Lawsuit threatened, past due taxes...what now???

[car67]

Hey PDXGirll I am in Oregon and I had a complex case all over the map like you taxes 1099 and w2 I know how you feel.... I had to look for a good attorney.... I hope the board doesnt mind But I will tell you call Ted Troutman at
http://www.muir-troutman.com/ They are in beaverton You will love what they do... Nikki Ted and Rusty rock I promise they handle difficult chapt 13 and they got a payment plan.. Cool people!

[car67]

Contact Us
Muir and Troutman
16100 NW Cornell Road, Suite 200
Beaverton, Oregon 97006

(503) 292-6788
[email removed]

Rusty is Teds assistant kick ass type of guy... Answered all my questions held my hand I know I got my moneys worth with the service these guys provided!

[pdxgrrrl]

Thanks for the info, car67. I'll give them a call tomorrow.

The weird thing about the lawyer I saw on Friday is that his website says that he does Chapter 7's and 13's. I don't know why he would promote himself as a BK lawyer and then turn around and tell me not file BK. WTF?

I'm meeting with these people on Tuesday: [url removed] I hope they'll be a little more helpful.

[StartingOver08]

pdxgrrl - I clicked on that link that you provided in your last post and they do not seem to be bankruptcy attorneys. They say right in their ad that they help you if you with alternatives for Ch 7 and Ch 13 - that means these people are a debt settlement company. Stay AWAY from a debt settlement company with your situation (really any situation) - they are usually bad news. Debt settlement companies charge a large fee and in the end they do not help you. Many of them are scam companies and the FTC is just now cracking down on them.

What you want is an actual law firm that specializes in bankruptcy law. Not debt settlements. You can google for a law firm in your area and choose from what pops up. Make sure to ask how many ch 7's and ch 13's they have filed over the past year and their qualifications before you book the appt.

[pdxgrrrl]

StartingOver, I think I might go see these people on Tuesday anyway, even if they do turn out to be a debt settlement company. They were listed under "Bankruptcy Attorneys" in my local phone book. I don't have to put out any money tomorrow, so I may as well see what they have to say.

I did make contact with a real bankruptcy lawyer over the weekend. I contacted him through his website and he contacted me within an hour. He said I should definitely explore the idea of bankruptcy, which made me feel better, in a way. He's supposed to call me this afternoon.

I also heard back from the lawyer who's threatening to sue me. He sent me proof that the debt is mine, including a faxed copy of a credit card statement that's over four years old. I still can't figure out how he arrived at the $6,200 figure though. He said to contact his office to pay up and avoid litigation. What do I do now?

[StartingOver08]

When you file here, hopefully shortly, you add the debt to your petition so it is discharged.

I certainly would not call that collector/attorney back on that debt- even if he is a real attorney. He is trying to force you to pay and you have bigger issues right now to take care of - the IRS. If you file this Ch 13 - you can take care of everyone at the same time and get this attorney/collector off your back.

[pdxgrrrl]

StartingOver, I understand that the debt will be discharged in a bankruptcy. What I'm wondering right now is if there's anything else I can do to keep this lawyer at bay. He is a real lawyer -- he's registered with the state bar association. I'm wondering if there's some sort of letter or something I can send to buy myself more time. I wasn't impressed with the "proof" he sent me regarding the debt. For example, I still don't understand how he arrived at a figure of $6,200. In my papers, I found a collection notice from a CA dated last year and the debt was only at $3,000, so I'm wondering how the hell the debt from $3,000 to $6,200 in less than a year.

The reason why I'm trying to buy time is I'll need money to hire a lawyer, plus pay the BK filing fee. (One lawyer I talked to quoted $1,300 -- half of my monthly take-home pay.) This has already been a rough month for me financially (had an unexpected expense -- stupid car) and I just don't have the funds to hire a lawyer right now. Even a $200 retainer fee would be difficult, plus I'll probably have to hire someone to do the taxes, and I don't get paid until the 27th. I tried doing the taxes myself this weekend, but I got frustrated (Schedule C -- argh) and gave up.

[StartingOver08]

Two things: The Chapter 13 fee can be put in the filing and paid monthly. Two, if you want to send a letter to the attorney go here and search this site:
www.creditinfocenter.com and look under forums and check out Is there An Attorney in the House? section of the forums. There are sticky's there to show you what letters to write etc.

[pdxgrrrl]

Just bumping this up to say that I'm seeing a lawyer this evening. I'm strangely nervous about it and am kind of dreading it. Hopefully things will go well. I was going to see another attorney yesterday, but he rescheduled for next Tuesday. (D'oh!)

Wish me luck.

[Macy]

Hey just popping in here. ;) Read through this thread, in a huge mess myself. (Aren't we all.) I'd certainly second only going to a bankruptcy attorney. If any of the monthly bills you're paying on are credit cards I'd stop paying them in order to have the funds for attorney & filing. (I thought it was going to still take me 2 months to get the attorney fee by doing this myself. Somehow between my current 2 jobs, one as an independent contractor, one as a regular wage earner, I managed to have an unexpected "windfall" month & was able to pay it all upfront immediately.) As for taxes-- a long, long time ago I got "caught" by the IRS for 6 yrs worth of not filing. I'd worked soley as an independent contractor during that time. I found an excellent accountant and by the time we worked out all the zillions of estimated write-offs one has as an independent contractor I ended up barely oweing the IRS anything--even with their interest & penalties. I was able to pay them off in 2 months time! (I was making mega-bucks back then. Hmm--how nice it was!)

I haven't posted much on this site, just found it recently, but have been posting & asking questions on another location with some people either going through bk or thinking about it. All I can say is I was both destitute & beyond desperate only a little over a month ago, feeling like my life was not worth living anymore because of this huge financial disaster. From the moment though that I "embraced" BK as my only truly sane solution, everything has changed for me. My life has become easier, I sleep well at night now, I feel blessed, I wake up happy for each new day, I'm no longer strapped for cash anymore...it's truly, truly a miracle.

Good luck! And please, please don't have anything to do with that 1st attorney!