CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCY


Lowest Cost Chapter 13 — Highly Experienced Attorney

We Hold Your Hand Through the Process

 

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Courts Are Still Opened 

We are saddened by what is happening with COVID19. Our hearts go out to all families affected by it. We hope things return to normal as soon as possible. Meanwhile, contrary to rumors, COURTS ARE OPENED FOR BUSINESS, but the courthouse is closed. Attorneys file cases through a platform set up for that purpose, and they attend hearings via phone or streaming.  It's business as usual for us. 

We do case intake online. There is no need for you to travel to our office for any reason, though you do have that option.

You can even get notarized online by an e-notary if coming to our office to get notarized is an issue for you. We are taking precautions. Our staff wears masks and gloves when meeting with clients. We have disposable pens for clients' use. Our business center requires everyone who enters to wear a mask.

This means we can file your case and your judge can decide on it without you ever leaving home.  Call us for details: 702-680-1780.

We are one of the lowest-priced Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys in Las Vegas.


 

Chapter 13 bankruptcy  We are a small team and you won’t get lost in a large, generic firm that never returns calls,  and where you talk to a different paralegal or lawyer every time you call. We answer calls and emails promptly, even after we have taken your case! You will work directly with one attorney and one highly-experienced bankruptcy paralegal once you retain us. The attorney WILL show up at your creditor meeting, rather than end up asking you to attend alone, as we hear happens at many other firms. We respect you and your situation.

 

Below are the most-often asked questions about a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy explained


 

A Las Vegas Chapter 13 bankruptcy is one filed under Nevada law for residents of Las Vegas and of other nearby towns in Clark County, such as Henderson, Pahrump, Jean, Boulder City, and other nearby towns where it is not possible to file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy and Las Vegas has the closest bankruptcy court to that town. Basically, there is no real “las vegas bankruptcy.” It’s really a Nevada bankruptcy, but with the advent of the Internet many people search for information on Chapter 13 bankruptcy by looking for information on Chapter 13 preceded by the name of the town where they live, hence the often-used term “Las Vegas bankruptcy.”

A Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is also known as a “wage earner’s plan.”

Basically, filing a Chapter 13 allows you to keep earning your paycheck without giving it all up to creditors, and it allows you to keep ALL of your property, subject to a reorganization of how you make payments to your creditors for said property. Some debts are completely dischargeable under Chapter 13 bankruptcy law, but whether or not a debt is fully discharged while another must be paid back depends on each individual case and is decided by the Court.

The major difference between filing a Chapter 13 and a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is that in filing a Chapter 13, the majority of your debt does get paid back to creditors, but under terms that allow you to keep having a normal life (albeit one where you have less money for entertainment and vacations), rather that under terms that place too huge a burden on you, as they probably are now if you are considering filing a Chapter 13.

When you file a Nevada Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, you propose a repayment plan to the Bankruptcy Court. Your repayment plan includes how much you can pay each month to each creditor. All of your debt must be paid within 3 years unless the Nevada Bankruptcy Court approves a longer period. If you need longer to repay, you must show “cause,” by stating in your Bankruptcy Petition why you need longer than 3 years to repay your debts.

If the debtor’s current monthly income is greater than the applicable state median, the repayment plan generally must be for five years. This is because the court presumes that more of the debt owed can be paid back with the higher income, whereas someone with income below the state median will have less money, therefore can pay back less of the debt back to creditors.

In no case may a plan provide for payments over a period longer than five years as per Nevada bankruptcy law 11 U.S.C. §1322(d). During this time, Nevada bankruptcy law forbids creditors from starting or continuing collection efforts. A Las Vegas bankruptcy attorney can file lawsuits against creditors who do so.

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Advantages of filing a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy


 

  • By far the biggest advantage to filing a Chapter 13 over a Chapter 7 is that it allows you to save your home from foreclosure. If you are behind in your payments, you could lose your home to foreclosure in a Chapter 7. Filing a Chapter 13 instead allows you to catch up on back payments (you must still make your regular mortgage payments as well) and to keep your home. But all payments must be made on time.
  • It also allows you to reorganize how you make payments on your other secured debt, such as vehicles, boats, items purchased to improve your home, etc. All payments would be extended over the period of the Chapter 13 bankruptcy. This may, in some instances, lower your payments.
  • A Chapter 13 may also protect anyone who may have co-signed on a loan for you. Ask your Las Vegas bankruptcy attorney for details on this issue.
  • You’ll also have the relief of making only one payment each month, rather than dealing with numerous creditors. You make this one payment to the Bankruptcy Court Trustee who in turn pays all your creditors. Think of it as a consolidation loan.
  • You have no direct contact with your creditors during the process of a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. Creditors must contact either your bankruptcy attorney or your bankruptcy trustee.

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Las Vegas Nevada Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Eligibility


 

You are eligible to file a Las Vegas Chapter 13 bankruptcy even if you are self-employed or operate your own unincorporated business, provided you meet the following criteria:

  • You are a current Las Vegas resident (or reside elsewhere in Clark County and you can attend the creditors’m meeting here in Las Vegas), or Las Vegas is where you spent the majority of your time during the past 180 days.
  • Total unsecured debts must be under $336,900
  • Total secured debts must be less than $1,010,650 11 U.S.C. § 109(e)
  • You have received credit counseling* from an approved credit counseling agency, either as an individual or in a group setting, within 180 days before filing. 11 U.S.C. §§ 109, 111.
  • You have taken a financial management class during your required credit counseling, you must file it with the court.
  • A husband and wife may file a joint petition or individual petitions. 11 U.S.C. § 302(a).

NOTE: You cannot file for a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy if a bankruptcy petition filed by you within the past 180 days was dismissed by the Bankruptcy Court because of failure to appear before the Court, or due to non-compliance with a Bankruptcy Court Order, or the bankruptcy was dismissed by you because creditors asked the court that property on which they hold liens be returned to them.

11 U.S.C. §§ 109(g), 362(d) and (e).

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Alternatives to a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Filing


 

  • Filing a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
  • Working out your own repayment plan directly with your creditors which can sometimes be done with the help of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorney

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Nevada State Median Yearly Income


 

One individual in a family:45,642
Two individuals: $57,860
Three: $65,032
Four: $67,997

Add $6,900 more per year for each individual in excess of 4

NOTE: Income means the average monthly income received over the six months just preceding the filing of your Petition, and it includes household expenses contributions by non-debtors, such as your spouse even if your spouse is not filing with you. It does NOT include social security income or certain payments made to you because you were the victim of certain crimes. 11 U.S.C. § 101(10A).

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11 Easy Steps to a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

1. Begin your Chapter 13 process by calling our office or completing this brief form

2. Gather list of debts

3. Call us to schedule your free consultation during which you'll get all the Chapter 13 bankruptcy information you'll ever need

4. We prepare your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Petition

5. You attend pre-filing Credit Counseling

6. You come to our office and sign your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Petition

7. We file your Chapter 13 Petition

8. You attend a Creditor Meeting with your bankruptcy lawyer

9. You attend the pre-discharge Debtor Education class

10. You follow your Chapter 13 repayment plan

11. Your bankruptcy gets discharged