Chapter 7 and nervous....
Up until this year, we have been stellar debtors. We always made sure everything was paid on time and usually paid a month ahead. BUT this year has been HELL.
I work a full time job and I also design houses on my own as residual income. We did not realize exactly how important the residual income was top use until the rsidential market fell completely out...
As we are all aware, the housing market has dwindled down to almost nothing...with no relief expected until mid/late next year. With this going on, I do not have any new design plans coming through at the moment.
We had been managing by me completing little odds and ends jobs here and there for a quick extra hundred bucks or two..unfortunately, by the time the money came in, it was being used to catch us up on late bills...then everything snowballed.
Add to this the fact that I have one of my customers who built a house without paying me for the plans and I am involved in a legal battle with him at the moment.
Now add in the fact that I have just gone back to work after being out a month for a surgical procedure.....my journey goes on and on and on....
Any way, my wife happened upon legalhelpers(dot)com yesterday. The website is owned by the law firm of Macey and Aleman, PC. We have our free consultation with them tomorrow.
We are ready to have our slate wiped clean and get on with our lives...all the stress headaches....the sleepless nights...the worrying...all that needs to be over. We have 3 children and they have started to feel the pinch of our financial situation as well.
Macey and Aleman are listed as BBB Reliability program members. The location we checked on has not had any complaints in the last 36 months.
Has any one else had any experience with Macey and Aleman?
Can someone who has been through chapter 7 tell me what to expect?
I have never been in financial distress before and we are having to handle this as a last ditch resort....
I have. I will tell you this. I hired them. Then changed my m
I have. I will tell you this. I hired them. Then changed my mind after waiting for over an hour for my appointment and realizing it would take me months to get the money together to even file. Thank god. When I went to the creditors meeting, I saw the lawyer there. His case was before mine. He filed a joint chapter 7 for a couple that wasn't married. The whole case got thrown out. Even I know that you have to be married to file jointly!
Also, I had been told to refer all creditors to their 800 number and website. Every single one of my creditors kept calling me, because they could never get a person on the phone or get any information.
That is just my experience. I've since done the paperwork for someone else, but it was a straightforward case with no assets or secured debt.
Legal Helpers is like the mass produced, step above prepaid legal services type company. The lawyers working for them are new, and not experienced. They will tell you what you want to hear, regardless of what will really happen.
Now, this may not be the case for you, since obviously it would be a different lawyer unless you happen to live in the same city as me. But still, look around. You can find a much better lawyer for the same price or even cheaper.
I have been through Chapter 7. Even though my situation is not a
I have been through Chapter 7. Even though my situation is not anywhere near yours, I thought I'd tell you anyway. I filed due to too much credit card debt. My attorney advised Chapter 7 because Chapter 13 would defeat the purpose of filing(get rid of the debt). I basically was living beyond my means. I am single with no kids. As far as assets, all I have are personal items such as a car, furniture, clothing, etc. I don't have land/home or anything that valuable. Since I needed transportation for work, my attorney suggested reaffirming my car loan. I took her advice and basically started a new loan agreement with the same conditions as the original. Of course, the balance has changed. I do suggest if you decide to file, DO NOT hide anything from your attorney. I mean tell him/her everything. If you forget you have a 401(k) from an old job or that 2nd pc, make sure you tell them. It could bite you in the butt at your meeting of creditors. I was nervous as hell thinking I would lose every possession I have. I even got sick from being so nervous about it up 'til the day of the meeting of creditors. There was one case before mine, it was a married couple. Theirs seemed to go smooth. I had an opportunity to know what to expect before I went before the trustee. There were no creditors at all present at the meeting. I don't even remember what I said I was so nervous. My attorney advised me not to say anything outside of what the trustee specifically asks. For example, if you are asked "What time is it?", respond "4:30PM." Don't say it's "4:30 in the afternoon on Thursday." Once again, it could bite you in the butt giving out info not necessary. After the meeting of creditors was over, my attorney said "No news is good news." I never heard anything again until I received my discharge papers two months later. I'm no attorney, so hopefully by now you know where you want to go with filing. It was just over 2 months after my meeting of creditors that I received my bankruptcy discharge. The trustee decided not to redistribute any of my assets. That basically means I didn't lose any of my possessions. I'm not familiar with the law firm you mentioned. I hope it goes smoother than you think. I got lucky. It was for me once it was done. I hope this helps you or someone out there.