Bankruptcy Lawyers Serving Eddyville, KY
 

Bankruptcy Lawyers Serving Eddyville, KY

Eddyville, Kentucky 42038
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Directories of Eddyville, KY Bankruptcy Attorneys

Finding a Bankruptcy Lawyer in Eddyville, KY

Residents of Eddyville, KY will want a bankruptcy attorney that is familiar with filing cases in the Kentucky Western District Bankruptcy Court, and has experience with the trustee that will be appointed to your case.

Directories of Eddyville, KY Bankruptcy Attorney Advertising

Here are a few selected websites that offer directories of attorneys that serve Eddyville,KY and Lyon County. Not all attorneys list on all directiories, so we offer a choice here, and make it convenient to access the widest possible selection of Eddyville, Kentucky bankruptcy lawyers.

Justia.com's Eddyville, KY Lawyer Directory

Started by original FindLaw founder and "free law" pioneer Tim Stanley, Justia.com has localized listings & profiles of attorneys.

NACBA Attorney Finder

Type in your zip code to find bankruptcy attorneys in your area who are members of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA).

Nolo Lawyer Directory of Eddyville, KY Area Bankruptcy Attorneys

Nolo offers lawyer profiles and asks the attorneys whether they're open to the idea of working with people who have read up on the subject of bankruptcy.

Legal Aid

Legal Aid serving Eddyville, KY
Legal Aid Network of Kentucky

If your income is low, you may be able to get bankruptcy representation through your local legal aid organization: Legal Aid Network of Kentucky.

Current income guidelines to qualify for legal aid in 2023.

Each year, LSC updates appendix A to 45 CFR part 1611 to provide client income eligibility standards based on the most recent Guidelines. The figures for 2023, set out below, are equivalent to 125% of the Guidelines published by HHS on January 19, 2023.

In addition, LSC is publishing a chart listing income levels that are 200% of the Guidelines. This chart is for reference purposes only as an aid to recipients in assessing the financial eligibility of an applicant whose income is greater than 125% of the applicable Guidelines amount, but less than 200% of the applicable Guidelines amount (and who may be found to be financially eligible under duly adopted exceptions to the annual income ceiling in accordance with 45 CFR 1611.31611.4, and 1611.5).

 

Legal Services Corporation 2023 Income Guidelines *

Size of household 48 Contiguous states and the District of Columbia Alaska Hawaii
1 $18,225 $22,763 $20,963
2 24,650 30,800 28,350
3 31,075 38,838 35,738
4 37,500 46,875 43,125
5 43,925 54,913 50,513
6 50,350 62,950 57,900
7 56,775 70,988 65,288
8 63,200 79,025 72,675
 
For each additional member of the household in excess of 8, add: 6,425 8,038 7,388
* The figures in this table represent 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines by household size as determined by HHS.
 

Reference Chart—200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines *

Size of household 48 Contiguous states and the District of Columbia Alaska Hawaii
1 $29,160 $36,420 $33,540
2 39,440 49,280 45,360
3 49,720 62,140 57,180
4 60,000 75,000 69,000
5 70,280 87,860 80,820
6 80,560 100,720 92,640
7 90,840 113,580 104,460
8 101,120 126,440 116,280
For each additional member of the household in excess of 8, add: 10,280 12,860 11,820
* The figures in this table represent 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines by household size as determined by HHS.

See Also

Should You Use a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer (BPP)?

When deciding whether to hire a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer (BPP), the most important thing to remember is that a BPP is not a lawyer and can’t provide any legal advice about your bankruptcy. To make this perfectly clear, federal bankruptcy law requires that BPPs give you a contract (Form B119) that includes all the things they’re not allowed to do and all the topics they can’t discuss. The form primarily covers anything that might be considered legal advice, including:

  • whether you should file for bankruptcy
  • which type of bankruptcy to file
  • whether your bankruptcy case will be successful
  • what kind of property you will or won’t get to keep
  • whether to list certain items of property or how to describe your property, or
  • whether you should promise to repay debts to any of your creditors.

That said, if you need the equivalent of clerical help with your forms, a bankruptcy petition preparer can produce the forms you need for a reasonable fee. A good BPP will have the necessary forms and software to do this job quickly and efficiently. But for legal information and advice, you must look elsewhere.

What Is a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer?

A bankruptcy petition preparer is a person or business—not a lawyer or someone who works for a lawyer—who you pay to prepare your bankruptcy documents. Following your specific directions, the BPP creates the bankruptcy forms that you will file in court. BPPs often use a bankruptcy software program to do this job.

What Rules Apply to Bankruptcy Petition Preparers?

Anyone can be a bankruptcy petition preparer, as long as they comply with the rules for BPPs set out in the federal bankruptcy code. These rules include:

  • describing themselves as debt relief agencies providing services under the federal bankruptcy code
  • not using the term “legal” or any term that might lead you to believe they are providing legal services
  • charging reasonable fees (usually between $100 and $200)
  • providing the contract mentioned above that describes their services and fees
  • providing disclosure forms that summarize bankruptcy procedures
  • including their name and tax ID number on all documents they prepare
  • not collecting any bankruptcy court fees, and
  • filing a disclosure with the court saying how much they charged you.

The rules apply only to professional BPPs. If a friend, for example, helps you fill out your papers, they don’t have to meet these requirements.

What to Know Before You Hire a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer

Before you hire a bankruptcy petition preparer, familiarize yourself with what they can and cannot do and be sure you have good sources for the legal help you need. If you use a BPP and not a lawyer, you must understand that you are representing yourself in bankruptcy court. You will be responsible for making all of the legal choices in your case and you must provide the BPP with complete and accurate information so they can properly complete your forms.

Here is a breakdown of what bankruptcy petition preparers are not allowed to do and where to find more about each topic in the book How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

What BPPs Can't Do
(from Form B119)
Plain English Where to Learn More in How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
I am forbidden
to offer you any legal advice, including advice about any of the following:
  The book won't give you specific advice, either, but it does discuss important facts to consider when making decisions.
• whether to file a petition under the Bankruptcy Code (11 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.); Whether you should file for bankruptcy Chapter 1
• whether commencing a case under chapter 7, 11, 12, or 13 is appropriate; What kind of bankruptcy you should file for Chapter 1
• whether your debts will be eliminated or discharged in a case under the Bankruptcy Code; Which debts you can eliminate Chapters 5 and 9
• whether you will be able to retain your home, car, or other property after commencing a case
under the Bankruptcy Code;
Whether you'll lose your house, car, or other property Chapters 3, 4, and 5
• concerning the tax consequences of a case brought under the Bankruptcy Code; how your taxes may be affected if you file for bankruptcy
Not covered
• concerning the dischargeability of tax claims; Whether or not your tax debts will be wiped out Chapter 9
• whether you may or should promise to repay debts to a creditor or enter into a reaffirmation
agreement with a creditor to reaffirm a debt;
Which secured loans are worth keeping, versus other options, like surrenduring the property Chapter 5
• concerning how to characterize the nature of your interests in property or your debts; or Whether property is exempt and which exemption category it belongs to Chapters 3 and 4
• concerning bankruptcy procedures and rights. What happens in a bankruptcy case; what are your rights Covered throughout the book

What is UpSolve, And How Does It Work?

What is UpSolve?

You may or may not have heard of UpSolve, but if your income is below the state median, and your bankruptcy is simple (and isn't about student loan debt), UpSolve may be able to help you file your bankruptcy paperwork with their free app.

The Upsolve "tool" guides you through the process of uploading your necessary information, and filling in the required forms, via an interview-based process like TurboTax, or WillMaker. 

It was launched in Brooklyn by a couple of Harvard "social entrepreneurs", who would be called public interest lawyers, but one of them is not a lawyer... hence the moniker "civil rights entrepreneur."

I've met the founder, Rohan. He came up to Berkeley and introduced himself when he was at the Y-Combinator down in Stanford. He's a good guy.. He thanked me for blazing the "access to law"  trail with Nolo — a trail which he has so aptly taken and continues to blaze in new directions. UpSolve has taken up the mantle that uncontested legal matters should not require a lawyer — an idea that was advocated back in the 1970's by Ralph Warner & Ed Sherman of the California do-it-yourself-law publisher Nolo Press, whom I joined in 1987 and worked with for 17 years (before getting restless and launching this site). 

UpSolve is what is known as a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer (a BPP). That is, a service that can help prepare your bankruptcy petition, but can't give you advice along the way.

BPPs have been around for a long time.  But UpSolve has automated the bankruptcy petition preparation process and made it free, thanks to nonprofit funding — and a business model that knows that a certain percentage of users won't qualify for their free tool, and are turned into paid leads, sold to local bankruptcy lawyers for free consultations.

In UpSolve's words..

  • Although many of UpSolve’s informational articles are drafted or reviewed by attorneys, Upsolve is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. By using Upsolve, you do not enter any form of attorney-client relationship with Upsolve.
  • UpSolve provides an online web app that helps you file for bankruptcy for free on your own, if you have a simple case and pass their eligibility criteria. They do not provide any form of legal advice and absolutely no communication between you and Upsolve should be considered legal advice.
  • If you do not qualify for UpSolve's free web app, or you do not want to use it, they provide access to private independent attorneys at your specific direction. Attorneys pay Upsolve for the chance to provide free evaluations to people who ask for them.  

UpSolve's revenue model generated more than $400,000 in lead based revenue from private attorneys, according to their 2021 partner letter.

 Note: Selling leads to attorneys is the same way that LegalConsumer.com makes money. It's the way pretty much all free information services make money, by charging advertisers rather than users.

Who Qualifies for UpSolve's free app?

If you meet their criteria, UpSolve offers a service where you can upload your information and pay stubs and get back filled in schedules for you to submit to the court.

UpSolve can be.a handy tool for debtors who:

They'll also tell you who is going to be your trustee and give you a brief video of what to expect when you meet with the trustee at the 341 meeting.

It's still up to you to complete credit counseling, but they have some built in offers for that too. 

Should you use it?

All in all, UpSolve does a decent job of automating the bankruptcy filing for those debtors who don't have real estate, and who owe the right kind of debt, and have income  low enough to qualify for their free service.

Be aware, though that Upsolve is not free if you don't meet their criteria. TurboTax got in trouble for advertising "free" tax preparation when, in fact, most people didn't qualify for the free service.

 

Ten Ways a Bankruptcy Lawyer Can Help You

There is no requirement to use a lawyer to file for bankruptcy. However, some people decide to hire one to help them get through the process.

Although I write self-help law books, I realize that -- when it comes to complex forms, tight deadlines, and piles of details -- not everyone is cut out for do-it-yourself law.

Whether you're a good candidate for doing it yourself, depends on the complexity of your financial situation, and your willingness to take the time to learn the rules of bankruptcy and complete work carefully, and on time, and meet all filing requirements and deadlines. (If you're not the type of person that is willing to follow instructions carefully, then self-help bankruptcy is probably not for you. For more discusion, see the help topic: Do I Need Lawyer?)

Indeed, there are many ways that a lawyer can help you in filing for bankruptcy. Here are at least ten ways that come to mind:

  1. Help you classify exempt property.
  2. Help answer issues about debt and expenses on the means test.
  3. Help decide whether bankruptcy is the best solution for your particular situation.
  4. Help you organize all of your relevant financial details into the appropriate forms.
  5. Help you meet all filing requirements and deadlines for the .
  6. Help you analyze whether you qualify for lien avoidance (and decide when to use it)
  7. Help you untangle complicated property ownership issues with jointly-owned property and divorce.
  8. Help decide if a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the right option for you.
  9. Help you write a Chapter 13 plan that the trustee assigned to your case will accept.
  10. Give you local knowledge about what your trustee generally allows when it comes to "reasonable" expenses.

Like tax law, bankruptcy is a specialty. Someone claiming to be a bankruptcy lawyer should be able to point to experience and deep knowledge of the specialized law of bankruptcy, and specifically, your local court.

Most bankruptcies are routine for someone who has done many of them. Chances are very good that an experienced bankruptcy attorney has seen your situation many times before. The lawyer you choose should be able to advise you on the best way to proceed with your bankruptcy given your assets, your debts, your secured debts, whether there are cosigners, and other issues.

If you're going to pay for a bankruptcy lawyer, make sure you get a good one. Just because someone is a lawyer does not mean they are knowledgeable about bankruptcy law. Do your homework before you hire someone.

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