What Should You Bring to a Bankruptcy Consultation?

After scheduling an initial bankruptcy consultation, it is important to adequately prepare for the meeting, which includes gathering all of the appropriate documents. Without bringing the necessary paperwork, it is much more difficult for an experienced bankruptcy lawyer to assess your situation. The following will outline each of the documents that you should remember to bring to a meeting with a lawyer about your bankruptcy filing.

Identification

One of the most important pieces of information to bring to a bankruptcy consultation is identification. It is also important to confirm your social security number, so bring your Social Security card with you.

Details About Income

To file for bankruptcy, a person must provide proof of their average monthly income for the six months before they entered the bankruptcy process. This means that a person should make sure to bring income records to bankruptcy consultations. Some of the documents you should plan to bring to establish your income include details about alimony, bonuses, child support, commissions, dividends, income, interest, pension income, rental income, social security, retirement income, tips, and unemployment income.

Income Tax Returns

It is critical to make sure to bring the past two years of income tax returns to a bankruptcy meeting. If you have not filed any tax returns during this time, you will almost always be required to file these tax returns before you can initiate the bankruptcy process.

Details About Daily Living Costs

Some of the common daily living costs that people have include alimony, cable, clothing, food, home maintenance, insurance, laundry, medical bills, mortgage, rent, telephone services, transportation costs, and utility services. It is important to bring information about as many of these costs as possible to provide your bankruptcy attorney with an idea of your daily living costs, which will influence what your bankruptcy ultimately looks like.

Account Statements

Often times, bankruptcy is the result of personal loans that a person is unable to pay off. As a result, in addition to presenting your bankruptcy attorney with details about your daily living costs, it is also a wise idea to bring documentation for various debts that you might have accrued including credit cards, medical bills, and other personal loans.

Any Other Documents Your Attorney Requests

In addition to the first five categories mentioned in this article, there are a number of other unique documents that an attorney might request a person bring to an initial consultation. If your lawyer asks you to bring certain documents to a bankruptcy consultation, you should make sure to do so.

Speak with an Experienced Bankruptcy Lawyer

The bankruptcy process is complex, but there are a number of steps that you can follow to make this process much easier. If you are interested in filing for bankruptcy, you should not hesitate to speak with an experienced bankruptcy attorney. Contact attorney Jim A Lyon today to schedule a free initial consultation.