Bankruptcy Process

We’re committed to taking a full-service approach to each client’s unique personal and business needs.   From the day you retain us we are prepared to stop those harassing creditor phone calls. even if bankruptcy is not the right solution for you, we can recommend other debt-relief options,  Call us at (727) 410-2705 for a free consultation. Day, evening, and Weekend appointments are available.   You will not be handed off to a junior associate or a paralegal. All of your meetings will be with Carol A. Lawson, who will also personally return your calls and emails.  Bankruptcy is a complicated process and you deserve personal attention.

Our Easy 3-Step Bankruptcy Filing Process:

Step 1 Schedule a FREE initial consultation

During your free phone or zoom consultation, we will go over the intake sheet you have filled out and returned to our office prior to the meeting.  We will spend whatever time is necessary to answer your questions and analyze your case.   You will provide an estimate of the cost of your case based upon your unique circumstances.  We will provide you an intake package by email along with a contract for services following your consultation if you wish to proceed.

Step 2 Collect your paperwork and complete your package

You will then need to start collecting your documents and information. Once you are ready to proceed we will schedule an in-office appointment for you, generally about an hour to retain us and go over your documents and information.  After this appointment we will send out a personal property appraiser to appraise your household belongs and vehicles.   We also will send you a link to fill out to pull your credit report.  You should also take your Credit Counseling Class at this time.

Next we prepare your bankruptcy petition and schedules.  We then email the documents to you to review.

Step 3 Review your petition 

Next we schedule you an in-office visit, generally an hour, to go page by page through your petition and schedules with the attorney and review the documents for accuracy.  You will sign your documents at this visit.   Once the petition and schedules are executed we will electronically file them with the court.

Step 4  341 Creditors Meeting

Once your case is filed we will email you your case number immediately after filing. You should then take your  Debt Management Class.  In a few days we will email you again with the date and time of your creditor’s meeting, and instructions.  Your creditor’s meeting called a 341 after the section of the bankruptcy code, will be within 30 days of the date of your filing.

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney

 

COVID-19 Office Social Distancing Changes

Our firm remains intact by both office and remote technology and is ready and able to assist anyone needing our services by phone and Zoom or Google Duo video call.   We are also executing, witnessing, and notarizing documents in the office, and receiving our paying clients in the office.  Masks are required, and will be provided to you if you do not have one.  We also provide gloves, hand sanitizer and disinfect the conference room between each client with Clorox wipes.  All safety procedures such as gloves, masks, hand sanitizer and Clorox bleach disinfect sanitizing are being taken for your safety.

We can receive documents through email, fax or in-person drop off upon arrangement with Carol or you may drop them off at the office with the receptionist.     

Payments can be made over various electronic methods, through the mail or in-person by arrangement. Call (727) 410-2705.

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, #Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

 

Small Business Resources

Trying to figure out how to keep your business afloat during this pandemic can be extremely stressful.  To ease your stress a little we have put together some resources for you to try and pump up your business.

Make it easy for customers to call you on the fly with the Click to Call tool in Google Maps. As Google’s popular “Near Me” search continues to gain traction, it’s crucial for businesses to tie in an online Click to Call option to ensure customers can reach you quickly and easily.

For reputation management and social monitoring, consider using ListenPort. This tool watches the internet for discussions and reviews of your business and alerts you right away to dissatisfied customers. Resolve complaints and issues promptly via a free SMS number to let customers know you’re attentive and you care.

Yelp for Business Owners is a good resource to help SMBs make the most of crowdsourced reviews, engage new and returning customers, and offer exclusive deals.

Hubspot’s Website Grader. Grader lets you know what you’re doing right and which areas of your site need some attention.

If your business has multiple social media accounts, you can simplify the way you manage them by using SocialOomph.

Google Keyword Planner is an oldie but goodie; it’s designed to help analyze and research keywords and optimize SEO.

Canvas to design great visuals that are the cornerstone of today’s effective digital strategies.

To make a  logo for your SMB, check out the free logo maker Spaces.

Marvel allows remote teams to work together on designs and prototypes on any platform and from any device. Marvel has Dropbox and Google Drive integration.

U.S. Small Business Administration website is a treasure trove of information for entrepreneurs of all kinds.

The free online courses at ALISON let you learn at your own pace and on your own time.

Learn finance and managerial accounting from the ground up with a series of no-cost online courses from MIT Open Courseware.

 

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

 

 

Thank You Corona Virus ! !

So if you are anything like me the  Corona Virus has shut down your business, or stopped your income and your wondering, what the hell do I do now to pay my bills??

This post is to explore several options that may be available to you.

  1. SBA Loan for Women.   Minimum 620 credit score, no bankruptcies, no foreclosures, no defaulted student loans, no defaulted federal loans of any kind. https://www.fundingcircle.com/us/resources/small-business-loans-for-women/   https://www.sba.gov/size-standards/?ms=nid4788 If you can meat the requirements $25k- $500K they also want collateral like your personal residence. Basically not user friendly at all. For women-owned business loans under $25,000, either 7(a) or Express, no collateral is required.  A personal guarantee is required. Other SBA loan programs https://www.fundingcircle.com/us/resources/sba-loans/ most programs like credit scores of 700 or above. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options 
  2. Bank Loan.    This type takes into consideration your debt to income ratio and your credit score.
  3. Unemployment.    Yes even if you are self-employed you can now apply under the Department of Labor’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program,  make sure you mark the reason as COVID-19. If you are applying in Florida do it at 2 am. Trust me, it took me 15 hours to figure this out, the damn site crashes continuously at normal hours.  connectmyflorida.com   
    UPDATE : They are now shutting down the website at 8pm every night and it is not accessible to 7 am the next day.  Also, they seem to be shutting it down on weekends.
    UPDATE:  You must  file a separate pandemic claim if you are self -employed, and send your 10999, and tax return within 21  days of filing it to  FLDEO.
  4. Stimulus Check.   A one time check $1,200 if you earn up to $99,999, and $500 for each child 16 and under. If you are on social security or disability and don’t file taxes you still should be getting a check.
  5.  Small Business Loan.    There are multiple programs available.  https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/023595_comm_corona_virus_smallbiz_loan_final.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0Ezms22WuTWHvJLRoaSWvRUgwo7MYfOCrHG7q0ds18P5cpMTAnyiM_lFA%F0%9D%97%A3%F0%9D%97%A3%F0%9D%97%A3
  6. County and City Programs.  Some Cities and Counties have established programs to help their local small businesses. Tampa is one such city.

 

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

Corona Virus Procedures

The threat of Coronavirus to the older population and those with compromised immune systems or pre-existing conditions makes it extremely important to ensure that your Estate Planning affairs are in order and up to date. You should normally review your documents every 3-5 years.

Here is what we are doing as a firm to make sure you can get your questions answered and your documents done in the safest way possible:

1. We are keeping our office as sanitized as possible for those of you who make it into our office. The conference room is wiped down with Clorox wipes after every client, WHO approved had sanitizer spray is available ( 99% alcohol, 3% peroxide, distilled water, aloe vera, tea tree oil, vitamin E oil, and lavender oil) for use in our conference room.

2. We are waiving our Estate Planning consultation fee until June 1st, 2020 to remove any obstacles to you being able to get your affairs in order.

3. Phone or Facetime meetings are available by appointment if you do not feel comfortable coming to the office or are quarantined. If you are sick or symptomatic please stay home. We can arrange to send a notary to you or for virtual execution if necessary.

We are here to help you please call us at (727) 410-2705 to schedule a consultation.

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

How to Save $1000

According to recent research, almost one-half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck  62% of Americans have no emergency funds.  Most  Americans waste 10-15% of their income on non-essential items. Here are some tips to create a small next egg.

1. Pay Attention to Your Spending

Pay attention to your spending. Many of us spend money without really registering what we’re doing. Track all of your spending for at least a month to see where the money is going. Track every dollar. When you swipe your credit card, save the receipt and write down each thing you spent money on. When you pay cash save the receipts. See where your money is going.

2. Set Aside a Small Amount to Start

Most of us need to work up to making long-lasting changes in our lives. You can do this as you move toward saving your$1,000. Break down your goal into bite-sized and manageable chunks. When you feel strapped for cash, it feels impossible to set aside $200 a month for savings. Instead break it down into something easier. Saving $200 a month is the same as setting aside $7.14 per day- no Starbucks and you meet your goal.

3. Make it Automatic

Make your savings automatic. Have a set amount taken out of your checking account each month and transferred to your savings account. There are tools, like Digit.co, that will analyze your patterns and figure out how much you can afford to save on a daily basis and transfer the money for you. Good Luck!

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

UnPaid Debt and Statute of Limitations

There are two statutes of limitation (SOL) clocks involved in protecting consumers who have defaulted.

The first clock controls debt collection and the second clock controls credit reporting. The clocks are completely separate and do not influence one another whatsoever.

The First Statute of Limitations is how long the creditor can file a lawsuit for the unpaid debt . Consumers can accidentally restart the SOL clock on previously time-barred collections. For example a consumer living in FL decided to make a payment on the debt (rather than paying or settling the debt in full) this restarts the the SOL clock for debt collection allowing the creditor another five years to sue.

Certain types of debt, such as federal student loans and tax liens, will never become time-barred. There is no SOL clock and no expiration date for the collection of these obligations. Consumers with defaulted federal student loans can have their wages garnished, their tax refunds seized, and even their estates can be responsible for satisfying the unpaid debt in the event of their death. Some people may attempt to hide from this debt by moving home and changing their name records, but many firms specialize in skip trace services that debt collectors can use to relocate the absentee debtor. These checks can use anything from utility bills to job applications to help them track down an absentee debtor, and are usually very thorough and successful. It can be horrible to find yourselves in debt and not knowing what to do about it. That’s why it is important for you to know that you can find debt relief options here to help you have a clearer understanding of what you can do to control the debts that need to be paid. In an even worse case scenario, you can find yourself with multiple debts that need to be repaid, this is where an Unsecured debt consolidation loan comes into place. This way, you can have help paying off the multiple debts you acquire whilst also slowly paying off your loan in instalments. Be sure to search for the right debt relief option for you, depending on your current situation.

The second statute of Limitations is how long your credit report is affected. The credit reporting SOL clock is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The FCRA dictates when an item must be purged from a consumer’s credit report based on the type of account or financial obligation.

# of Years an Item Is Allowed to Remain on a Consumer’s Credit Report: Type of Item:
Indefinitely
  • Unpaid Tax Liens
  • Unpaid Federal Student Loans
10 Years
  • Chapter 7 Bankruptcies (10 Years from Date Filed)
  • Chapter 13 Bankruptcies (7 Years from Discharge Date, 10 Years Max)
7 Years
  • Charge-Offs
  • Judgments
  • Collections
  • Foreclosures
  • Repossessions
  • Released Tax Liens
  • Late Payments
# of Years Before a Debt Becomes Time-Barred: State:
15 KY and OH
10 IL, IN, IA, LA, MO, WV, WY
8 MT
6 AL, AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, GA, HI, KS, ME, MA, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NM, NY, ND, OR, SD, TN, UT, VT, WA, WI
5 * FL, ID, NE, OK, RI, VA* Deficiency on Mortgage in FL is 1 year after Final Judgment of Foreclosure
4 CA, PA, TX
3 DE, MD, MS, NC, NH, SC, Washington D.C

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

Document Preparation for Your Foreclosure Case

We will prepare your pro se motion for extension of time and  answer- one day turn around once payment is received for $500.00

We accept Paypal, BitCoins, Visa and Mastercard, personal checks, and cash.

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

#ORLANDOSTRONG

When you kill one American, you attack us all.  This was  the worst act of  terrorism since 911.   We need to support the victims and their families. Our hearts go out to  everyone at Pulse and their loved ones.

 

 

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate

Bankruptcy Form Changes April 1, 2016

Under Section 106 of the Bankruptcy Code Changes are made every three years  based on the change to the consumer price index, and rounded to the nearest $25.  The following forms are pending change: 

 

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy 19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761

Phone: (727) 410-2705;   email: calh@gate.net

 Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney, Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer, Clearwater Bankruptcy, Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney,  Pinellas Estate Planning Attorney, Pinellas Probate Attorney #FileLocallyDontOverpay #ClearwaterBankruptcy #ClearwaterBankruptcyAttorney #ClearwaterEstatePlanning #ClearwaterProbate