Bankruptcy derives its meaning from the Italian word “banca rotta”, which means broken bench. Broken bench represents the ancient Italian custom of breaking a businessman’s trading bench if he did not pay his debts. Over the centuries, the law has been framed to protect the interests of both creditors as well as debtors as a decent way to manage the debtor’s financial crisis. The US bankruptcy law is a court process for managing bankruptcy that may hit both consumers as well as businesses. A bankruptcy lawyer would help to eliminate and repay debts as per the bankruptcy court’s protection system.
Bankruptcy is of two kinds: liquidation and reorganization. Liquidation bankruptcy, covered under Chapter 7, involves the wiping out of the debts by selling nonexempt property and using the credits to pay the creditors. On the other hand, in a reorganization bankruptcy, which is covered under Chapters 11, 12 and 13, the debtor makes a plan to repay either a part of the debt or the entire debt. The pay off period under reorganized bankruptcy is usually around 3 to 5 years.
Hiring a lawyer in a bankruptcy case would prove to be very useful at all stages of the bankruptcy process. Bankruptcy lawyers would help in settling unsecured accounts like credit cards, personal loans, utility bills etc for less than the debt amount, thus providing an alternative to bankruptcy. Bankruptcy lawyers would also help to evaluate the options as to the kind of bankruptcy that has to be filed. They also help to settle assets in order and handle the files if the debts are too large and involve considerable assets.
Bankruptcy forms in Georgia are also similar to those in other states, though some additional forms may be required as per local rules. Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers are bound by the fee guidelines given by the Atlanta bankruptcy court. These fees are similar to those paid to bankruptcy lawyers in other major metropolitan area in the US. While choosing a bankruptcy lawyer in Atlanta, care should be taken to select one who has experience in handling bankruptcy cases and who has a proven track record of handling such cases successfully.
Information about Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers is available in yellow pages, via search engines like Google and Yahoo, and through advertisements of law firms. There are also attorney directories available on the internet which would provide comprehensive information about Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers. Information about Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers is also available through the county bar association and the state Bar Association, which is a part of the American Bar Association. Friends and family members may also provide useful referrals for good bankruptcy lawyers.
