, they are absolutely required by law to stop harassing you once your bankruptcy petition is filed.

It is called the automatic stay because it takes effect automatically. If a creditor collects a debt by mistake because they did not know the bankruptcy was filed yet, they must give the money back upon demand. If they do not or they collect a debt, or even attempt to collect a debt, after receiving notice of bankruptcy they can be sued for damages and sanctions. Creditors take the automatic stay very seriously and it is rare that debtors run into any problems enforcing it.

A creditor can ask the court to “modify the automatic” stay “for cause”, which usually means a secured creditor can get out of the stay if they are not “adequately protected”. A secured creditor’s debt is backed up by lien on property, or collateral. For example, a mortgage is backed up by a house and a car loan is backed up by the car. The lien survives bankruptcy. The secured creditor has the right to a continuing stream of payments and can demand that the property is fully insured so their collateral is protected. If a debtor is not making payments, either directly per the terms of the contract in a Chapter 7 or through bankruptcy plan payments in a Chapter 13, the creditor can modify the automatic stay.

If you have filed a bankruptcy in the last year, the automatic stay will no longer be in effect after a month unless you file a motion showing the case was filed in good faith. If you have filed more than two bankruptcies in the past year, the automatic stay will not take effect at all and you have to file a motion to instate it. This provision is part of the 2005 bankruptcy reform because in the past people could file bankruptcy after bankruptcy after one was dismissed, stringing creditors along.

The automatic stay covers almost all debts whereas the there are several exceptions to the discharge. Student loans and back taxes may not be discharged but they are covered by the automatic stay. The automatic stay does not prohibit criminal cases or child support cases.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is the most commonly filed consumer bankruptcy and discharges 100% of qualifying unsecured debt. Unsecured debt is commonly understood as debt that is not secured by property. The most common unsecured debts that are discharged in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy are medical bills, credit card debts, unpaid utilities, unpaid rent (usually from a broken lease), pay day loans, and car repossession deficiencies. Some Income taxes can also be discharged in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Our experiences bankruptcy lawyers can discuss your tax issues in detail to determine whether those debts can be discharged in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

Typically, a “Means Test” is applied to determine whether a person or married couple qualifies for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. The Means Test averages the last full six calendar months of household income, as well as considers reasonable and necessary monthly living expenses, to determine whether or not the debtor(s) have any significant disposable monthly income to qualify for a discharge in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

If a debtor does not qualify for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy due to significant disposable monthly income, the person or married couple usually still has the option to file Chapter 13 Bankruptcy to discharge a significant portion of their unsecured debt which will also lower payments and balances on their unsecured debts to an amount they can afford to pay under a 36 to 60 month plan.

Our Auburn, Washington bankruptcy lawyers will fight to protect your financial future. If you qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, it is almost certainly your best option. If you cannot qualify for Chapter 7 relief, however, filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy may still be your best option. Either way, however, our Auburn bankruptcy attorneys will help you to navigate the often choppy waters of debt relief. And, we will be with you every step of the process.

Higher Income Wage Earners. If a debtor has too much household income and/or too much disposable monthly income after reasonable and necessary monthly living expenses to qualify for a 100% discharge under Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, many times it is still be the best financial interests the debtor/ married couple to file a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy to lower their monthly payments on their debts to an amount they can reasonably afford. If all debts are not paid by the end of the 36 to 60 month Chapter 13 Plan, the remaining unpaid unsecured debts are discharged at the end of the plan term.

Wage Earners Who Wish to Save Their Home from Foreclosure. Even though secured debts such as mortgages cannot be discharged in Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy can help struggling homeowners repay their mortgage arrears in a Chapter 13 Repayment Plan, while discharging up to 100% of the homeowners credit card, medical bills, and other unsecured debt. The Chapter 13 Bankruptcy in many ways allows the homeowner to favor his or her mortgage obligations at the expense of discharging other, uncollaterized unsecured debt.

In cases where a house value has plummeted to such an extent that the value of their home is less than the current balance of the first mortgage and the home owner also owes a second mortgage on the house, the second mortgage can be stripped and discharged through Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. This is a complicated process involving an adversarial proceeding initiated against the second mortgage company. Therefore, this process typically needs the advice and assistance to an experienced bankruptcy lawyer to help the homeowner through this process.

Wage Earners Who Wish to Lower/”Cramdown” a Car Loan. If your car loan was taken out at least 910 days ago, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy also allows you to “cramdown”/lower the balance of a car loan to the fair market value of the car. If you have a high interest rate on your car loan, that rate can also be reduced to the prime rate plus 3%, which would current lower a car loan to about 6.5%

Give us a call or write us a quick email. Our lawyers are available immediately or will return your call or email promptly. We can not give you detailed legal advice when you first reach out to us and we will not have an attorney-client relationship but you may feel a huge sense of relief just by contacting us. We can give you a basic idea of what bankruptcy can do for you and what kinds of debts will be wiped out forever.

Bankruptcy can stop bill collectors dead in their tracks. It allows you to keep your important possessions and gives you a fresh financial start so you can remain a productive citizen who can take care of yourself and your family with dignity. Just knowing that a certain debt will go away forever takes a load off your mind.

Choosing a good Auburn bankruptcy attorney can be confusing and stressful. We are confident that you will feel comfortable with us after a brief initial consultation. Our debt relief staff have years of experience with bankruptcy. We are compassionate, understanding and highly skilled with bankruptcy cases. It will be refreshing to talk to people who actually care about your financial situation. We have flexible hours and locations available to schedule a free consultation with you so we can go over your situation in more detail.

We have helped thousands of people get a Fresh Financial Start.

The Beginning of Your Fresh Start Could Be Just Phone Call Away!

• Low Flat Fees
• Affordable Payment Plans

Our Auburn bankruptcy lawyers charge a low flat fee and offer flexible payment plans to make bankruptcy as easy as possible. A flat fee means we do not charge by the hour. It does not matter if a situation arises and you need more help from our office more often than usual, you will not receive a surprising bill at the end of the month with charges for unexpected time spent by our lawyers.

After meeting with you, our bankruptcy lawyers are very good at estimating how much time your case will take and offering you a fee based on that but if something comes up, we take the risk of having to spend a little more time to help you. We are happy to do this because we have years of experience and know how to handle such situations. In most Chapter 7 cases, we charge a flat fee that varies from $850 to $1,500. And, in Chapter 13 cases, our initial flat fee is $3,500.

Our flat fees take the stress of wondering how much time your case will take away from you. There are some very rare situations involving many hours of court time that are not included in our flat fee. Such situations hardly ever come up and our fee agreement clearly spells out what kind of situations they cover. And, unless there has been some kind of failure to disclose information to us, our attorneys typically see these scenarios coming. In which case, we can discuss them with our clients in advance, giving them ample time to prepare for these additional expenditures.

One of our Auburn bankruptcy lawyers will also structure a payment plan for you to make your fees affordable. Once you meet with us, you will know what a bankruptcy can do for you and what debts you can stop paying immediately. You will probably feel a tremendous relief knowing that there is hope for your financial situation and ways to immediately improve your cash flow. Once you stop paying credit cards, for example, you will find it fairly easy to take care of the attorney fees, filing fee and classes that are necessary to file a bankruptcy case.

If you want a friend or relative to pay your fees, that is no problem. No matter who pays your fees, however, our bankruptcy lawyers work for you. Your information is confidential and we follow your wishes, not those of anyone else.