Salt Lake City Bankruptcy Attorney

If your debt has become unmanageable it is most likely taking a toll on all aspects of your life. No one should live in fear of threatening letters from creditors, wage garnishment, harassing calls or home foreclosure. Their comes a point that you need to find financial relief in order to live your life again.

Bankruptcy Lawyers in Salt Lake City

At Haskins James Law, our bankruptcy lawyers understand deciding to file bankruptcy should only be done after careful evaluation of your options. When you visit our office in Salt Lake City, our bankruptcy attorneys will review your financial situation. If bankruptcy is not right for you, we will tell you. It may be possible that negotiating with your creditors will yield a better results. If bankruptcy will help, our bankruptcy attorneys will guide you through the process of filing either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy on your behalf and serving as your legal counsel throughout your case.

When you file for bankruptcy in the state of Utah, you are immediately granted an automatic stay. This puts an end to:

  • Creditor Harassment
  • Foreclosure and Garnishment Proceedings
  • Vehicle repossession

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

• Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or liquidation bankruptcy, is a way to get a fresh financial start. With this plan, you will be able to keep most of your personal belongings, while your unsecured debt is discharged. As long as you are current on the payments, you should be able to keep your home and vehicles if that is what you wish to do.

• Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a debt reorganization plan. With this bankruptcy plan, all your unsecured debts are combined into one monthly payment that you make over 3-5 years. After that time, your remaining consumer debts are eliminated. You may even be able to roll past due mortgage and vehicle payments into the repayment amount, freeing up much-needed funds to make future payments.

• Bankruptcy and Your Credit Score

Bankruptcy will affect your credit score, but if you are already having trouble making payments, your credit score has most likely already taken a sizeable hit. Fortunately, as soon as one year after filing bankruptcy, you may be able to obtain credit, at which time you can begin working to build your score. Oftentimes people end up with better credit after a bankruptcy filing than they had before.

Contacting a Bankruptcy Lawyer

To learn more about bankruptcy and how it will affect you, contact our Bankruptcy 801-539-0234 to schedule a free confidential consultation.

Salt Lake City Haskins James Law Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Attorney

When You Need a new Financial Start – Call Haskins James Law Firm.

Are you struggling with debt you can’t pay off? Are you making enough money to cover your living expenses, but not much more than that? If so, Chapter 7 bankruptcy could allow you to discharge your debts and make a new financial start.

At Haskins James Law, we understand the decision to file bankruptcy is a major decision. That’s why we will give you the necessary tools to decide if it is the right choice for you or not. Contact us at our office in Salt Lake City to schedule a free initial consultation and learn about your debt relief options.

How Does Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Work?

In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or liquidation bankruptcy, most of your unsecured debt is discharged or eliminated. This includes:

  • Credit card debt
  • Personal loans (not student loans)
  • Medical expenses
  • Certain judgments
  • Some taxes
  • Other qualifying debt

With Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you will be allowed to keep your clothing, most furniture and the majority of your personal belongings. You may also be able to retain your financed vehicle or home, provided you can continue to make payments on them.

Not all debt however, can be discharged through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Child support payments, student loans, certain taxes and specific judgments cannot be discharged. However, with your other debt erased or minimized, you will be in a much better position to pay these non-dischargeable expenses.

The Means Test

To determine whether or not you are eligible for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or if you qualify for Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead, the court requires you to undergo something called a means test. This evaluation takes your income and living expenses into consideration and balances them against your debt level. To learn if you are qualified to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy, contact our office to schedule a confidential consultation.

Allow Yourself to Start Over

You don’t need to live with stress and frustration anymore because of overwhelming debt. Contact us online or call our office locally at 801-539-0234 to schedule a free confidential consultation with a knowledgeable Salt Lake City, Utah bankruptcy lawyer.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Lawyer

Reorganize Your Debt with the help of Haskins James Law in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Are you facing mounting debt, but only able to keep up with a small portion of it each month? Would you be able to catch up on your bills if you were just able to get some breathing room? If so, Chapter 13 bankruptcy maybe an option for you to consider.

Bankruptcy is not right for everyone; debt negotiation could possibly be a better option for your particular situation. Sometimes, though, it is the only way for a person to get out from under a mountain of crippling debt. At Haskins James Law in Salt Lake City, Utah our knowledgeable attorneys will explain your options and guide you through the bankruptcy process, helping you get back on track to financial freedom.

How Does Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Work?

Chapter 13 bankruptcy is essentially a debt reorganization plan. With this type of bankruptcy, your unsecured debt is rolled into one monthly payment that you make over the period of 3-5 years. The court trustee uses that money to pay your creditors. After the 3-5 years are over, any remaining consumer debt is discharged.

Chapter 13 bankruptcies allows people to:

  • Stop foreclosure proceedings
  • Avoid vehicle repossession
  • Stop most wage garnishments
  • Protect their assets
  • Possibly strip away a second mortgage

People who make too much money to qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy or have assets they want to protect may find Chapter 13 bankruptcy a better alternative. This debt repayment plan is particularly helpful for people with non-dischargeable debt like:

  • A home mortgage
  • Student loans
  • Tax debt
  • A vehicle loan
  • Spousal support
  • Child support

To learn if Chapter 13 bankruptcy is right for you, contact our office for a free initial consultation with our knowledgeable attorneys.

Give Yourself a New Start

To discuss whether or not bankruptcy can help you find debt relief, contact us online or call our office locally at 801-539-0234 to schedule a free confidential consultation with a knowledgeable Salt Lake City bankruptcy lawyer.

Auto Accidents Attorney

Car accidents occur for many reasons: driver error, negligence, manufacturing defects and dangerous weather. No matter what the specific cause or result of the car accident, speaking with a lawyer at Haskins James Law and we can help you sort out your rights, your options for moving forward.

At-Fault, Negligent and Aggressive Drivers

Driver negligence is much more common than you might think. All it takes if a lack of attention in that split-second before the accident. Whether the distraction is talking to another passenger or child, changing a CD or radio station, applying make-up, eating, or talking on the phone, it may be enough to prevent the normally quick reaction time needed for changing traffic conditions, such as sudden braking in stop-and-go traffic, or avoiding an object or animal in the road. More serious negligence occurs when traffic or criminal laws are actually violated: disobeying traffic signs and signals, driving above or even well below the posted speed limit, failing to signal while turning or changing lanes, disregarding the weather or traffic conditions, and driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of the both.

You may have a sense of who caused a car accident; but a determination of “legal fault” can be surprisingly complicated and involve questions about who acted when, which laws governed the situation, witness recollections and the like. Even if the driver of the other car was clearly negligent, you must still prove that his negligence caused your damages. Police and car accident reports, including witness statements and photos can help; but even then, many car and auto insurance companies will contest what appears to be clear liability and force you to “prove it.”

Actions, on the part of either driver, that may have contributed to the car accident include:

  • Driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Failure to stop at a red light or stop sign
  • Driving a car above or below the posted speed limits
  • Failure to obey traffic laws regarding turn signals, right-of-way and other rules
  • Failure to compensate for dangerous weather conditions
  • Driver distraction caused by a cell phone, passenger, radio or another source

Sometimes the at-fault driver is more than merely negligent; he or she may have acted recklessly or even intentionally. A reckless driver acts with conscious disregard for the probable consequences of the driver’s actions. Road rage incidents often involve reckless behavior, and they can escalate into intentional behavior. Road rage in particular can be extremely dangerous, leading to injuries and criminal charges.. Aggressive drivers are a serious threat to the safety of all the other drivers; and if they cause a wreck, their liability is usually apparent. The difficulty lies in identifying them, and then hoping they are covered by insurance!

DUI – Drunk Driving – Drugs

In the US, driving while intoxicated accounts for about 40% of the reported traffic accidents; someone dies every 30 minutes in an alcohol-related car crash; and someone else is injured every two minutes. Drunk driving can lead to both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit. In Addition, the business that sold alcohol to the drunk driver may be held liable if it served the driver when he or she was visibly intoxicated. However, this does not take any responsibility away from the driver who drove his car while intoxicated. Almost half of the traffic accident fatalities in Salt Lake City are speeding related, and most of those are also alcohol-related. If you have been in a car accident involving alcohol or drug use by the other driver (not you) come in and let us explain your legal rights in these curcumstances.

Car Accident Injuries and Compensation

We help drivers and passengers injured in car accidents recover damages from the party or parties who caused the accident. “Damages” means money, and the money is paid to the victims to compensate them for their physical injuries, such as broken bones, spinal injuries and head injuries; and also for their physical pain and their mental and emotional suffering. This is often referred to as “pain and suffering”. Damages may also be sought to pay for the victim’s medical bills that arose directly after and because of the car accident, in addition to reasonable future medical bills. If the victim requires rehabilitative services or accommodations, such as physical therapy or a ramp leading to the home, these costs may be recovered. The car accident victim also may recover lost past and future wages. Compensation for damage to personal property may also be recoverable.

If you have been injured in a car or other type of motor vehicle accident, it is best to keep a daily dialog documenting how the injury is affecting you, both emotionally and physically. This can be of great assistance when it comes time to show the effects of the accident.