Brownsville Texas Bankruptcy Lawyer
What to do Before and After 
If you’re headed down the road toward bankruptcy, your Brownsville attorney will be the first to tell you that you have a long and sometimes difficult journey ahead of you. Not only must you make the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy, you must first undergo credit counseling. Should you still need debt relief through bankruptcy, you will then determine which type of bankruptcy protection is best for you given your circumstances. From there, you must gather your paperwork, itemize your income and assets, document your living expenses and debts, and list Texas exemptions – all before actually filing for bankruptcy at Texas District Bankruptcy Court. Depending on the type of bankruptcy you have filed for, you may need to draft a repayment plan and attend a hearing before a bankruptcy judge who will either approve or deny the plan.
After filing for bankruptcy, you will be assigned a trustee that reviews your paperwork and exemptions and pays the creditors. The trustee may challenge your case, making it vital that you have a good bankruptcy attorney on your side.
Soon after filing for bankruptcy, usually about thirty days after, a meeting of creditors will be held. You and your Brownsville bankruptcy attorney will attend this meeting where negotiations with creditors will take place. Depending on your filing, your non-exempt property must be surrendered to the trustee who will either sell it or abandon it (if it is of little value), possibly returning it to you. If no challenges by creditors are filed within 60 days, the court will send you a notice telling you that your dischargable debts have been discharged. Expect the process to take about six months.
Your life after bankruptcy will also have its challenges. First, you must attend and complete a financial management course after filing for bankruptcy. Next, you must rebuild your credit which isn’t an easy task. However, you can take small steps to slowly rebuild your credit including:
- Following the Chapter 13 repayment plan if you filed for Chapter 13 protection
- Apply for store and gas accounts and use these accounts modestly, paying them off promptly
- Pay your bills, particularly rent and utility company bills, on time, every time
- Live within your means
- Avoid pay day loans
- Consider buying a used car. Either find a “bankruptcy friendly” dealer or ask a relative to cosign the loan for you. Pay the payments on time, every time.
Bankruptcy cases are lengthy and complex. You do not need to go through bankruptcy alone. Call a Brownsville bankruptcy attorney for a free consultation and let us take the burden off of your shoulders. You can survive bankruptcy and rebuild your credit, one step at a time.