341 in Northern CA
Our 341 meeting was just recently concluded 
sigh of relief! And, at the risk of repeating all the valuable advice from everybody, here are some personal notes.
Our meeting was delayed by almost an hour because of some "continuances" in the previous meetings, and we had come half an hour earlier than our schedule so we were able to hear quite a number of cases. It was a small room with the trustee sitting in front and the debtors/counsel sitting across when called up. Everyone else scheduled for that half hour was seated a few feet away, I'd say there were 25-30 chairs for waiting. There was a waiting room outside with more chairs, where other debtors had last minute discussions about their pending meetings. Some counsels represented more than one case.
A note about counsel: from what we've observed, if you are interested in hiring, it really pays to hire someone that is thorough, has a well-coordinated office staff, one you can trust to be on top of your case. Not to mention of course one whose counsel you can confidently trust. In one case, there was incorrect paperwork filed with the court, and the counsel was stumbling upon himself trying to explain the error made by his office.
For the most part however, meetings came and went smoothly: debtors swore under oath, trustee looked at ID and SS cards, asked a few questions (whether debtor read and understood the petition filed, whether anything has changed since the date of filing, anything she wanted clarified). In every single case the trustee had something to clarify with the debtor. Just one question at the very least. Maybe every case we viewed was unique or she really liked to know that we knew what we were filing.
I was anticipating questions about 2010 tax refunds (were we expecting any?) or reaffirming a secured credit account, neither came up. Ours must have been the most cookie-cutter interview of the bunch. We were fortunate, but I believe we owe it in large part to a well-drawn petition filed on our behalf. No paperwork was missing, none was questionable. The only questions asked of us pertained directly to us.
In this regard I am also very thankful for this forum and the many gentle souls that lent support and strength, and valuable answers to my questions. We are now, I believe, in the 60-day club. Yay
sigh of relief! And, at the risk of repeating all the valuable advice from everybody, here are some personal notes.Our meeting was delayed by almost an hour because of some "continuances" in the previous meetings, and we had come half an hour earlier than our schedule so we were able to hear quite a number of cases. It was a small room with the trustee sitting in front and the debtors/counsel sitting across when called up. Everyone else scheduled for that half hour was seated a few feet away, I'd say there were 25-30 chairs for waiting. There was a waiting room outside with more chairs, where other debtors had last minute discussions about their pending meetings. Some counsels represented more than one case.
A note about counsel: from what we've observed, if you are interested in hiring, it really pays to hire someone that is thorough, has a well-coordinated office staff, one you can trust to be on top of your case. Not to mention of course one whose counsel you can confidently trust. In one case, there was incorrect paperwork filed with the court, and the counsel was stumbling upon himself trying to explain the error made by his office.
For the most part however, meetings came and went smoothly: debtors swore under oath, trustee looked at ID and SS cards, asked a few questions (whether debtor read and understood the petition filed, whether anything has changed since the date of filing, anything she wanted clarified). In every single case the trustee had something to clarify with the debtor. Just one question at the very least. Maybe every case we viewed was unique or she really liked to know that we knew what we were filing.
I was anticipating questions about 2010 tax refunds (were we expecting any?) or reaffirming a secured credit account, neither came up. Ours must have been the most cookie-cutter interview of the bunch. We were fortunate, but I believe we owe it in large part to a well-drawn petition filed on our behalf. No paperwork was missing, none was questionable. The only questions asked of us pertained directly to us.
In this regard I am also very thankful for this forum and the many gentle souls that lent support and strength, and valuable answers to my questions. We are now, I believe, in the 60-day club. Yay
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