Recent Posts in Counseling Category

Individual debtors filing bankruptcy are required to complete both pre and post discharge counseling courses. Pre-filing counseling or “Credit Counseling” must be completed before the filing of bankruptcy.

After the filing of bankruptcy debtors must again complete a counseling course. The post filing course has several common names; including, “Debtor’s Education,” “Financial Management Course,” and “Pre-Discharge Education.”

The course must be completed in order to get a discharge of debts. If a debtor fails to complete the course then the debtor’s bankruptcy case will be dismissed and no discharge granted debtor. The course must be completed and the certificate filed with the Court no later than 45 days after the first scheduled date of the §341 meeting of creditors. However, it is my recommendation to complete the course before the meeting.

The course can be completed, on-line, over the phone or in person.  There are many agencies that provide pre-discharge education to bankruptcy debtors. These organizations must be non-for-profit corporations AND must be approved by the US Department of Justice; commonly debtors use the same company for both the pre-filing and post-filing course.

I provide all my clients with a referral to an approved counseling course, however, clients are free to use any agency they wish to complete the course.

In order for an individual to qualify for bankruptcy protection you must first complete Credit Counseling. Counseling can be completed on-line, over the phone, and in person.  The counseling will take about 2 hours.

In order to for an agency to provide bankruptcy credit counseling, the agency must be a not for profit corporation and approved by the US Department of Justice. A list of approved agencies is available at http://www.justice.gov/ust/ .

I, and most other attorneys, will provide clients with a referral to the agency that has provided a Quality service to my clients in the past.

With the internet the counseling is available nearly 24 hours a day so there should be a convenient time for you to complete the course.