Well, I finally had my 341 meeting today in the Eastern District of Texas.
Meeting was at 3:00 and I arrived at 2:00 to sit in on a couple of meetings to listen to my trustee. I sat through about 10 meetings before mine and was at ease once I was able to see the process and type of questions she would ask. I strongly encourage anyone to arrive early and sit in on a couple before your own.
As you have probably read in previous posts, it is a very informal meeting. We sat at a T-shaped table with my attorney across from me and the trustee at the top of the T with her computer, a recorder and a stack of files.
Attorney asked standard questions first, having me acknowledge all of the information regarding the documents and truth of the information they contained. He asked a total of about 10 questions for the trustee and then told her he was passing the witness.
She then asked me about my income and prospects for future commissions, since I am a real estate agent and mortgage broker. She asked me how I was getting along with being in the red each month despite the discharge of my credit card debts. I explained that my girlfriend had been helping me to stay current with my bills and helping me with other expenses. She then finished with having me confirm that all of my assets were listed and no other items needed to be changed on my paperwork and wished me Good Luck!
I know you have probably heard it a million times as I had that these meetings are a piece of cake as long as your honest, and it's definitely true. It's hard to put your mind at ease until you have been through it, but here is confirmation 1 million and one!
I am looking to discharge a total debt of around $78,000, so I was no small case. I looked over my shoulder nearly a dozen times before I went up to see if one of my creditors was going to appear, but they didn't. I was extremely nervous when I saw a guy in a nice suit behind me with a briefcase all the way up to my meeting and kept thinking.....this guy is here for me, but it was just the debtor who was after me.
Stay strong and remember....it's all downhill from the time you meet with the lawyer.
A little tip I can give you which I learned from reading a book on body language. When you are asked to swear in: make sure you hold your right hand straight up with your fingers spread. Holding your hand straight up with your fingers together may be interpreted as you will tell the truth, but they are going to have to pull it out of you. Holding your hand cocked to the side shows you are willing to be deceitful and holding your hand straight up with your fingers spread shows you are willing to tell the truth up front. I watched her as she swore in the preceeding cases, and she looked at the debtors hands every single time, which I don't think was a coincidence. The one debtor who held his hand to the side was asked the most questions and was required to bring more documentation to her. Coincidence, you can be the judge!
Good luck to you all and I will let you know if anything else comes up. Keep your head up!
Meeting was at 3:00 and I arrived at 2:00 to sit in on a couple of meetings to listen to my trustee. I sat through about 10 meetings before mine and was at ease once I was able to see the process and type of questions she would ask. I strongly encourage anyone to arrive early and sit in on a couple before your own.
As you have probably read in previous posts, it is a very informal meeting. We sat at a T-shaped table with my attorney across from me and the trustee at the top of the T with her computer, a recorder and a stack of files.
Attorney asked standard questions first, having me acknowledge all of the information regarding the documents and truth of the information they contained. He asked a total of about 10 questions for the trustee and then told her he was passing the witness.
She then asked me about my income and prospects for future commissions, since I am a real estate agent and mortgage broker. She asked me how I was getting along with being in the red each month despite the discharge of my credit card debts. I explained that my girlfriend had been helping me to stay current with my bills and helping me with other expenses. She then finished with having me confirm that all of my assets were listed and no other items needed to be changed on my paperwork and wished me Good Luck!
I know you have probably heard it a million times as I had that these meetings are a piece of cake as long as your honest, and it's definitely true. It's hard to put your mind at ease until you have been through it, but here is confirmation 1 million and one!
I am looking to discharge a total debt of around $78,000, so I was no small case. I looked over my shoulder nearly a dozen times before I went up to see if one of my creditors was going to appear, but they didn't. I was extremely nervous when I saw a guy in a nice suit behind me with a briefcase all the way up to my meeting and kept thinking.....this guy is here for me, but it was just the debtor who was after me.
Stay strong and remember....it's all downhill from the time you meet with the lawyer.
A little tip I can give you which I learned from reading a book on body language. When you are asked to swear in: make sure you hold your right hand straight up with your fingers spread. Holding your hand straight up with your fingers together may be interpreted as you will tell the truth, but they are going to have to pull it out of you. Holding your hand cocked to the side shows you are willing to be deceitful and holding your hand straight up with your fingers spread shows you are willing to tell the truth up front. I watched her as she swore in the preceeding cases, and she looked at the debtors hands every single time, which I don't think was a coincidence. The one debtor who held his hand to the side was asked the most questions and was required to bring more documentation to her. Coincidence, you can be the judge!
Good luck to you all and I will let you know if anything else comes up. Keep your head up!
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