Washington Bankruptcy Attorneys
Thank you for taking the time to visit our Washington bankruptcy website. We are Washington State bankruptcy attorneys serving clients throughout Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma.
Washington Bankruptcy Lawyers
We aggressively represent WA State bankruptcy clients throughout the Greater Puget Sound Region. And, while we help hundreds of Washington bankruptcy clients from Mount Vernon to Olympia, we pride ourselves on providing each of our clients with the personal care and attention to detail that their case deserves. The process of filing for bankruptcy is a very complicated one. And, it is absolutely critical that your Washington bankruptcy petition be thorough and accurate. The same is true for the documents that we must submit to your Washington bankruptcy trustee.
You Deserve Personal Service
When you retain our Washington bankruptcy services, you become our most important client . We understand how difficult it is to go through a Washington State bankruptcy. Our goal is the same in every case. We make every effort to treat each client as we would want to be treated ourselves, with dignity, compassion, and an aggressive attention to detail that gives them the maximum protection provided under the Bankruptcy Code. When you retain our offices to assist you with your Washington bankruptcy, you will have the piece of mind of knowing that you case will be handled professionally, competently, and with the sensitivity that bankruptcy proceedings require. Our job is to make your life easier and to guide you through the Washington bankruptcy process as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Get Immediate Relief and Protection
The “Automatic Stay”
The automatic stay is one of the most powerful debtor protections in the law. At the time that your Washington bankruptcy is filed, the federal court in which it is filed will immediately issue an automatic stay of all creditor actions. This order instantly freezes any and all efforts by ANY creditor to harass, annoy, or otherwise attempt in any way to collect upon any of your outstanding debts. It is truly an awesome power.
The automatic stay immediately stops all lawsuits, foreclosure actions, repossessions, garnishment threats and actions, as well as all other collection-related activities. It will also finally put an immediate halt to all of those harassing phone calls at all hours of the day and night.
Our Washington State bankruptcy lawyers assist hundreds of clients just like you in Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma every year. If you have questions about whether or not you can qualify for a Washington bankruptcy, we encourage you to give our offices a call. During your initial consultation, one of our experienced Washington bankruptcy lawyers will examine your finances and assist you in determining if bankruptcy relief is available.
Speak to Your Lawyer Today!
What kinds of debts can be discharged in Washington Bankruptcy?
A Washington Bankruptcy discharge basically cancels most debt that someone has before they file their case. However, there are exceptions. The most common exceptions are back taxes, student loans, back child support and other domestic support obligations, traffic tickets and other fines. Debts that were based on fraud can also be excluded from a discharge but the creditor has to prove fraud in Washington Bankruptcy court.
Some back taxes can be discharged. If the taxes are income taxes that are at least three years old, the tax return was filed at least two years ago and there was no fraud involved, then the tax can be discharged. The three year period starts when then tax return was due, so taxes from the years 2006 and before (due in 2007) can be discharged in cases filed after April 15, 2010.
Student loans can be discharged but only when it is proven that the debt would be an undue burden on the debtor. A debtor must prove that paying the student loan would be too burdensome, that this situation is likely to be permanent and that they made a good faith effort to pay the debt in the past. To accomplish this, a debtor must file a separate“adversarial proceeding” in Washington Bankruptcy court.
A Chapter 13 repayment plan could offer help with some domestic support obligations and fines. If a license is suspended for tickets, you cannot keep your license in Washington with a Chapter 7, but you can while reorganizing your debts in a Chapter 13. If you were ordered to pay certain debts in a divorce, you may still have to pay them after a Chapter 7 but you can discharge them in a Chapter 13.
Call Erin M. Lane – (360) 753-5353