Bankruptcy | California Bankruptcy Information

California foreclosure filings are growing, and residents in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties are seeking help from California bankruptcy attorneys in record numbers. If a chapter 13 bankruptcy is properly filed the homeowner typically can save their home from foreclosure and restructure their debt. If you are behind in your mortgage payments a bankruptcy attorney can usually help save your home from foreclosure by filing bankruptcy prior to the trustee sale date. If you are current on your mortgage but are struggling with credit card or medical debt and can pass the “means test” then you can file a chapter 7 bankruptcy and eliminate your unsecured debt. Bankruptcy attorneys in California are busy filing emergency bankruptcy for homeowners facing foreclosure because lenders are more reluctant to modify loans. Many home owners are trying to stop foreclosure with bankruptcy for this reason. “We have had hundreds of clients call us days before they are going to lose their home to foreclosure because their lender declined their loan modification at the eleventh hour and we’re able to help with a chapter 13” says James D. Zhou, managing partner at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini. Zhou is a bankruptcy attorney in California and specializes in filing bankruptcy 13 as well as chapter 7 bankruptcy. Zhou goes on to say, “If our client has a 2^nd mortgage we typically can eliminate it through a chapter 13 as well, most are underwater”.

The need for a bankruptcy attorney is definitely growing, and consumers need to be careful when hiring a bankruptcy attorney in California to make sure they are properly qualified in filing chapter 13 bankruptcy. With chapter 7 bankruptcies being the most popular bankruptcy filing in California, chapter 7 will not save your home from foreclosure if you are delinquent on your 1^st mortgage and can’t bring it current. Chapter 7 also will not allow one to strip their 2^nd lien with a lien strip motion like a chapter 13 will. It is important to consider these things when searching for a bankruptcy attorney in California to save your home from foreclosure. While bankruptcy attorneys are advertising more than ever these days on the internet, radio, TV and Penny Saver you must ask your bankruptcy attorney if he has experience filing chapter 13 bankruptcies with a lien strip motion. The Law Offices of Zhou & Chini file these lien strip motions every week in Riverside/San Bernardino, Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties. These days, with all the looming foreclosures; there are more advantages when filing bankruptcy with a good bankruptcy lawyer beyond eliminating unsecured credit card debt and medical bills. Being able to stop foreclosures and eliminate 2^nd mortgage liens is significant when someone is working towards a fresh start and has a property that’s upside down. Making mistakes when it comes to filing bankruptcy chapter 7 or chapter 13 can be very costly, you must be careful when you select a bankruptcy attorney in California. There are several websites where bankruptcy law firms advertise and bankruptcy attorneys can be found. If you are looking to hire a bankruptcy attorney in California or just want bankruptcy information then Google bankruptcy attorney with your city or zip code to find a local bankruptcy attorney. To get bankruptcy help or just information on bankruptcy chapter 7 or chapter 13 call the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini and speak directly to bankruptcy attorneys James D. Zhou or Ron Chini at 888-901-3440. They offer a free consultation up to 45 minutes and can help you stop foreclosure right over the phone. If you need to stop foreclosure with an emergency bankruptcy filing or locate a bankruptcy attorney in California visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com for more bankruptcy information.

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

In California many homeowners are stuck in upside down mortgages and want to know how to get a principal reduction with a bankruptcy attorney if they have a failed loan modification. While many seek principal reductions through loan modifications the truth is they’re few and far between. In Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties many home owners took out 2^nd mortgages just to buy their home, let alone taking out HELOC’s to do home improvements and pay off credit card debt. Most of these 2^nd mortgages are upside down, making them a perfect candidate for lien stripping through chapter 13 bankruptcy. A bankruptcy attorney can file a chapter 13 bankruptcy with a motion to avoid the lien and eliminate the 2^nd or 3^rd mortgage completely. Bankruptcy is a federal program and law unlike, loan modifications that may or not work. The majority of homeowners seeing a principal reduction through a loan modification are denied and many of them may eventually face foreclosure and fear losing their home. Bankruptcy chapter 13 can stop the foreclosure process and get someone a true principal reduction if they have a 2^nd mortgage that’s upside down, making it unsecured. Most bankruptcy attorneys focus mainly on chapter 7 bankruptcy, leaving chapter 13 bankruptcies for the bankruptcy experts. “If you really want a true principal reduction then stripping the lien will do just that” says bankruptcy attorney James D. Zhou, managing partner at Zhou & Chini. We see many homeowners in California being able to take advantage of bankruptcy chapter 13 with a motion to avoid the lien because so many people have under water 2^nd mortgages. If a bankruptcy attorney really knows what he or she is doing then they can save someone allot of money with this type of principal reduction. Throughout California many homeowners were attracted to 80/20 mortgages where they could purchase a home for little to no money down. Unfortunately, most of the homes purchased during the real estate boom were 30% to 40% over valued. Government backed loan modifications just aren’t cutting it in California where the debt to income ratio doesn’t support the property values. Unless homeowners see principal reductions they might as well just walk away, and that’s what they’re doing! Typically, bankruptcy is the last resort for most people trying to save their home. However, with the ability to get a real principal reduction, eliminate their unsecured debt and save their home from foreclosure many homeowners is seeking the help of a bankruptcy attorney. Many homeowners have attempted loan modifications that failed; they are now so far behind in their mortgage payments and so upside down with their property value that this may be the only thing that makes sense for them.

The California real estate market is the “perfect storm” for homeowners to receive a principal reduction through bankruptcy. A bankruptcy attorney can help people see if they qualify for a principal reduction through bankruptcy chapter 13 with motions like (11 U.S.C. ‘ 522(a)) to strip a lien. Making mistakes when it comes to filing bankruptcy can be very costly, so be careful when selecting a bankruptcy attorney for a chapter 13. For a free and confidential consultation with an experienced bankruptcy attorney go to www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com.

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

As the mortgage meltdown continues unabated, more and more people facing foreclosure are also being forced into the option of bankruptcy. It appears that a lot of homeowners who couldn’t make their mortgage payments have been tapping into their lines of credits and credit cards to get the money that they need. Once the credit cards and the credit lines are at there limit, inevitably, these people find themselves in an even larger financial mess. According to a recent survey, credit card balances owed are at an all-time high and, if this tendency goes on, our firm foresees that bankruptcy filings will continue to rise as they have over the last three years since the new bankruptcy laws were passed.

Recently, we’ve been seeing many of homeowners who are contemplating bankruptcy but are also in the process of trying to get a loan modification with their mortgage company due to the fact that they have a foreclosure in the process. In fact, we work with several attorneys who furnish loan modifications. The loan modification attorneys tell me the banks are escalating their foreclosure efforts and denying more loan modifications due to debt to income ratios. What this means is that if you owe a lot in other debts (such as credit cards, personal loans, etc.) besides your mortgage, the bank may think that even although your mortgage payments are less after is your loan is modified, it would still be difficult or impossible for you to keep your property because you have other outstanding debts that must be paid (and a lot of people in foreclosure are also behind on all their other debts so these debts are showing up as collection accounts on their credit report). In other words, the bank may be telling you that given your current debt load, you simply cannot afford to keep your home, and they would rather cut their losses and foreclose on your home because they are left with no other option. Bear in mind that lenders do not like foreclosing on any home but will do so as a last resort.

Because of the monolithic number of foreclosures that the mortgage companies are currently coping with, I find that a lot of lenders are slow as of late in initiating the foreclosure process even when the borrower is already several months behind. still, in California, once a Notice of Default is filed against the property, the 90-day statutory period commences to run and the clock starts ticking. Unless the foreclosure is stopped, by filing bankruptcy, or other legal means, the lender only needs to give 21 days’ notice (by sending the borrower another document called “Notice of Trustee Sale”) after the 90-day period in setting a sale date for the property being foreclosed on. Filing bankruptcy, Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, will immediately stop the sale from going forward, and the bank will need court permission to continue with the process if mortgage payments are not being made. An experienced and knowledgeable bankruptcy attorney can explicate to you how Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 may help you save your property or at least put off the foreclosure sale so that you can look at all other possible options. In Chapter 13, it is also an option to “strip down” or remove your 2^nd mortgage if the current market value is below the sum of the 1st mortgage.

Eliminating (or at least consolidating) your debts may improve your debt-income ratio and this may be what your lender would like to see when reviewing your application for a loan modification. Of course, this is just one of the factors that they take into account when evaluating your financial information. Just as important are your power to show regular and unchanging employment as well as an assurance to the lender that whatever caused the financial hardship to start with is now over, so that you can afford your new house payment once your loan is modified.

If you are in foreclosure and are tired of the run-around from the bank or just need help understanding your options then you should speak to a bankruptcy attorney. The California real estate market is the “perfect storm” for homeowners to take in a principal decrease through bankruptcy. A bankruptcy lawyer can help people see if they qualify for a principal reduction through bankruptcy chapter 13 with motions like (11 U.S.C. ‘ 522(a)) to strip a lien. Making mistakes when it comes to filing bankruptcy can be very costly, so be careful when selecting a bankruptcy attorney for a chapter 13. If you want help and have bankruptcy questions go to www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com.

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

If you are an individual looking for bankruptcy information right now, make sure you speak to a California Bankruptcy Lawyer that has experience in filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. If you are a business owner or own multiple properties you must consult a bankruptcy attorney that has experience with Chapter 11bankruptcy as you will probably not qualify for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. When filing bankruptcy a consumer is subject to the “means test” since implemented with new bankruptcy laws in 2005. The means test is the basic measure to see if someone qualifies for a chapter 7, which will allow them to completely eliminate their unsecured debt like credit cards and medical bills or chapter 13, which is a repayment plan (typically pennies on the dollar). While there are many California bankruptcy attorneys to choose from, most bankruptcy attorneys in California mainly practice chapter 7 bankruptcy. If you are delinquent on your mortgage and want to save your home with bankruptcy you typically will need to file chapter 13 bankruptcy.

While debtor’s need to know their options to bankruptcy, like debt settlement, there are various reasons why someone may find it necessary to file bankruptcy. A good reason may be to avoid a wage garnishment or eliminate one’s personal liability in the event of a judgment or a lien filed against them. Additionally, if one is a homeowner in foreclosure and wants to save their home, a chapter 13 will allow them to repay their arrearages. Also, debtors who are engaged in business, including corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships, may prefer to continue doing business. These people should consider filing chapter 11 bankruptcies. Under chapter 11, the debtor can seek an adjustment of their debts, either by reducing the debts or by extending the time for repayment of what’s owed. Sole proprietorships may also be eligible for relief under chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code rather than the need for a chapter 11.

As mentioned before, one of the main advantages of chapter 13 is that it provides individual debtors with an opportunity to save their homes from foreclosure by allowing them to “catch up” past due payments through a payment plan. Moreover, the court may dismiss a chapter 7 case filed by an individual whose debts are primarily consumer rather than business debts if the court finds that the granting of relief would be an abuse of chapter 7. 11 U.S.C. § 707. Basically, filing bankruptcy with a bankruptcy attorney is similar to filing your taxes with a good CPA. A good bankruptcy attorney knows how to save you money and protect your best interest. You do not want to be accused of bankruptcy fraud as it’s a federal offence.www.bankruptcyattorneyincalifornia.com

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

With unemployment hitting a record of 12.6% in March more than 2.3 million Californians remained unemployed, with 362,000 more people jobless than a year ago. Additionally, many city and county employees are faced with pay cuts as well as small businesses seeing drops in revenue up to 60%. Even so, economists note that further gains statewide are jeopardized by continued high unemployment, particularly in the Inland Empire and the Central Valley. Foreclosure activity remains concentrated in these inland areas, which suffer from above-average unemployment. DataQuick said mortgages were most likely to go into default in Riverside, Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties

While the word bankruptcy may carry a negative stigma with it, it may be a very positive choice for many California residents if you’re a numbers person. Bankruptcy chapter 7 and chapter 13 filing in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Los Angeles counties are increasing steadily as more Californians find the need to file bankruptcy to get out from under their financial troubles. While bankruptcy myths still exist, many still assume when they file bankruptcy chapter 7 or chapter 13 they will lose everything. This is NOT true at all. You may be able to keep ALL your property and eliminate ALL your debt says bankruptcy lawyer James D. Zhou, partner at the bankruptcy law offices of Zhou & Chini. Zhou goes on to say “I have been a bankruptcy lawyer for over 10 years and have never seen such a perfect storm to help consumers eliminate 2^nd mortgages and unsecured debt”.

Listed below are the possible benefits that bankruptcy:

1. Filing chapter 7 bankruptcy allows for the “discharge” of most, if not all of your debts. Meaning that you are no longer legally obligated to pay the debts and your creditors must immediately stop all collection efforts.

2. Both chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcies prevents real property from being repossessed and halts the home foreclosure process. A chapter 13 bankruptcy plan will consolidate all your payments and allow you to reinstate your loan while a chapter 7 may be a better choice if your 1^st mortgage is current. Additionally, filing bankruptcy may require creditors to return property that was repossessed immediately.

3. Both chapter 7 and chapter 13 stop the collection process and halts harassing creditor collection calls. This means that creditors must stop attempting to collect on the debts after being notified of bankruptcy filing. If they continue you can sue them.

4. Prevents you from your utilities being shut off if you have delinquent utility bills. If your utilities have been turned off, filing for bankruptcy protection requires the utility company to restore services as soon as possible.

5. Stops/Prevents wage garnishments. If you file bankruptcy your employer will not be able to garnish your pay check.

6. If you are in the foreclosure process or have a trustee sale date filing bankruptcy will stop the foreclosure process and gives you time to catch up on mortgage payments if needed. This means you will not necessarily have to lose your home.

7. Filing bankruptcy will give you an opportunity to dispute false claims from creditors who may be trying to collect more than what it owed to them. You and your bankruptcy attorney will have your day in court to dispute erroneous collection fees.

8. Filing chapter 13 will allow you to strip a 2^nd mortgage lien and liability if your property value is under water. Chapter 7 will eliminate your personal liability on a 2^nd mortgage but the lien will remain on the property. Your bankruptcy attorney must file a motion to strip the lien in a chapter 13.

While bankruptcy will allow for the discharge of a number of debts, others remain non-dischargeable according to federal regulation. Non-dischargeable debts include family support, student loans, certain types of taxes, and criminal fines. Liens, mortgages, and other secured debts will also survive bankruptcy procedures seeing as how they are secured by either some sort of collateral or by the federal government.

The need for a highly qualified bankruptcy attorney is ever so present these days. The Law Offices of Zhou & Chini services the entire state of California and has experienced bankruptcy attorneys doing all the consultations and bankruptcy filing, not paralegals. To reach Zhou & Chini call (888) 901-3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy filing throughout California is booming, and bankruptcy attorneys advertising can be a bit deceptive if you don’t read the fine print. Bankruptcy lawyers and attorneys are advertising bankruptcy help on the internet and targeting consumers who are trying to stop foreclosure, avoid wage garnishments and liens, eliminate credit card debt and seeking debt relief. You see bankruptcy ads offering bankruptcy help people struggling financially so ads like BANKRUPTCY $100 GET’S TO STARTED are becoming very popular. So what do you get from a bankruptcy lawyer or a bankruptcy attorneys law office for $100.00? Just call any bankruptcy attorney that advertises “$100.00 get’s you started” and ask them this question. So what type of bankruptcy help will I get for $100.00? The answer should be NONE!

Let’s face it, if you are considering filing bankruptcy or seeking debt relief services money is tight! If you think $100.00 does anything but “get you off the street” you’re probably wrong. The bottom line is a bankruptcy lawyer won’t do anything for a $100.00, other than put it in his bank account and hope you pay the remainder of your bankruptcy attorney fees down the road. Filing chapter 7 or chapter 13 cost money, and the truth is you can make payments to file bankruptcy with any bankruptcy attorney but they typically won’t file your bankruptcy until you are paid in full. Just ask them, they’ll tell you! If you qualify for chapter 7 bankruptcy a good bankruptcy attorney will probably charge you somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000 depending on the complexity of the bankruptcy filing, and between $3,500 to $4,500 for a chapter 13 bankruptcy. So why should you give a bankruptcy law office $100.00? That’s right, you shouldn’t! We call this “taken them off the street”, says James D. Zhou, bankruptcy attorney and senior partner at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini. Zhou says the bankruptcy lawyers that advertise like this are only trying to get these people to commit their hard earned money so they won’t go anywhere else. The truth is that is you need a bankruptcy attorney he’s going to cost you more than a hundred bucks, and if you think you’re getting anything for $100.00 you’re dreaming. We asked Zhou the minimum charge at the Law offices of Zhou & Chini to get a client started with filing bankruptcy, and the answer was $500.00. When asked why $500.00; Mr. Zhou said , if the client wants help or needs us to contact a creditor to stop harassment we’ll get started on the case for a small fee but we don’t file the bankruptcy petition until we’re paid in full. By the way, this is common practice for most bankruptcy lawyers. All bankruptcy attorneys should offer a free consultation and legal advice to anyone seeking help in filing bankruptcy. You need to meet and feel comfortable with your bankruptcy attorney, and we like to meet face to face with our clients says Zhou. For a free and confidential consultation with an experienced bankruptcy attorney call the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini today at 888.901.3440 or visit them on line at www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

Choosing a Bankruptcy Attorney in California
In today’s economy many consumers are suffering from financial hardships and experiencing major financial problems that may cause them to have to file for bankruptcy. Filing bankruptcy isn’t the easiest decision, and choosing a bankruptcy attorney to help you file bankruptcy might be even yet a harder decision. Most bankruptcy attorneys can file a simple chapter 7, but not all bankruptcy attorneys handle chapter 13 or chapter 11 bankruptcy filings.Choosing a good bankruptcy attorney can be difficult if you have a unique situation, and finding a local bankruptcy attorney in your city can be confusing as well. So how do you find a good bankruptcy attorney in California? Below we have all the answers to help you search for the right bankruptcy attorney that has experience filing bankruptcy in your county and city you live in.
How to Find a Local Bankruptcy Attorney
Most consumers would typically get a referral from a friend when searching for a local attorney, but not for a bankruptcy attorney. Let’s be honest, filing bankruptcy is the last thing people want to do and certainly something they don’t want to broadcast to their friends or family. While there are many ways to locate a local attorney, the Internet is probably the most popular and most discrete. Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 can help improve your financial situation, the best place to start searching is to google it. For example: If you live in Orange County and want to locate a good bankruptcy attorney in your area just Google search terms like “chapter 7 attorney Irvine”, ” bankruptcy chapter 13 Newport beach” or ” chapter 11 attorney Huntington beach”. You will get a much more targeted result rather than just Googling just “bankruptcy attorney” or “bankruptcy lawyer”. Although you could just Google “bankruptcy attorney Seal Beach” if you live in a small city and look at the Google Map section to find a local bankruptcy attorney. Additionally, there’s also another great way to locate a bankruptcy attorney that specializes in your type of bankruptcy filing by searching with your zip code. For example “chapter 7 attorney 92673″, “debt relief attorney 92691″,”chapter 7 92673″, “chapter 13 attorney 92698″, and look under the Google Map section for a local bankruptcy attorney. Bankruptcy fees vary from County to County for filing chapter 7 or chapter 13. It’s also important that your bankruptcy attorney has a relationship with the County’s Bankruptcy Trustee. Finding a good bankruptcy attorney in California is easy, when you know how to search for one on the search engines. The contents of this article is offered by California Bankruptcy Attorney Ron Chini, partner at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini. With offices located throughout California, Zhou & Chini bankruptcy attorneys handle everything from the simplest chapter 7 to the most complex chapter 11 business bankruptcy filings. So when you’re searching the Internet to locate a bankruptcy attorney in your area try searching by chapter 7, chapter 13 or chapter 11 attorney followed by your city or zip code. Look under the Google Map section click a local link and call the the local bankruptcy attorney of your choice for a free consultation or go to www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com.

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

With so many consumers facing financial problems for various reasons finding the right California bankruptcy Attorney is now become more important than ever. So in your Bankruptcy Attorney search consider a few things prior to selecting lawyer that can help you with your bankruptcy filing. Whether you have to file chapter 7 or chapter 13 you need to consider the experience, convenience and affordability of your California Bankruptcy Attorney. When you believe you have to file bankruptcy you should be able to find a local Bankruptcy Attorney on the internet or in your local Yellow Pages to set up a free consultation. Even though filing bankruptcy can be done on-line these days, most California Bankruptcy Attorneys would like to meet with you personally. In California if you have to file chapter 13 bankruptcy your bankruptcy Attorney must meet with you personally. If you need to file chapter 7 bankruptcy typically you can discuss your situation over the phone with your Bankruptcy Attorney, since filing chapter 7 is much less complicated. When it comes to affordability, most California Bankruptcy Attorneys will accept payments until you can afford to file bankruptcy, but beware of Bankruptcy Lawyers who will accept $100.00 to start. They will take your money and do absolutely nothing but try to get you off the street. Typically, Chapter 7 bankruptcy fees are paid in full prior to your attorney filing your bankruptcy. When filing chapter 13 you can pay part of your attorney fees up front and the remainder of your bankruptcy fees through the chapter 13 plan. We asked a few California Bankruptcy Lawyers from the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini about the practice of collecting $100.00 from a client, and what someone filing bankruptcy can expect from a Bankruptcy Attorney for $100.00. “Absolutely nothing but problems “says James D. Zhou, senior partner and California Bankruptcy Attorney of 11 years. When we spoke to partner Ron Chini, he stated the problem is that $100 is just a way to get a client committed to filing bankruptcy when they’re not really ready so they don’t go elsewhere. Chini goes on to say “these people need help with their financial situation, paying a bankruptcy lawyer $100.00 get’s then nothing but trouble”. Most consumers are looking for a deal when shopping for the right Bankruptcy Attorney and think they found it when they can pay $100.00 to one and hand off some paperwork. Unfortunately, not all California Bankruptcy Attorneys have the consumer’s best interest at heart. “Get em in and get em out” is the attitude most Bankruptcy Attorneys have when it comes to chapter 7 bankruptcy. When you find a Bankruptcy Attorney you are comfortable with check out these five things.

1) Look your Bankruptcy Attorney up on the California State Bar website for any complaints.

2) Ask your Bankruptcy Attorney for references from clients who have filed bankruptcy with him.

3) Make sure your Bankruptcy Attorney has experience filing chapter 7, chapter 13 and chapter 11.

4) Ask your Bankruptcy Attorney if they will be the one actually doing the bankruptcy filing.

5) Is your Attorney is a member of NACBA (National Association of Bankruptcy Attorneys)?

Once you see that you are comfortable with your California Bankruptcy Attorney and they have the experience, reputation, and full knowledge of bankruptcy laws should you then hire them to file your bankruptcy. Let’s face it; Bankruptcy Attorneys are everywhere, so finding the right one is critical to the outcome and your future after filing bankruptcy. Additionally, filing bankruptcy is the last thing someone wants to do. Not only should your Bankruptcy Attorney be someone you feel you can trust; but someone who has the credentials, references and price point you’re looking for when filing bankruptcy. If you are shopping around for a California Bankruptcy Attorney in Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino or San Diego counties then you should consider the content of this article and stay away from $100 Bankruptcy Attorneys in California. If you want bankruptcy help or are just looking for bankruptcy information then visit www.bankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

With the current state of the economy many consumers are searching for the right way to {eliminate|extinguish|wipe out|eradicate} their debt and save some money. While debt settlement has become a popular method in negotiating with credit card companies, debt settlement companies are helping some while hurting others. Most people see bankruptcy as a last resort but there should be some careful consideration to filing chapter 7 rather than enrolling in a debt settlement program. You should know the fallout/fall off rate is greater than 70% (this means less than 30% of the people who enroll complete the program). When a person enters into a debt settlement program their creditors do not stop with the harassing phone calls, collection efforts and the threats of law suits. If America Express or Discover card decide to sue you, they will typically win. There will be a judgment, then a lien that will result in a wage garnishment or levy on your property (if there’s equity) or your bank account. Basically, they end up filing bankruptcy anyway. “What we end up seeing allot of is people trying to avoid bankruptcy and settle their debt another way, then they lose all that money they paid in when they could of filed a simple chapter 7 and have eliminated their debt completely” says, California bankruptcy attorney Jams D. Zhou , senior -partner at the Law offices of Zhou & Chini. Our main office is in Orange County, where many of these debt settlement companies are located. With so many Californians’ struggling financially it’s no wonder we see so much of this. Debt settlement is not a law like bankruptcy, and the credit card companies these days don’t appear to have the time or the patients to work with people in debt settlement. Credit card companies will aggressively pursue judgments and start wage garnishments or get liens to get their money. When you file bankruptcy your creditors are forced to halt their collection efforts with an “automatic stay”. If you file chapter 7 bankruptcy your debt get’s wiped out and you get a fresh start. For example: If you owed $40,000 in credit card debt and another $10,000 in medical bills, a debt settlement company might try and settle that for $25,000 with payments spread out over 48 months . In this situation the debt settlement fees would be approximately $7,500 and buried into the first 12 payments. If the same person filed chapter 7 bankruptcy the cost would be somewhere between $1,500 and $2500 depending on your bankruptcy lawyer, but you would completely eliminate your debt.

Chapter 7 will typically allow someone filing bankruptcy to keep everything except their unwanted debt , and get a fresh start. After the bankruptcy chapter 7 is discharged, credit scores will usually jump about 100 points and creditors will make new credit offers. With debt settlement programs lasting anywhere between 36 to 48 months it’s usually 4 to 5 years until someone can start re-establishing their credit. If chapter 7 bankruptcy can eliminate your debt and help you get back on your feet so quick why aren’t more people doing it? They are! Bankruptcy filings in some counties are up over 75%. While chapter 7 bankruptcy remains the most common type of bankruptcy filing, chapter 13 may be required based on the “means test”. Basically, if you make enough money to repay a portion of your debt or you are delinquent on your mortgage payments and want to keep your home filing chapter 13 bankruptcy may be required if you don’t qualify for chapter 7. To find out if you qualify for a chapter 7 bankruptcy contact a bankruptcy attorney who will run the means test for you at no charge. Please visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com or call (888) 901-3440 to see if you qualify.

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.

Filing bankruptcy can be overwhel

ming. Suddenly you’re thrust into a world of legal terms and mounds of paperwork you can barely understand. Is there help available? There sure is! Whether you can afford to hire a bankruptcy service or not, you can find the help you need to make this important decision easier to make – and manage. Here are a few places to start:

Credit Counseling:
Credit counselors have been trained to help you delve through your financial record and determine if bankruptcy really is your only alternative. All-too-often overburdened people who don’t know how to handle bill collector’s panic and file for bankruptcy before they really need to. A credit counselor can advise you as to any alternatives you may have including debt consolidation; how to have a portion of your debt forgiven and setting up repayment schedules with your creditors. In addition, they often offer help in setting up a budget and learning to stick to it.

Some credit counselors charge hefty fees for their services, but there are plenty of not-for-profit agencies throughout the United States eager to help those facing financial ruin. Check your yellow pages or local college or bank for information on any near where you live.

Debt Consolidation Services:
The purpose of these services is to help you consolidate your current debt into one lower monthly payment that is more easily managed. The danger to using these services is, that unless you also undergo intensive budget training you’re apt to be right back in financial trouble in no time. Be sure when consolidating that you use this opportunity to break the cycle of spending that got you into trouble in the first place.

Another option some services perform is debt forgiveness. They contact each of your creditors, and try to convince them to forgive a portion of your current debt – sometimes as high as 60% — with a promise of quick repayment. This is especially useful when consolidating debt since the less you have to pay back, the less you have to borrow in the consolidation loan. Why would a creditor agree to take less than you owe? The answer is simple: if you indeed file bankruptcy, they aren’t guaranteed anything, or may have to settle for pennies on the dollar, so it’s in their interest t get as much as possible now. While many will not forgive actual debt, most will forgive all of those late fees and interest charges.

Once you decide to file bankruptcy, hiring a qualified lawyer who specializes in the field will ensure that your case is handled in the best possible way and your paperwork will all be filed properly. This is not the time to try and save a few bucks. Hiring the wrong bankruptcy lawyer can cost you thousands in time and money in the long run. This is one of those times when you get what you pay for, so choose carefully – your financial future is at risk.

Bankruptcy help is available, if you take the time to look for and ask for it. Don’t try t go it alone. Get the help you need to ensure that you can move forward with the confidence that you can learn from your mistakes and move on.

The Bankruptcy Attorneys at the Law Offices of Zhou & Chini offer free bankruptcy information in an effort to help consumers who need debt relief or help avoiding foreclosure. If you have additional bankruptcy questions or need information about filing bankruptcy in California please contact our cooperate office at (888) 901.3440 or visit www.BankruptcyAttorneyinCalifornia.com. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys will be happy to offer you a FREE consultation over the phone or at one of our convenient locations. We are California bankruptcy attorneys with full knowledge of Federal and California State Bankruptcy Exemptions. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can help protect your assets under Federal Bankruptcy Laws and can assist you with all aspects of your case. We are happy to answer questions about filing a chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 20, or chapter 11 business bankruptcies. We can help with stopping /avoiding foreclosure or wage garnishments, and assist you in avoiding judgments, liens or levies. We can also help with mortgage cram downs, lien stripping, eliminating a 2nd mortgage and discharging debt. Please feel free to complete our free bankruptcy evaluation form or contact one of our office locations today. We are here to help and can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy.