Questions from the first call

Nothing is required. A rough list of who you owe is enough. For the second meeting we ask for pay stubs, bank statements, two years of tax returns and any letters from creditors.

In most cases the law protects your clothes, household things, a car, the tools you use for work, retirement accounts and a set amount of home equity. The amounts depend on where you live, and we check each item with you.

Generally not. The notice we send tells them to contact us instead. If one still calls, tell us and we deal with it.

No. A filing covers the person who files. If you owe a debt together, a spouse or co-signer may still be asked to pay it. We talk through that before you decide.

Child support and alimony, most student loans, recent taxes and court fines usually remain. Chapter 13 can spread some of them over a plan.

One short online course on credit counseling before you file, and one on managing money before the case ends. Each takes a couple of hours, and the course provider charges a small fee.

Adela and Gaspar do, on the phone, by text and at every hearing. Leona works in English, and one of the others leads the call when you prefer Spanish.

Tell us on the first call. A Chapter 7 fee can be paid in installments before filing, and a Chapter 13 fee comes out of the plan. If neither works, we say so and point you to a free legal aid office.

Most clients attend one short meeting with a trustee, not a trial, and we go with you. A Chapter 13 adds a hearing to approve the plan.