subject: What You Need To Know Before Filing Bankruptcy [print this page] What You Need To Know Before Filing Bankruptcy
A bankruptcy lawyer will be able to guide you through your bankruptcy; these specialist lawyers can help their clients through a particularly difficult time. In an effort to try and reduce the number of cases which may not be legitimate, the law was changed and this has made the initial preparation of filing for bankruptcy a lengthier process. A decent attorney, however, will be able to make sure that nothing is missed. This part of the process can be frustrating for many debtors with financial worries, but once your attorney has finished this initial section of the application, you can move forward without further hindrance.
Bankruptcy protection in the United States provides a safe-guard for those who file for bankruptcy. It allows them to keep their home (providing it is not of very high value) and a car. There are also additional items such as clothing, household furniture and personal property that are not included. It is not the intention to make the person homeless or lose their job.
In addition, some States have exemptions available that go beyond those provided by the federal statute and a local bankruptcy lawyer will be aware of these differences. Studies have shown that most people who are bankrupt are normal people who do not have an expensive lifestyle. This is why protection has been put in place and how a legal representative will keep the creditors at bay.
Of course once you are declared bankrupt the information will be added to yourpersonal credit file for ten years although this is not as bad as it seems at first. This is not the problem that it may at first appear as most of the scoring for your credit is taken from the more recent credit transactions. This is the reason why not long after you have been made bankrupt, a whole host of companies offering credit will start contacting you, but you must be very careful at this time.
These types of credit agreements usually have hidden and extortionate charges that will usually make thefinancial situation worse for the person that is bankrupt. A good bankruptcy lawyer should make his client aware of this. If you only accept credit deals that you can handle comfortably and you always pay more than the minimum amount, yourcredit history will start to rebuild itself.
In fact if you keep yourfinancial affairs clean, in a matter of a few years, you can find yourself with a re-built credit rating. Sure, the bankruptcy will still appear onyour credit report, but if your current credit is solid, that's not likely to keep you from buying a home or a car or even obtaining some unsecured credit accounts.
The credit industry would love for you to believe that only waster's become bankrupt. This attitude just makes ordinary people reluctant to file for insolvency when they need to and creates an unsympathetic attitude toward those who do. After the recent changes, the government may decide to make it even harder to qualify for bankruptcy if this type of approach by credit companies continues. The truth is that many people forced into this situation are hard working people that have just been unlucky; bankruptcy lawyers know that it is the law surrounding bankruptcy protection that is the only thing there to help them.
