New member here.

[Trader62]

Hi everyone.
I was reading this forum for a while preparing myself for BK process.
As soon as I get my stimulus $$ I'm going to spend it on BK attorney.
The best way to stimulate our economy IMO

I don't know if it's not against the forum rules, but if anybody from NYC (5 boroughs) recently filed and can recommend good attorney(and not too expensive), you may PM me and I really appreciate it. Case is simple: income under median for NY, no asset, renting appartment, car is old, no savings and life is beautifull. LOL

Thank you in advance and good luck to everyone .

Trader62

[momof5]

Hello and Welcome... I just joined the forum today and have spent the ENTIRE day reading through posts! Its amazing....

I am from New York State but nowhere near NYC so I cannot help you with your attorney search but I can offer you just a little bit of a suggestion. ASK before you pay.... Will you return my calls if I have questions??? There is nothing like sitting through an entire day by the phone waiting for a return call that never came.

Good luck to you

[epiphany]

Hello and welcome. It is not a good idea (and frowned upon by some) to ask others for advice on which attorney to use because all of our situations are different. What might be a great attorney experience for me could turn out to be really crummy for you. I know I wouldn't want to be responsible for that!

However, feel free to ask all the questions you like (though you really should use the search feature and you will find answers to many of your questions that way) and vent all you like!

Good luck to you!

ep

[Trader62]

Thank you for reply.
i was searching this forum for some time and some people praise their attorney ,some complain.All I wanted is to hear some ppl's experience with their attorney in my area.

If your attorney telling you from start to refer all those debt collection callers to his office it's already good sign.

In other hand as in case of Momof5 when attorney make somebody wait for two weeks just to sighn few sheets, it's already a red flag.

Nobody should be responsible for anything just sharing their experience with attorney.

[epiphany]

Thank you for reply.
i was searching this forum for some time and some people praise their attorney ,some complain.All I wanted is to hear some ppl's experience with their attorney in my area.

If your attorney telling you from start to refer all those debt collection callers to his office it's already good sign.

In other hand as in case of Momof5 when attorney make somebody wait for two weeks just to sighn few sheets, it's already a red flag.

Nobody should be responsible for anything just sharing their experience with attorney.

Hey, wasn't trying to sound harsh (too bad inflection can't be read over email) but you did ask for a recommendation, not a summary of experiences. I do love my attorney so far but my story's not over yet.

You should go to a number of consultations...most lawyers will give you one for free. If you get a bad vibe..you'll know. Just be sure you listen to your gut when it vibrates so that you don't jump the gun. I hired the fourth lawyer I consulted with....and I did get bad vibes from the others.

Again, wish you only the best of luck.

ep

[Trader62]

No hard feeling whatsoever
Every piece of info is valuable .

Thanks everybody.

I still have few weeks untill I start stimulate our economy with that package.

Trader62

[Trader62]

One more question I forgot to ask.

We were borrowing money for our daughter college.
It's called Parent PLUS loan.

I've read that no matter if this is federal or not any education loan will not be discharged.

Anybody has any info on this particular loan?

Thanks

[lrprn]

We also have a Parent Plus loan that we took out to help our son when he was in college.

We asked five different bk lawyers your same question during our initial consultations before we filed - every one of them told us the same thing - "This loan is an educational loan and it will not be discharged, even though you did not take it out for yourself."

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - you will have to pay this Parent Plus loan back in full if you take it out before filing.

[momof5]

One more question I forgot to ask.

We were borrowing money for our daughter college.
It's called Parent PLUS loan.

I've read that no matter if this is federal or not any education loan will not be discharged.

Anybody has any info on this particular loan?

Thanks

My eldest goes off to college in September and all of her financial aid packages included the Parent Plus loan... I know there is no way we'll get approved for it because of the BK now but thats almost a good thing. Our being declined will automatically qualify her for an unsubsidized Stafford loan for the amount we get denied . She is paying for her college as we just cannot help even without the Parent Plus loan. I guess you just reminded me of something to be thankful for. If all this happened next year we would be in huge debt after filing BK because this is definately considered an educational loan which will not go away(there are very rare exceptions,I have heard)
Not sure if this info will help you or not as it depends on if your child is done with college or still in college If she is still in college all is not lost... there is other options for her that will open up.

[FreshLikeADaisy]

Case is simple: income under median for NY, no asset, renting appartment, car is old, no savings and life is beautiful...

Hi Trader! I definitely support your idea of seeing some attorneys, but since you have no assets to try to save or other complications, have you ever thought about going pro se? Many here have; I did and just got my discharge last month. It's not for everyone, but with a straightforward Ch7, income under median and no assets, you're actually in a good position to explore this option.

If you can study a little and you don't get nellie at the sight of a form, you may not need an attorney at all. I will tell you upfront, though, that it takes a good bit of preparation. If you feel like this might be an option for you, check out the book listed in my sig and also take advantage of free initial consults with bk attorneys. Even if you have an atty, it never hurts to study so that you know the right questions to ask and how to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Welcome and good luck!!!

[southernbelle]

Fresh is right, if it's straight forward, it might be worth looking at pro se. My case is extremely complicated and would have been like performing brain surgery on myself so pro se was not an option. It might save you some money, but if you don't want to do that, take everyone's advice and talk to some atty's. They will give you that first consult free. If you get a bad vibe, don't use them and make a list of questions to ask before you get there that way you don't forget to ask something important.

If they take the time to talk to you and answer your questions, consider them, but if you get ushered out the door, they probably don't have time for you and you should go somewhere else.

Good Luck and keep asking questions, this forum is great. It's where I learned most of what helped me so far.

[Trader62]

Thank you everybody for replying.
Great forum and great info on all questions.

I will think about doing it pro se.

Daughter have one year left (2008/2009) to graduation.
We'll probably need another $4000 for two semesters in addition to all grants,subsidized loans etc. I guess we'll be able to pay it in installments or daughter will take one unsubsidized loan .
She's working part time (full time Summer time) .
We stopped paying all CC bills so some money will be left for college.

If I file pro se,it will save some money that will be used for college too. The only question is if trustee isn't going to take that money from us.


Thanks again everybody.

[Runnin on empty]

We also have a Parent Plus loan that we took out to help our son when he was in college.

We asked five different bk lawyers your same question during our initial consultations before we filed - every one of them told us the same thing - "This loan is an educational loan and it will not be discharged, even though you did not take it out for yourself."

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - you will have to pay this Parent Plus loan back in full if you take it out before filing.

Hey lrpn, just want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly. Say a person took out $5K for a Parent Plus loan for their child to attend University. In order to file BK, that parent would have to completely pay off that $5K before being able to start the process? Or is it that it is not dischargeable, and therefore still has to be paid as promised, but it will not hold up the other BK proceedings?

I don't have one, just currently in college and am curious.