Month: July 2013

When faced with crushing debt and no light at the end of the financial crisis tunnel, many folks turn to bankruptcy in order to protect themselves from over-zealous creditors, collection agencies, and the possibility of being sued. While many types of debt can be discharged during a bankruptcy, the slate may not be totally wiped clean when it comes to debt.

There are certain types of tax debt that cannot be discharged during a bankruptcy. In spite of the fact a tax debt may feel beyond your means to repay, bankruptcy may not erase that debt. Another required payment that cannot be discharged is child or spousal support. When you have been determined as legally obliged to make these payments, a bankruptcy cannot remove that obligation. Student loan debt can add a serious amount of stress to a financial predicament, but in many cases that debt cannot be discharged through a bankruptcy.

Another area which can provide severe difficulty during a personal financial crisis is any type of debt that a person has sustained as the result of damages they have been ordered to pay, resulting from an injury they were judged to have caused. If a judgment was reached against you, and damages were awarded to another party as a direct result of your actions, that debt cannot be discharged through a bankruptcy proceeding.

While many of the previous reasons why a debt may not be discharged sound solid, there can be other factors which require consideration before a determination can be rightfully reached regarding a particular type of debt. These types of debt can be quite complicated and require the skills of a highly experienced bankruptcy attorney. If you are contemplating bankruptcy and wondering if you have a debt that you may not be able to have discharged, give us a call at Behm Law Group and we can help you sort through you options and provide the best results obtainable regarding your case.

You’ve suffered a financial crisis and there’s much more worry and uncertainty than money. The collection agencies call every day, especially at the wrong times. The phone begins to ring soon after you wake up, or after you come home from work, or while you are eating your dinner, and often the calls don’t stop when it’s bedtime. They even call you at your place of employment. But not only are they calling you, they’re calling your friends and relatives as well. Your mailbox is stuffed daily with threatening letters. They make you feel like a freeloader or a dishonest loser. They harass you as much as they feel is legally possible. However, they may be actually breaking the law in doing so. Have you had enough?

When collections against you get this bad it’s time to act and protect your rights. When you file for bankruptcy relief, your creditors can no longer harass you. The annoying phone calls and threatening letters stop. This relief occurs when your bankruptcy attorney files a bankruptcy petition on your behalf. A bankruptcy petition is your official application to declare bankruptcy. After your attorney files the bankruptcy petition, your creditors are only allowed to communicate directly with your attorney. If they happen to call you before they receive official notice of your bankruptcy filing, you are entitled to inform them you have filed and you may direct them to contact your attorney. Any further direct communication with you from that point on is illegal and your creditors can be liable for damages and attorney’s fees.

How much harassment can you take? How much is enough? Have you done your best but feel you are out of options? You don’t have to take it any longer. Our trained and highly experienced bankruptcy lawyers at Behm Law Group have helped hundreds of people like you. We help stop the harassment and we can help you get a fresh start. Protect your rights, protect your future, and protect yourself. If you are tired of the harassment, give us a call.

If you are in financial distress and considering filing for bankruptcy, you are no doubt wondering what bankruptcy will do to your credit score. Will it permanently damage your credit score? How long will the bankruptcy stay on your credit report? Can you ever be free from the black mark of bankruptcy? If you are wondering how bankruptcy will affect you, there’s good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad news first.

Bad News

Filing bankruptcy is not something you should take lightly. Bankruptcy will negatively affect your credit score. However, one who needs to file for bankruptcy relief may already have bad credit. Bankruptcy will not make a credit score worse, in such a case, than it already is. Bankruptcy can stay on your credit report anywhere from one to ten years. That mark may influence the decisions creditors make about you as long as the bankruptcy shows up on your credit report. If you are considering filing for bankruptcy, your Minnesota bankruptcy attorney will tell you how bankruptcy will affect your credit score.

Good News

Though it’s true that bankruptcy can hurt your credit score, it isn’t something you cannot recover from. After you file for bankruptcy, you will be in a better position to start rebuilding your credit. And even with a bankruptcy on your record, with good financial habits, you can re-establish yourself as a good credit risk. That means you can eventually be able to get a credit card, a car loan, or even purchase a home. Bankruptcy isn’t the end of your financial life. In fact, it can be a new beginning.

Starting Over

At Behm Law Group, we limit our practice to bankruptcy law, which means we specialize in helping people just like you. If you need a new start, don’t hesitate to give us a call.