Wendy H. James Has Answers
Few decisions are more difficult than filing for bankruptcy. The Law Office of Wendy H. James provides clients with understanding and personal attention throughout the entire process. We have the experience and knowledge to reach the best resolution possible, including examining non-bankruptcy options. Call or email today to schedule a consultation.
Do you give advice over the phone?
The Law Office of Wendy H. James does not give advice over the phone. There are disclosures regarding bankruptcy that must be given to each potential client. We need you to make an appointment and review those disclosures in our office prior to you being given advice. For this reason, we also cannot quote fees over the phone until we meet with you and have all of the necessary information about your specific situation.
Is there a charge for the initial consultation?
There is a $100.00 charge for an initial consultation payable by cash or check. This charge covers the time (approximately 1 hour) that Wendy H. James personally devotes to reviewing your entire financial situation and providing you options on how to proceed. If you retain The Law Office of Wendy H. James, the $100.00 is credited to the balance of your fees.
What do I need to bring to the initial consultation?
Please bring your two most recent pay stubs, unemployment or social security income information; a list of your debts, including mortgages, vehicle payments, credit cards, personal lines of credit, medical bills, etc; any lawsuits or foreclosure paperwork you have received; and an idea of the value of your home and vehicles. For couples, please bring the information for each spouse.
What is a Chapter 7?
Chapter 7 is known as straight bankruptcy. A Chapter 7 works well if you have lots of unsecured debt, like credit cards or medical bills, if you are under the North Carolina median income for your household size, and you are within the exemptions on your assets. From the time that a Chapter 7 petition is filed, until the discharge is entered, is only about 4 months.
What is Chapter 13?
Chapter 13 is commonly known as a wage earner plan. If you are behind on your home or vehicle payments, have too high of an income to file a Chapter 7, have debts that are not dischargeable that need to be paid like back taxes, or have equity in an asset that is not exempt, then a Chapter 13 may work well for you. A Chapter 13 is like a debt consolidation plan where you make payments to the Chapter 13 office for a time period of generally three to five years.
Which Chapter should I file?
The initial consultation is a time for attorney Wendy H. James to sit down and talk with you at length at about your specific situation. Based on the information that she gathers, she will advise you about which Chapter you should file, all of the information needed to prepare the petition and all of the costs involved.
Can I file a bankruptcy myself?
An individual can represent himself or herself in bankruptcy and file a petition pro se. Chapter 7’s and Chapter 13’s are a complicated process, however, with lengthy detailed paperwork and at least one court appearance. The majority of people find it is better to hire an experienced bankruptcy attorney to walk them through the process.
Call For a Consultation –
If you live in Forsyth County, Guilford County, Davidson County, Rockingham County, Stokes County, Yadkin County, Surry County, Davie County, Alamance County, or other surrounding counties and you want to know more about how we can help you with bankruptcy, please call us.