Texas Bankruptcy Blog : Texas Bankruptcy Lawyer & Attorney : Fears Nachawati law Firm : Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Consumer Bankrutpcy : Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, San Antonio

 Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., patriarch of the Kennedy clan, was fond of saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” If you are struggling with overwhelming debt, the kind that keeps getting tougher and tougher, isn’t it time to “get tough” and “get going” on solving your financial problems?

Taking control of financial trouble is always good advice, and bankruptcy can be a useful tool in managing debt. Last year over 1.5 million individuals took control and filed bankruptcy, according to the National Bankruptcy Research Center. In fact, a recent survey concluded that one in eight American adults has either filed or contemplated filing for bankruptcy. Findlaw.com, an internet legal site, conducted this telephone survey of 1,000 adults and found that 13% of the responses have considered bankruptcy to remedy their financial difficulties.

When you file a bankruptcy case, you shift the balance of power from creditors and bill collectors to your side. The federal bankruptcy laws stop collection activity dead in its tracks. While your bankruptcy case is pending creditors are prohibited by the federal law from taking any collection action against you, including harassing telephone calls or any legal action. Bankruptcy is an opportunity to reorganize your finances by eliminating debt, or repaying some or all of your debts over three to five years.

Bankruptcy is not only the end of many financial troubles, it is also a new beginning. Attorneys refer to the bankruptcy process as a “fresh start,” and it can mean a second chance at living your life without the suffocating pressures of debt. Many debtors are able to quickly rebuild their credit, and often qualify for competitive rate home and auto loans within two or three years after the bankruptcy discharge.

Don’t let debt be your master. Speak with an experienced bankruptcy attorney and take control over your finances. A “fresh start” bankruptcy discharge may be the legal remedy you need to shape a better financial future for your family.

 Some individuals are reluctant to use the federal bankruptcy process to legally adjust an unmanageable personal financial condition. Many of these people view bankruptcy as a personal failure, something to be avoided at all costs. In truth, bankruptcy is not a declaration of failure; it is simply the recognition of an inability to pay creditors. This may be caused by financial mismanagement; or it may result from illness, job loss, or another catastrophic event beyond your control.

The United States has historically been called as a country of second chances and opportunity. Consequently, it is not surprising that the United States is more forgiving of failure and ready to give the honest person a second chance. In 1934 the Supreme Court stated that the purpose of bankruptcy law to give the “honest but unfortunate debtor . . . a new opportunity in life and a clear field for future effort.” Local Loan Co. v. Hunt, 292 U.S. 234, 244 (1934). Bankruptcy attorneys often refer to this "new opportunity" as a financial "fresh start” that is provided by the bankruptcy discharge.

Bankruptcy is not about the end of something, it is the beginning. It is a chance to restart without the burden of unmanageable debt. Bankruptcy is, what some of today’s economists call "failing forward." When a person files bankruptcy, she is using the law to restructure her finances so that her chance of future success is more likely. American humorist Will Rogers once said, "Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." Obviously, a large part of "failing forward" is not repeating past mistakes, but mostly it is giving yourself, now wiser and armed with good judgment, a second chance to do better.

If you are struggling with unmanageable debt and need to legally restructure your finances, consult with an experienced bankruptcy attorney. The federal bankruptcy laws can provide a second chance at a bright financial future, and an escape from a life buried in debt.

The word bankruptcy is derived from two Latin words, bancus, meaning “bench,” and ruptus, meaning “broken.”  The term was used to describe the breakup of a tradesman’s business (often resulting in physically breaking the tradesman’s table or bench, signifying the end of the business).  Early bankruptcy laws were concerned with protecting creditors from insolvent businesses.  Usually this meant total liquidation of the business.  In some cases a creditor could have the tradesman imprisoned for non-payment of a debt. 

Modern bankruptcy law in the United States is more forgiving and promises the individual creditor a fresh start.  The United States Bankruptcy Code is enacted by Congress via authority granted by Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution.  United States bankruptcy laws have evolved to protect the honest, but unfortunate debtor and provide a discharge of overwhelming debts.  Debtor’s prisons were abolished in the United States. 

The cornerstone of the bankruptcy fresh start is the bankruptcy discharge, a permanent court injunction that prohibits creditor collection against the debtor.  The bankruptcy discharge is available to individual debtors and is generally ordered at the end of the bankruptcy case.  A discharge is not available to a non-individual, like a businesses or corporation.  The discharge order forbids creditors from contacting the debtor to collect on a debt, or taking legal action against the debtor personally.  The bankruptcy discharge is very broad and is enforced through a contempt action with the bankruptcy court. 

Certain debts are not affected by the bankruptcy discharge including child support obligations, debts obtained by fraud, criminal fines or restitution, most student loans, and certain taxes.  While these debts are non-dischargeable for policy reasons, other common debts like medical bills and credit card debts are discharged by the bankruptcy.  The Bankruptcy Code offers certain protections to the debtor to repay non-dischargeable debts during a bankruptcy case. 

If you are struggling with debts and need a fresh start, discuss your options with an experienced bankruptcy attorney.  The modern bankruptcy law offers many legal options for paying or discharging personal debt.  Learn how a bankruptcy discharge can start you on a path to a fresh financial start.