Union City Bankruptcy Attorneys
One of the most important parts of the bankruptcy filing process is choosing the best Union City bankruptcy attorney to represent you in bankruptcy court when filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case. There are a number of bankruptcy lawyers in Union City and we encourage you to speak with more than one. Once you meet with us you will know by how your free consultation was conducted and by the answers to your questions what we have filed hundreds of bankruptcy cases for residents of the greater Bay Area so they can live debt free and stress free. It only takes thirty minutes to an hour to find out if bankruptcy can help you with your unmanageable debts by scheduling a free consultation.
We only charge fees based upon the amount of work each individual case requires. We also charge very reasonable attorney fees. Some Union City bankruptcy attorneys charge everyone they meet with $2,000 for a Chapter 7 case. How is that possible when some cases are less work than others? A typical no asset Chapter 7 bankruptcy case generally should not cost more than $1,200 - $2,500 not including the court filing fee, required course and a credit report. If a bankruptcy lawyer in Union City quotes you a fee you need to know what is included in the fee. Attorneys’ fees usually do not include the Court filing fee or the fees for other services such as a credit report, Credit Counseling Course or Financial Management Course. Both of the courses take approximately two hours to complete on the internet. Once the courses are completed the course providers forward certificates of completion that are then filed with the Bankruptcy Court. In 2005 Congress created these two courses to provide more information to those in need of bankruptcy help as part of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevent and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (“BAPCPA”). Some Union City bankruptcy attorneys call the 2005 law “BARF” or Bankruptcy Abuse Reform Fiasco.
BARF really did little to prevent abuse or help consumers in anyway. The new law made in more difficult for bankruptcy lawyers in Union City to keep attorney fees lower. The means test was created and it only made the bankruptcy process more complicated and more expensive. In addition the means test does not even exist in reality and is a poor attempt to make the filing of bankruptcy a cookie cutter approach. The means test uses the median income for the number of people in your household in the state you live as a starting point. A six-month average of your gross income will be calculated then multiplied by 12 and compared the median income for the same number people in your state. In California the median income for a household of 3 is $66,618 per year or $5,552 per month. If your income is less than the median income you qualify to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy and receive a complete discharge of your debts. That is assuming all of your assets can be protected. There is more to come on that issue. If your gross income is over the median income than you must complete the means test. Now this is where some of your real world expenses are added to the means test. The means test is designed to calculate whether you can afford to pay back some of your debts. So the means test deducts from your disposable income secured debt payments and priority debt payments. There are a number of other deductions as well: taxes, childcare expenses, vehicle payment, vehicle maintenance, family care, healthcare, public transportation costs, charitable contributions, life insurance, mandatory deductions from your employer, alimony payments, education for employment and more. If after deducting your expenses you pass the means test you may file a Chapter 7 case. If not, then our bankruptcy lawyers in Union City and Union City bankruptcy attorneys will discuss how much of your debts you will have to pay back in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case.
By
Ryan
C. Wood