$200 Bankruptcy and Divorce Arizona *
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Bankruptcy
Divorce and Domestic Relations
- Question:
What will I have to bring in to the office with me?
- Answer: For a Bankruptcy, we will need 6 months of pay stubs and a copy of
your credit report (which you can obtain at AnnualCreditReport.com). Check the credit report to make sure everything is on there. If something is missing, bring in a bill or statement
from the missing creditor. If
you have a judgment against you or you’ve been served any court papers,
bring those with you. The
appointment should take about 30-45 minutes.
For a Divorce, we need names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, marriage date, property/debt information, etc. If there's a house involved, bring a legal description of the house (it should say something about lot and/or plat numbers). The appointment should take about 20-30 minutes. - Question:
What is the charge for the initial appointment?
- Answer: ZERO. We DO NOT charge for you to come in and speak with us. If you
decide you want to use our services, then is when you pay, not before.
- Question:
How much are the services? Are there hidden costs?
- Answer: YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO PAY MORE THAN A SINGLE DOCUMENT PREPARATION
SERVICE (E.G. $200 for an uncontested DIVORCE WITHOUT CHILDREN OR A
BANKRUPTCY, ETC. *). There may be court costs (some of which can be
deferred - or even waived) and you may have to hire a process server or
publish the divorce (if your spouse doesn't agree to sign the
acceptance of service for the documents or their whereabouts are
unknown), but there are NO HIDDEN FEES in the document preparation
charge. YOU WILL KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH IT WILL COST UP FRONT.
- Question:
How do you provide all those services for $200?
- Answer: We maintain low overhead and we thrive on quality, not quantity. We do
not spend tens of thousands of dollars a month on advertising, because
if we did, our services would be FAR more expensive. We'd rather you
get a great deal, then you will tell your friends and family. Word of
Mouth Advertising is our bread and butter. When you're satisfied, We're
satisfied.
- Question:
How do I know that I will be satisfied?
- Answer: We have over 30 years combined experience preparing documents in
Arizona. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of
satisfied clients can't be wrong!
- Question:
Am I bankrupt?
- Answer: A good percentage of our clients don't know how bad their situation is
until they see it right there in front of them in black and white.
After we gather the information (total debt load and expenses versus
income) it is easy to decide for yourself if you are bankrupt.
Ultimately, this decision is your own, and we will not pressure you one
way or the other. We provide that service for free so you can make an
informed decision.
- Question:
Who files the petition in a Bankruptcy?
- Answer: As Bankruptcy Petition Preparers under the United States Bankruptcy
Code, the law precludes us from filing the petition for you. However,
there is no mystery involved. You will be given a map to the court .
The process of filing takes about 20 minutes. You take the original and
copies we make you, and you deliver them to the address supplied. They
will stamp the copies and give you one back with the Case Number, the
date of the creditors' meeting and the judge and trustee assigned to
your case.
- Question:
What is the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13?
- Answer: Here is what the Bankruptcy
Court itself has to say on the matter (Enter by clicking here)
In fact, here's a great source from the bankruptcy court itself for Frequently Asked Questions Bankruptcy Court's Frequently Asked Questions Page -(Enter FAQ by clicking here). The bottom line is that ultimately, you need to decide which chapter you wish to file based upon which serves your needs best - but we prepare chapter 7 only. - Question:
What will I be able to keep if I file a chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
- Answer: You can explore the specific Exemptions on our site. In
general, our clients have found the Arizona exemptions very generous.
(You can find the preceding and all exemptions directly from the links
to the Arizona Law on the links page - and you can read them for
yourself - they are pretty straight-forward).
- Question:
Will Bankruptcy cover unpaid medical bills, hospital bills?
- Answer:The
debts that can be discharged are discussed at great length on the
internet. Our clients have stacks of unpaid medical bills and hospital
bills which are discharged in Chapter 7 bankruptcies with no problems
(this is no guarantee and your results may vary).
- Question:
Will I have to go to court if I file Bankruptcy?
- Answer: The bankruptcy law requires that you appear at a Creditor's meeting
sometime after filing (usually within a few weeks). When you file, you
will be assigned the date of the meeting. Our client's tell us that
they are there with approximately 10 other people who are there for the
same purpose. The Bankruptcy Trustee will ask you questions - usually
what is your name, address and phone number, and whether the
information in your petition is true and correct along with a few other
questions regarding your petition, just be honest with the Trustee and
you will have no problems. If you are represented by an attorney, then
the attorney would ask you those questions. Then you get up out of the
chair and go home. Our clients tell us that creditors - although they
can, rarely, if ever show up at this meeting.
- Should
I take the equity out of my home to pay off credit card bills?
- Answer: This is a question that only you can answer. Many of our clients who
own homes have often gone down this path, or tried debt consolidation,
only to ultimately realize that they would never catch up this way -
and they end up filing for a fresh start after they've encumbered their
homes to the hilt. The internet is a treasure trove of information from
attorneys on this subject.
- Question:
Do you provide Online Bankruptcy Preparation?
- Answer: Over the years as the Information Age has blossomed, we have struggled
with this issue. It would be rather simple actually to put together an
online intake form that you could fill out, and we could prepare the
documents and return them. We could even put together a site where you
can fill out your own paperwork directly online. We have decided
against both of these for a very simple reason - We find that during
our intake process, through conversation with our clients, you are more
likely to understand the whole bankruptcy process as you thoughtfully
provide the information. In fact, most of our clients do not know
exactly how bad their situation is until they see it in black and
white, right in front of them. We assisted many clients who have either
purchased kits to fill out (between 30 and 50 pages on average) or
prepared their documents from forms online, and they have become
totally lost in the process. We just don't feel as though we are doing
a good job as bankruptcy petition preparers unless we can meet with you
- in fact, this is PRECISELY what separates us from the other guys -
simple as that.
Divorce
and Domestic Relations
- Question:
How long do I have to live in Arizona to file for Divorce here?
- Answer: As stated right on the forms, just one of the parties must have lived
in Arizona for 90 days to file in Arizona.
- Question:
How long does the divorce process take?
- Answer: The process in the office takes about 20 minutes. The paperwork will be
ready within a few business days. Once filed with the court, the
process takes about 3 - 3 1/2 months if the parties are in agreement
and it goes through by default or by Stipulation (a stipulated divorce
involves an extra filing fee with the court, but it may cut off up to a
month of processing time).
- Question:
In a Divorce, Custody, Visitation or Child Support case, will I have to
go to court?
- Answer: Yes. If the process is not contested, and it goes through by default -
and there are children involved - you will have to appear before a
judge for a very short period (the other party does not have to
appear). If you are getting divorced, and you have no children, it is
possible to ask the court to sign the divorce decree without a hearing
- this does not guarantee that the divorce will happen without a short
hearing, because the judge has the final say on that issue.
- Question:
How do I modify child support, custody or visitation?
- Answer: Whenever circumstances warrant a change to the underlying order, one or
both parties may file for a modification. There are some guidelines
that make it more difficult to file a modification request within one
year of the prior order, or if the child support calculation shows a
change less than 15%. Give us a call and we can walk you through the
process.
- Question:
Are there fees associated with filing a Divorce or Child
support/Custody/Visitation issue?
- Answer: Yes, the court charges you a filing fee. However, these fees can be
deferred and paid over about 60 days, or they may even be waived
depending upon your circumstances. The fee to file a Divorce in
Maricopa County is currently $326.00. Other actions vary but are
similar (less even).
- Question:
Is it unusual to not be represented by an attorney?
- Answer: The law in Arizona allows "Pro Se" filings, or in other words, you can
represent yourself. In Maricopa County, in over 90% of the divorces,
the parties represent themselves.
- Question:
How does child support work?
- Answer: Child support is calculated according to the Supreme Court Guidelines.
Deviations from the guidelines may be permissible under certain
circumstances if you show a sufficient reason to the judge in the
paperwork. Child Support is paid through the state Clearinghouse in
Arizona, and usually by wage assignment. Payments made directly to the
custodial parent may be considered "gifts" and not count towards the
child support obligation.
- Question:
What if my spouse says they don't want a divorce?
- Answer: Arizona is a "no fault" state. Therefore, only one of the parties must
believe that the marriage is irretrievably broken with no possibility
for reconciliation for the divorce to be granted. However, be aware
that if they hire an attorney or decide to fight the divorce, a divorce
can be dragged on for many months. We can walk you through this process
if you cannot afford an attorney once a case is contested - although we
always recommend that if you can afford an attorney once a case is
contested where the other side has an attorney, you should do your best
to hire an attorney. If you simply cannot afford one, we can help with
the document preparation to move the case forward.
- Question:
What if my spouse won't sign the Acceptance of Service in a domestic
relations action?
- Answer: The acceptance of service simply states that the other party has
received the paperwork that you filed. It does not mean that they agree
with the terms of the divorce or child action, just that they received
the papers you filed with the court. If they are unwilling to sign,
then you will need a process server to serve them the documents. We can
arrange a process server for you, or you can arrange to have the
Sheriff or a licensed private process server serve the other party. You
will have to pay the Process Server unless you've had your fees waived
by the court, and you get the Sheriff to do it for you, then there is
no charge.
Call today for a FREE appointment and find out for yourself!
We
want a chance to earn your trust and confidence and we’d
like you to join our family of satisfied customers.
With So Much to Protect -
YOU NEED SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST.
*Plus court fees, uncontested matters only - bankruptcy - divorce without children - for other types of services other fees may apply