How To File Bankruptcy In Ohio
Are you wondering how to file bankruptcy in Ohio? Look no further. At SHUR LAW, we’re not only your reliable source for legal advice but also your partner in navigating the complexities of bankruptcy. Our experienced team guides you through the entire process, ensuring you understand the steps involved and make informed decisions. Additionally, if you’re searching for a bankruptcy attorney in Cincinnati, our services extend to providing expert assistance tailored to your local needs. From understanding the paperwork to representing your best interests, SHUR LAW is here to help you achieve a fresh financial start.
Here is how your Chapter 7 Bankruptcy case will proceed in 10 simple steps:
Step 1: Upload Requested Documents
We will need pay stubs, bank statements, car and house titles, tax returns, driver’s licenses, and social security card, separation agreement and/or divorce decrees, any recorded mortgages or deeds, retirement account info, and proof of taking the credit counseling course. All these items can be uploaded in MyChapter when you complete your questionnaire.
Step 2: Complete and Submit Your Questionnaire
You likely have already received a link to our only questionnaire, MyChapter. If you have not, please let us know so that we can send it. Please be as detailed as possible and fill in every question. Include all of your creditors. If you do not know about a creditor, go to www.annualcreditreport.com and get your free credit report. Make sure you save this as a pdf and upload it to MyChapter.
Step 3: Review
After you submit your quetionnaire to us, we will incorporate your answers into the documents required to file your case. The assigned paralegal will likely contact you to ask questions and get missing information. After review is complete, our office will schedule a signing meeting.
Step 4: Credit Counseling
Prior too filing your case, you must complete a court approved credit counseling course. We work with a company, debtorcc, that provides this service at a low cost. You should receive an invite from them directly. The fee for the counseling is separate and paid directly to the credit counseling company.
Step 5: Signing Meeting
At the scheduled signing meeting, your attorney will walk through all documents that you will be signing and answer any questions you may have. Your attorney will also explain the process at the one hearing, called a 341 meeting. We will need to know the balance of all of your accounts on the day of the signing meeting. Please screenshot that balance for us. At this meeting, your documents will be signed.
Step 6: File Application
We will file your application and send you an email confirming your case was filed. The filing is almost always done immediately following the signing meeting. Once the case is filed, the automatic stay will be in place and creditors are forbidden from contacting you. Please notify us immediately if the calls continue.
Step 7: Setting a 341 Hearing Date
The court will set a hearing date. At this hearing, we will either go to the federal courthouse or do a phone call with the court. It is very important that you be on time either in person or on the phone. Please contact your attorney as soon as possible if there is any issue with your attendance. The hearing is presided over by a Trustee, who is an attorney in the community that has an extensive background in bankrupty and is appointed by the court to search for assets. The trustee will swear you in and ask if the information is correct and if the document has your signatures. Answer all questions truthfully.
Step 8: Post 341
Our office is in constant contact with the trustee for your case and the US Trustees office. We submit all required documents prior to the hearing. Occasionally an issue with arise or the trustee will ask for an amendment or supplemental document. If we request information or documents from you, please provide those as quickly as possible so that we can satisfy those requests. The discharge will be filed by the court approximately three months after the 341 meeting.
Step 9: Debtor Education Course
At any time after your case is filed, you can complete the debtor education course. If you are in a Chapter 13, the trustee will send you the information regarding this course and her office will pay for this expense. For Chapter 7 cases, this course must be paid for by you. You will get notifications from our partner, debtorcc.org prompting you to complete this course. Your case cannot be concluded until the course is done.
Step 10: Case Completed
Once you have a discharge from the court the debts listed and not subject to an exclusion will be removed as a debt you owe. Filing bankruptcy will lower your credit score, but you can find tips on how to raise it again here.
Call us at 513-449-0990 to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys.