Sangamon County Bankruptcy Attorneys at O'Flaherty Law

Top 3 Qualities to Look for in Your Attorney

Your attorney should not speak in legalese.

Finding an attorney that is a “real person” can be difficult. Many attorneys surround themselves almost exclusively with other attorneys and are accustomed to speaking in ivory tower legalese. You should be able to connect with your attorney on a personal level, and he or she should speak to you in plain language that you can understand. You will be working very closely with this person on issues that are very important to you. It is important that he or she be down-to-Earth and someone that you connect with.

Your attorney should be accessible.

The most common complaint that clients have of their attorneys is that the attorney is unreachable, does not communicate with them regularly, or does not promptly return your calls. Your attorney should reach out to you about your case regularly and respond within 24 hours to calls and e-mails. An open line of communication between you and your attorney is essential to building trust.

Your attorney should be realistic with you about costs and outcomes.

Your attorney’s goal should not be to win at all costs. Rather, it should be to achieve a favorable outcome for you as efficiently as possible. It is important that your attorney set realistic expectations at the outset as to the costs you should expect, concerns that the attorney has about the outcome of your case, and the length of time that you should expect your case to take.

‍Regardless of the nature your case, we have an experienced attorney who will focus on your individual needs. Our team of attorneys works closely together, bringing each of their different fields of experience to bear in order to optimize our client care.

Sangamon County Bankruptcy Attorneys

Contact Us

Please contact our friendly Sangamon County Bankruptcy Attorneys at our nearest location to schedule a consultation.

O'Flaherty Law of Springfield

901 S. 2nd St., Ste. 102

Springfield, IL 62704

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(217) 280-8275

springfield@oflaherty-law.com

Meet the Owner

I am personally committed to ensuring that each one of our clients receives the highest level of client service from our team. Our mission is to provide excellent legal work in a cost-effective manner while maintaining open lines of communication between our clients and their attorneys. Many of our clients are going through difficult times in their lives when they reach out to us. They should feel comfortable leaning on the experience and knowledge of our attorneys as their counselors and advocates. We are here to help!

- Attorney Kevin O'Flaherty, Owner

Sangamon County bankruptcy attorney, Kevin O'Flaherty, explains everything you need to know about the Chapter 7 Bankruptcy process.

Preparing For Bankruptcy

Our Sangamon County bankruptcy attorneys in this article discuss the steps required to prepare your bankruptcy petition. Before filing, you are required to complete an online credit counseling course. These are usually relatively short and the expense is nominal. Our Sangamon County Bankruptcy and debt resolution attorneys will work with you to help you provide us with information regarding your assets, liabilities, income and expenses. After a meeting with the creditors, your case will be heard in the appropriate court where your bankruptcy will then be discharged.

Read the full article by our Sangamon County bankruptcy attorneys regarding preparation for bankruptcy.

In this video, Sangamon County bankruptcy attorney Kevin O'Flaherty of O'Flaherty Law talks about some of the advantages of both chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy and how they can apply to your specific needs.

What Can You Keep After a Bankruptcy in Sangamon County?

In most cases, our clients can file for bankruptcy without losing any assets including home and vehicles. If your vehicle or home is held as collateral, you will most likely have the option to sign a reaffirmation agreement. This reaffirms the loan without discharging it in the bankruptcy process. The debt secured by your vehicle or home will not be taken out in the bankruptcy and you will be able to keep your most valuable assets when you are done if this is the case. Keeping your home or vehicle often depends on how much equity you have in each piece asset. For example, the equity in a property is determined by the most current resale value minus the principle balance of any loans secured by the property. If you do file for the bankruptcy, the trustee will seek collection of your assets to fulfill your debts. The Bankruptcy Code states that a portion of equity in particular types of property can be exempt from collection. These exceptions on the property you decide to keep in order to avoid the trustee collecting them on your behalf. For example:

You are allowed to keep $2,400.00 of equity in your vehicles ($4,800.00 for a married couple filing jointly)
You are allowed to keep $15,000.00 of equity in your primary residence ($30,000.00 for a married couple filing jointly);
There is a $4,000.00 wildcard exemption that you can apply to any property of your choice ($8,000.00 for a married couple).

Read an article from our Sangamon County bankruptcy attorneys about keeping your property in bankruptcy.

In this video, Sangamon County bankruptcy lawyer Kevin O'Flaherty gives an overview of the Illinois Chapter 13 bankruptcy process.

Sangamon County Chapter 13 Bankruptcies

Our Sangamon County Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys want to be informed about your debt resolution options. In the following Learn About Law article, we take a closer look at the Chapter 13 bankruptcy process in Illinois and help you know whether or not a Chapter 13 filing can work for your specific matter.

Read the full article by our Sangamon County bankruptcy attorneys explaining the Chapter 13 bankruptcy process.

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Sangamon County Bankruptcy Attorneys | Debt Resolution Lawyers, Sangamon County IL

Top 3 Qualities to Look for in Your Attorney

Your attorney should not speak in legalese.

Your attorney should be accessible.

Your attorney should be realistic with you about costs and outcomes.

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