If you are involved in a car accident, the other driver may claim that you were at fault. In our legal system, you are expected to operate your vehicle with reasonable care. If you do not, you may be considered to be negligent. Anyone claiming that you are at fault is obligated to prove that you were negligent to the satisfaction of a judge and a jury, in order for you to be held responsible at trial for the accident.
Today, many bankruptcy websites offer a free review by having you fill out an online form. In many cases, this is then forwarded to a law firm in your area who you may or may not know. Then at some point after that, you will get a call from some staff employee of that law firm to discuss this further. Note that in this process, you are not at any time speaking to a bankruptcy attorney.
We often receive phone calls from prospective home buyers wanting to know the amount of our legal fee for a real estate closing. Many callers are simply interested in obtaining the lowest possible fee quote. Typically, experienced real estate attorneys will charge in the range of $1000.00 to 1200.00 to represent a buyer on a purchase involving a mortgage. That should include all services, including acting as settlement agent to perform the closing.
After a Chapter 7 debtor attends the 341 meeting of creditors, s/he may receive a notice in the mail from the court regarding abandonment. This is a great point of confusion for clients so let’s explain.
Upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition, the debtor’s assets come under the control of the court and the bankruptcy trustee. If there is a significant asset with value, the trustee may decide to sell that asset and distribute that money to the debtor’s creditors. In determining that, the trustee will review the petition, require documentation to be submitted prior to the meeting of creditors and question the debtor at the meeting of creditors. S/he may also elect to do further investigation. If the trustee concludes that there is no asset of value, s/he will elect to abandon his/her interest in the asset.
