Best Admiralty & Maritime Lawyers in Las Cruces, NM

The filing of a petition under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 automatically stays most creditor actions against you or your property. As long as the automatic stay is in effect, creditors generally cannot initiate or continue any sort of collection activity. Creditors you list will receive notice of the filing of the petition from the clerk.

It is illegal for a governmental unit or private employer to discriminate against you solely because you file bankruptcy. The law prohibits the following forms of governmental discrimination: termination; discrimination w/ respect to hiring; denying, revoking, suspending, or declining to renew a license, franchise, or similar privilege. A private employer may not discriminate with respect to employment if the discrimination is based solely upon the bankruptcy filing.

You may voluntarily repay any discharged debt even though it can no longer be legally enforced. Sometimes people agree to repay a debt because it is owed to a family member or because it represents an obligation to an individual for whom the debtors reputation is important, such as a family doctor.

At this time, the filing fees are $306.00 for Chapter 7 and $281.00 for Chapter 13. Additionally, attorneys typically require all Chapter 7 fees up front and will allow payment from the Bankruptcy Trustee in a Chapter 13 case.

Also known as a Section 341 meeting, it is a required administrative hearing which allows the trustee to ask you questions regarding your financial situation.