To accurately prepare a bankruptcy petition your attorney will need several documents from you. Bankruptcy attorneys have a duty to do due diligence before filing a bankruptcy case on behalf of a client. When an attorney signs his or her name on your bankruptcy petition they are certifying that the information is accurate and complete to the best of their knowledge.
A bankruptcy petition will have a lot of information. Of course, your creditors and debts must be listed. But, the petition will also contain detailed information about a person’s income, expenses and assets.
Below are the most common documents that your bankruptcy attorney will need in order to properly prepare a case:
- Your last 7 months of paystubs, or other income verification;
- Your last 2 years of Federal Tax Returns (and State, if applicable);
- All of your creditors, including name, addresses and amounts owed. Bills and statements are ideal for this. A credit report may also be helpful especially if you don’t have current bills or statements. You can obtain a credit report once per year for free from all 3 reporting agencies by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com.
- Most recent mortgage statements if you own a home or other real estate;
- Copy of any divorce decree if you have been divorced in the past 4 years;
- A copy of your required credit counseling certificate. A full list of all approved agencies can be found here:
- Generally, your attorney will have a questionnaire that will need to be completed and returned so they can get the required information from you to put in your bankruptcy petition.
These are the most common documents that your bankruptcy attorney will need. Â Each case is different, so you may need to provide your attorney with some additional documents. Generally, the more information your attorney has, the better. Bankruptcy is a serious legal process and you want to make sure it is done correctly. Â By providing your bankruptcy attorney with accurate and relevant information the attorney will be able to prepare your case properly. This will ensure that your bankruptcy goes through successfully and you obtain your discharge.
