How to File For Bankruptcy

What do I do First? or How to Start a Bankruptcy Proceeding?

• Schedule a no-obligation, free informational meeting with a Fort Lauderdale bankruptcy attorney from the Bankruptcy Law Firm of Clare Casas to discuss your options and rights under the Bankruptcy Code as well as exploring alternatives to bankruptcy if they are available. A free consultation with one of our bankruptcy attorneys allows us to explain debt relief under the new bankruptcy code. We can review which debts can be eliminated, what property can be protected and which debts you may need to keep paying. Bring a list of all your debts and your most current pay stub. If you are married, you must also bring your spouse’s most current pay stub.
• If you decide to retain our Fort Lauderdale bankruptcy attorney Clare Casas, the next step is to fill out our bankruptcy questionnaire. You must fill out this questionnaire completely and accurately in order for us to prepare your bankruptcy petition. You can download the bankruptcy questionnaire, print it and fill it out manually or take advantage of our online bankruptcy questionnaire that allows you to enter the information directly through a secure internet connection (to get started, enter Attorney ID: ombankruptcy). Once we have signed a retainer agreement and made payment arrangements, you can tell your creditors that you are represented by our office and they must stop calling you. You can provide them with our contact information and tell them to direct all future communications to our office.
• Schedule and attend a credit counseling course approved by the bankruptcy court for our area. We work closely with Debt Helper in fulfilling this requirement of the bankruptcy code. Please use our partner code: FL0603 and the certificate will be directly e-mailed to us. After you complete your credit counseling course with Debt Helper, you will receive a certificate that must be included as part of your initial bankruptcy filing. If you have used our partner code, we will have the certificate emailed to us directly.
• We will set an appointment for you to review and sign the bankruptcy petition once the attorney has finished the required due diligence and prepared the forms and schedules.