Centerville, GA Bankruptcy Law Firms & Lawyers

You obviously meant Chapter 13 since Chapter 14 does not exist. Once you file the creditors can take no action against you or your money or property without bankruptcy court permission. That includes taking money from your account. Wells Fargo has been freezing accounts saying that they are doing to protect the bankruptcy estate and asking for permission from the trustee to unfreeze the funds. Usually the trustee will immediately tell Wells Fargo to release the funds. Wells Fargo will usually do it if the amount is over $5,000. There is a case pending challenging that practice by Wells Fargo. There is something called a "set off" where the bank claims to have a lien on the funds on deposit to pay outstanding debts to the same bank. The safest thing is not to have money in any bank to which you owe money and not to have too much in the bank accounts. You can take the money out but declare it in the petition since you must tell the truth in the bankruptcy case.

Telling someone you filed for bankruptcy makes no difference if it is not true. If you actually filed a bankruptcy case then the collectors cannot contact you or take any action against you, including garnishing wages.

Have consultations with three attorneys in your area who have been practicing at least five years, check online with the California Bar to see if each attorney has a clean record and make sure the attorney is a member of the National Association of Consumers Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA). This will also help you get information on what fees are reasonable in your case and in your area and learn the potential issues with your case. The fee alone should not determine who you hire but if several attorneys are well qualified then you should select the one with whom you can communicate best and who you feel you can trust even if he/she charges a little more. Your instincts are are important. The attorney-client relationship is very personal so you need someone you can understand and trust as well as afford and that usually also mean you like the attorney personally and he/she likes you.