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Everett Bankruptcy Attorneys

Everett Bankruptcy Lawyer, Erin M. Lane

Seattle Bankruptcy Attorneys

Seattle bankruptcy lawyer, Erin M. Lane

Talk to an Everett bankruptcy lawyer now!

Stop struggling. Wipe out your debts!
Free consultation. Low flat fees.

Before even considering hiring attorneys to file for bankruptcy, most people have struggled for years with debt. It is easy to plod along for too long hoping for a change in circumstances that will allow you to finally pay your debt. Getting in over your head can take place over years as more debt accumulates while you continue to believe that some day your income will take care of it. It can also happen overnight with a sudden medical emergency. When you finally are ready to explore your options, the Everett bankruptcy attorneys from our firm can show you how it can be a surprisingly easy and painless way to get back on track. Contact our attorneys for your FREE consultation:

(425) 249-7156

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Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

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Experienced Chapter 7 & 13 bankruptcy help in Snohomish County.

As soon as a bankruptcy is filed with the help from our attorneys in Snohomish County, all debt collection stops immediately. You obtain sudden relief from phone calls, lawsuits, garnishments, foreclosures, repossessions, suspended drivers licenses and utility cut offs. Almost all debt collection is covered by the bankruptcy filing. The idea is to give you a chance to reorganize without creditors hounding you. Our bankruptcy lawyers in Everett, WA, you can help you easily enjoy this peace-of-mind too.

In the process, creditors may receive some payment but they have to share equally and they are limited to what you are legally obligated to pay. The purpose of bankruptcy is to give you a fresh financial start while leaving you with enough property to go forward in a dignified and stable manner. Most people who file bankruptcy with the guidance our attorneys provide find they are able to keep all their property. The bankruptcy lawyers in Everett, WA from our team can also help you retain your possessions through the process.

Our Snohomish County debt relief attorneys serve clients throughout the North Puget Sound Region. From our centrally located Everett bankruptcy law offices, we serve the following cities, Arlington, Bothell, Brier, Edmonds, Everett, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, and Snohomish.

Cities served in Snohomish County include:

Everett bankruptcy attorney Erin M. Lane and the lawyers who work with her are experienced and affordable debt relief professional. Out attorneys have successfully handled numerous Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases for clients throughout Snohomish County and Western Washington. We work hard to provide individuals and families with the fresh financial start that the Federal and Washington State bankruptcy code guarantees to them if they can qualify for protection and relief.

Our dedicated team of bankruptcy professionals will provide you and your family with the attention, communication, dedication, and care necessary to ensure that your bankruptcy case is successfully handled from start to finish. Our Everett bankruptcy lawyers are a results-oriented bankruptcy law firm that prides itself on maximizing every client’s relief under the Bankruptcy Code.

Our goal is to handle your case with as little stress and worry as possible during this understandably difficult financial time. When bankruptcy clients first contact our offices, they are often feeling emotionally overwhelmed and psychologically drained. They want answers and they want debt relief. Our bankruptcy professionals get it. We are NOT a paralegal service, and we are not a “volume” bankruptcy practice.

Our Everett bankruptcy lawyers pride themselves on providing high quality and personal debt relief services at affordable rates. We offer low flat fees and flexible payment plans. We are not the least expensive bankruptcy law firm in Everett. But, we’re certainly not the most expensive either.

In additional to providing our bankruptcy clients with the highest quality debt relief services, we also pride ourselves on delivering these services cost-effectively and efficiently. Our Everett bankruptcy law offices are conveniently located in downtown Everett, two blocks from the Snohomish County Courthouse and a few short blocks from where all 341 bankruptcy hearings are held.

Affordable attorney fees and flexible payment plans available.

Unlike a lot of other bankruptcy law firms in Everett, we do not charge every client the same fee. Our bankruptcy lawyers make every effort to honestly and accurately assess the amount of time that your personal bankruptcy take in terms of time and effort at the time that you retain our services.

Our bankruptcy lawyers believe that this a much better and honest approach to our bankruptcy fees. It also enables us to spend the time necessary on your case in order to fully maximize your protection and relief while also ensuring that any potential problems are properly and proactively addressed prior to filing your bankruptcy petition.

The Snohomish County bankruptcy attorneys from our law firm set their fees as low as possible after determining the work necessary to help you achieve your financial goals through bankruptcy. Our attorney fees for Everett bankruptcy cases vary depending upon the complexity or simplicity of your case.

Our law firm offers low, flat attorney fees in many cases. We also accept payments plans to fit within your budget.

From qualification to filing, our Everett bankruptcy attorneys will assist you the whole way.

After our Everett bankruptcy attorneys assess that you qualify, the process starts by filing a petition and related documents with the federal bankruptcy court. A trustee is appointed to administer your case. Most people only deal with the trustee but a bankruptcy judge can decide some issues. Mostly likely you will only have to attend one short hearing, called a meeting of creditors, with your Everett bankruptcy attorneys about a month after you file. Creditors usually do not have any questions about bankruptcy petitions and do not attend these hearings, though it is possible. For the most part, if a creditor has a problem with a bankruptcy, it will be resolved by filing a motion with the bankruptcy court.

What is Chapter 7 bankruptcy?

In Chapter 7 bankruptcies, the trustee is mostly concerned with finding assets to liquidate for creditors. In most Chapter 7s there are no assets available for creditors because the law exempts them from being taken by the trustee. The exemptions are fairly generous, allowing most people to stay in their home, keep their car, retirement plan, household goods, work tools and some cash.

The US Trustee’s office reviews petitions for abuse of the bankruptcy system. If your household income is over the median income for your state, you could be accused of abusing the bankruptcy system in a Chapter 7. Households with higher income must go through a means test to show that their expenses are so high they do not have enough income to pay at least a portion of their debt in a Chapter 13. The means test is fairly strict and most people would have to tighten their belts to actually live on what it defines as a reasonable expense. However, there are ways to show you have special circumstances to overcome the presumption of abuse in your means test if its strict definitions show you should be in a Chapter 13.

Chapter 7 attorney fees.

Our attorney fees typically vary between $850 and $1,500 for Chapter 7 cases if you are not self-employed and you have not run a business in the 12 months prior to filing for bankruptcy.

In certain cases, however, our bankruptcy attorney fees may range somewhat higher or lower depending upon several factors, such the total amount of debt, whether you are of limited income living on public assistance such as social security, a recent change in income and several other potential factors. We usually do not charge less than $750 for any Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases.

In most cases, the attorney fees that we charge for Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases are done on a “flat fee” basis. This means that our Everett bankruptcy clients know exactly what they will be charged at the time that they retain our legal services. There are exceptions, however, such as where clients are self-employed or have recently run a business.

If you are self-employed, are paid by commission, or have run a business over the past year, we may bill your bankruptcy case in a different way and charge by the hour for our work. These cases are rare, but they do happen. In these kinds of cases, we will often charge an initial retainer of around $2,000. In some small business or self-employment cases, however, we may choose to simply handle your case on a flat fee. In which case, our attorney fees typically start at $1,500 and range up to $2,500.

For cases involving small businesses, self-employment, or commission work, we typically need to review a significant amount of financial information prior to filing your bankruptcy petition. This often requires a lot of in-depth financial analysis and additional legal time from one of our Everett debt relief lawyers as they work closely with you to ensure that your petition is accurate and properly prepared. As a result, our fees can vary significantly in Chapter 7 cases where people are self-employed, work for a family business, or are paid primarily through commissions.

In relatively simple business cases where a client’s business is a side business or has generated very little income, we may charge lower than a $1,500 retainer. In more complex cases, however, an additional retainer may be required if our hourly work exceeds the initial retainer.

Here’s the bottom line. Our Everett bankruptcy attorneys work hard to properly evaluate cases at the time that you retain our services. We competitively price our fees based on the work we expect your case to take. We pride ourselves on providing personalized bankruptcy solutions that maximize our client’s protection and relief under the Bankruptcy Code.

As a result, our fees for Everett Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases where our clients are self-employed, work in family-owned business or where they are paid by commission are typically higher than other Chapter 7 cases because there is usually considerably more work involved to determine the income of our client by reviewing extensive business and personal bank records.

Another reason that fees in these kinds of cases are typically higher is that our Everett bankruptcy attorneys also typically need to work with our clients or their accountant to as they review a formal Profit and Loss statement for their business. We accept payment plans toward our flat fee or retainer in almost all of our Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases.

What is Chapter 13 bankruptcy?

A Chapter 13 is a debt repayment plan that lasts three to five years. The trustee in a Chapter 13 receives monthly payments and splits them up among creditors. A Chapter 13 plan includes all creditors. Some creditors must be paid in full, such as non-dischargeable taxes and back child support.

You can stop a foreclosure and keep the house for good in a Chapter 13 but you must be able to pay back the arrears within five years, along with keeping up with your monthly payments. Cars loans can be reworked to lower payments. For cars purchased over two and a half years ago, the entire amount of the loan can be reduced to the value of the car. General unsecured debt, such as credit card debt, medical bills and pay day loans, are paid at a percentage according to what you can afford.

At the Chapter 13 Meeting of Creditors, the trustee will examine the petition and the repayment plan. The trustee can object to the plan, as can any creditor. Objections are usually resolved out of court but the ones that are not settled are argued before a bankruptcy judge. After the objections, if there are any, are resolved, the plan is confirmed by a bankruptcy judge. At that point you just keep making your monthly payments for three to five years. You can modify your plan to pay less if your income goes down or expenses go up. Some Chapter 13s are converted to Chapter 7 because of a change in circumstances.

At the end of a bankruptcy, the court issues a discharge. The discharge prohibits creditors from collecting on the debt forever. Some debt cannot be discharged, such as student loans, some back taxes, back child support and spousal maintenance and fines. Student loans and fines must be included in Chapter 13s but if they are not paid in full, the unpaid portion remains in most cases.

Chapter 13 attorney fees.

Our typical attorney fee for most Everett Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases is $3,500. This fee is pretty standard for Chapter 13 cases throughout Snohomish County. But, unlike Chapter 7 cases, we don’t need to have the entire fee paid up front. We can and often do handle cases where our bankruptcy fees are paid as part of your monthly Chapter 13 payment plan.

In many Chapter 13 cases, we only require half, or about $1,750 down, prior to preparing your case and getting it filed. Again, in these kinds of cases, the balance of your bankruptcy fees are paid out of your monthly payments to your trustee once your Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan is confirmed.

This helps our Everett Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys to get your case prepared and filed and filed quicker. This is especially useful in cases where our client is facing a garnishment or a home foreclosure. If you are facing one of these situations, we strongly encourage you to contact one of our bankruptcy attorneys immediately.

In many cases, there are also additional fees that can be financed through a Chapter 13 payment plan. In more complex Chapter 13 cases, where an individual is self-employed or seeks a discharge of their second mortgage, we may require higher attorney fees before your Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition is filed. Less complex cases and low-income cases can sometimes be filed with less than $1,750 in attorney fees being paid prior to filing your case.

Our attorney fees for Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases are always higher than our fees for Chapter 7 cases because, in addition to the work necessary to have your Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition completed and filed, there is also always a significantly larger amount of work required to have your Chapter 13 payment plan drafted and then confirmed by a bankruptcy judge.

Furthermore, in many cases, our Everett bankruptcy law firm will need to work with you on your case and continue to represent you for up to 5 years until your Chapter 13 bankruptcy case is concluded. We accept payment plans toward our attorney fees for almost all of our Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases and begin working your case and representing you after your initial required retainer is paid in full.

The issue of bankruptcy fees can be complicated. That’s why we always offer a free, no obligation consultation to all of our Everett bankruptcy clients. If you have questions about your case or how we can help, we encourage you to call our bankruptcy services offices and speak with one of our Everett bankruptcy attorneys.

Bankruptcy lawyers in Everett, WA: (425) 249-7156

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years. A Chapter 13 stays for 7. It will be harder to obtain new credit in Everett after a bankruptcy but not impossible. There are ways to rebuild your credit while the bankruptcy is still on your credit report. You can pay off a car loan, get a secured credit card or even a normal credit card and keep up with the payments. If you file bankruptcy in Everett, it should be because you were unable to pay the debt you had and were unable to take out new loans anyway. For many people, it offers a new beginning and does not result in the financial ruin they imagine – learn more from our Everett bankruptcy attorneys.

FREE consultation with our Everett bankruptcy lawyers – call today!

If you would like a new beginning, please contact the Everett bankruptcy attorneys from our firm today. Our attorneys have helped hundreds of clients re-establish their financial stability and find hope in a brighter future. With the low flat affordable fees provided, our bankruptcy attorneys make it as easy as possible to get the legal guidance you require during these tough times.