Offering $0 down bankruptcy isn’t common. At ARM Lawyers, we understand that filing for bankruptcy can be stressful. Many people want their cases filed immediately to stop garnishments, repossessions and collector calls, but can’t easily come up with the full fee in advance. While most attorneys want to help, most will not file a petition unless they are paid in full. That’s why we offer $0 down bankruptcy.
Trying to put together several thousand dollars for an attorney fee may take months to years for someone who is trying to file a bankruptcy. Sometimes our clients cannot wait that long. Sometimes our clients need relief NOW. That’s why we try to maintain several funding options for our clients.
In many cases, the best course of action would be to file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Chapter 13 allows you to pay your attorney fee over time through a Chapter 13 plan. This would give you immediate relief even though you haven’t paid the attorney fee yet. Sometimes though, Chapter 13 is not feasible for someone. In cases where a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is your best option, we may have to look at non-traditional $0 down options.
Of course, if it’s practical, we would suggest that you simply enter into a payment plan with our office at an amount that is affordable to you. If there is an extraordinary circumstance, such as a frozen bank account or garnished wages, we can look to other options. We’ll explore some of these options below.
$0 Down Bankruptcy:
In some cases, we are able to offer a $0 down bankruptcy. In such a case, we would be able to file your bankruptcy petition with no attorney fee paid up front (you may still need to pay the filing fee up front). You could then pay the fee over the course of the next year.
Unfortunately, there are limitations to this. To be considered, you need sufficient income to be able to pay over the next year. We typically reserve this option for emergency situations such as an ongoing wage garnishment.
Even if you don’t qualify for $0 down bankruptcy, we could put you on a reasonable payment plan so that we can get you filed quickly.
Low Money Down Bankruptcy:
In addition to the $0 down bankruptcy, we offer a low money down bankruptcy. In this case, you would pay more than $0, but less than the full fee up front. You could then pay the balance of the fee over the course of the next year.
Much like the $0 down bankruptcy, there are limitations. You would still need sufficient income and we still reserve this option for emergency situations.
Third Party Payor Bankruptcy:
If you do not personally qualify for a $0 down or low money down bankruptcy, you may still be able to start the bankruptcy process with less than the full fee using a third party payor. If a friend or family member is willing to pay your bankruptcy fee over a period of time, you may qualify for this funding option. This allows us to start your bankruptcy without the full fee.
It may be helpful to estimate Chapter 7 bankruptcy qualification under the means test, which can be done using the Chapter 7 calculator below.
Disclaimer: All funding options are subject to qualification. Not every funding option will be available in your particular case or in your particular judicial district. Bankruptcy practices can vary from state to state and district to district. Each case is unique and must be evaluated by the attorney. Only the attorney can quote you a fee and offer available funding options. If you are interested in one of these funding options, simply contact us and we can provide you with more information.
We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.
