Bankruptcy is a right provided by law to people who are deeply in debt and in need of a fresh start. Bankruptcy will discharge many of your debts and you will not have to pay them, except, in some cases, secured debts for the purchase of particular merchandise or debts on which you gave a mortgage or put up other property as collateral.
A decision to file for bankruptcy should be made only after determining that bankruptcy is the best way to deal with your financial problems. The information on this page cannot explain every aspect of the bankruptcy process. If you still have questions after reading it, you should speak with an attorney familiar with bankruptcy or a paralegal working for an attorney
SOME COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BANKRUPTCY:
- What Can Bankruptcy Do For Me?
- What Can't Bankruptcy Do?
- Are There Different Kinds of Bankruptcy?
- What Does Bankruptcy Cost?
- What Property Can I Keep?
- Will Bankruptcy Wipe Out All My Debts?
- Will Bankruptcy Affect My Credit?
- What Else Should I Know?
CAN LEGAL SERVICES HELP?
Our Visalia office may be able to help you. When you contact our office, we'll send you a questionnaire, or you can download it below. After you notify the office that you have completed your Bankruptcy Questionnaire you will be scheduled for a Bankruptcy Clinic.
At the Clinic the bankruptcy attorney or paralegal will review the Questionnaire with you and attempt to answer your questions. After the Clinic if you decide to file a petition in bankruptcy the staff will collect your Questionnaire and copies of documents. In most cases, you must also pay the $200.00 bankruptcy filing fee at this time.
Then, an attorney will review your Questionnaire and documents. If the attorney believes that filing a bankruptcy petition is in your best interest the petition and schedules will be drafted for your review and signature. You must sign these documents yourself under penalty of perjury. If a husband and wife file jointly they must both sign.
Approximately one month after filing the petition you (and your spouse if you filed jointly) will have to attend a Section 341 hearing at the Federal Courthouse in Fresno, near the Old Water Tower. The Trustee’s hearing room is on the second floor. The tentative date and time for the hearing is listed on the first page of your petition, in the clerk’s endorsement. You will receive notification of the time and date of the hearing from your attorney. If you fail to attend the hearing and have not previously notified this office, the Trustee may dismiss your case.
HOW DO I REQUEST HELP?
First, contact our Visalia office:
- Telephone: 559-733-8770
- visalia@centralcallegal.org
Second, complete the Bankruptcy Questionnaire we send you. You can also download the questionnaire here:
