It is important that your attorney has complete and detailed information regarding your financial situation in order to properly analyze your financial situation and to determine what type of bankruptcy would best meet your needs. Regardless of the type of bankruptcy you may choose to file certain documents will need to be gathered and provided to your attorney.
The following is a list of items that will need to be provided to your attorney prior to filing your bankruptcy case:
- Last 4 years of tax returns
- Last 6 months of pay stubs
- Insurance Policies (auto & life)
- Deeds to real property, if applicable (Warranty Deed or Deed of Trust)
- Property tax statements for last 2 years, if applicable
- Contracts on auto purchases, if applicable
- Last 6 months of bank statements
- Divorce Decree and/or Child Support Orders, if applicable
- Pleadings for all pending law suits, if applicable
- Last 3 months of bills or creditor correspondence
- Credit report
- Copy of Social Security Card and Driver's License
In addition to the foregoing, you will be required to attend a Pre-Bankruptcy Counseling Course and obtain a Certificate of Completion. Your bankruptcy case will not be able to be filed without that certificate. Your attorney should provide you will the name and contact information of an approved bankruptcy counseling program. Most programs can be completed on-line or by telephone.
You can also anticipate that your attorney will ask you to complete a detailed worksheet which will require you to list all of your debts and all of your assets, as well as information regarding your financial history. Once your petition has been prepared by your attorney you should be given an opportunity to review the petition for accuracy and to ask any questions regarding the contents before you sign it.
