Meeting of Creditors: The First Court Proceeding

by | Jan 16, 2013 | Bankruptcy

Filing for bankruptcy may be tiresome, but worry no more; bankruptcy lawyers around the United States, particularly in Atlanta, Georgia can help debtors with this problem.

Before a petition is approved by the court, a court appearance by the debtor with his or her bankruptcy lawyer and the bankruptcy trustee will be held. Sometimes, creditors will appear to ask questions. This court appearance is called as Title 11 of the United States Code (USC) § 341 Meeting of Creditors.

This Meeting of Creditors will be set by the court about 30 days after the petition for bankruptcy is filed. The debtor is required to attend this meeting with his or her bankruptcy lawyer. In this meeting, the bankruptcy trustee will verify if all the information in the documents submitted is correct and accurate. The debtor should take this opportunity to ask the bankruptcy trustee if there is any additional document needed.

The debtor will take a pledge and will testify an oath in front of the court. The bankruptcy trustee will ask questions to the debtor in order to make sure that the latter knows all important information about the bankruptcy. A debtor should review the documents first with his or her bankruptcy lawyer before going to the meeting. In addition, the debtor should talk first to his or her bankruptcy lawyer one week before the scheduled meeting so that there will be no problems with any documents for the petition. Important documents include a valid picture ID, social security card, and bank statements showing the balance on the bank account during the time the petition was filed. In addition to this, a copy of the most recently file tax return is needed by the bankruptcy trustee.

After the Meeting of Creditors, the debtor needs to take an online course about debt management. Once finished taking the online course, the debtor will give his or her certificate to the bankruptcy lawyer. The latter will be the one who will send the second online certificate to the court. In addition to the certificate, the bankruptcy lawyer will provide any additional documents requested by the bankruptcy trustee.

Once the debtor is done attending the Meeting of Creditors and has submitted all the relevant documents, the debtor just need to wait for about two months before he or she receives a notification from the court. This notification is about the debts being removed under the debtor’s name.

In order to get the best assistance in filing bankruptcy, asking assistance from bankruptcy lawyers especially in Atlanta, Georgia is advisable. With their help, the burden of filing the petition will lessen. Good bankruptcy lawyers will give their best shot to make sure that the debtor will receive excellent legal service.

Latest Articles

Categories

Archives