https://navigatelawgroup.com/free-virtual-legal-clinic/

At Navigate, we also have attorneys who offer a la carte services, such as behind-the-scenes consultations, document preparation, and document review, which may assist with lowering the costs you incur.

You may also contact the Washington State Bar Association and apply for services through their Moderate Means Program.

https://www.wsba.org/connect-serve/pro-bono-public-service/mmp/Moderate-Means-Legal-Help

If you have a legal insurance plan through your employer, you may also contact them to find a local attorney in the area who accepts this plan.

Finding the right divorce attorney is important as you will be working closely with your attorney during what could be a very difficult time in your life. Here are some questions that you should ask during your consultation to determine if the attorney is a right fit for your situation.

1. How often will we communicate about my case?
2. What is your strategy for my case?
3. What is your approach to settlement?
4. Do you specialize in family law, and how many cases like mine have you handled?
5. How often do you reach out-of-court divorce settlement agreements?
6. Do you know the attorney my spouse has hired?
7. Do you prefer to reach agreements when possible, or do you prefer to go to trial?
8. How much do you charge and what are some ways I can reduce costs in my case?
9. Will you be handling all aspects of my case personally or will I be working with a team?
10. What is your preferred method of communication?
11. What documents and evidence should I begin to gather now for my case?

Yes. Attorneys at Navigate Law Group can assist in setting up a trust-based estate plan. The goal of a trust-based estate plan is to avoid probate, which is the court-supervised process of administering an estate. A trust-based estate plan can make for a more streamlined administration process, but is more complex to set up than a will-based estate plan. Attorneys at Navigate Law Group can advise on whether setting up a trust is a good option based on the client’s estate planning goals.

Yes. Asset purchase agreements, whether for all or only a part of a business’s assets, should be carefully drafted to ensure all of the parties’ expected terms: purchase price, payment structure, interest rate, securitization, events of default, escrow, and clear, complete identification of the assets themselves. Navigate Law Group can help you consider these issues and more.

There is not a form response to this question as every person and each situation is different. My advice to people considering whether or not to file a bankruptcy is to ask whether they see a realistic light at end of the financial tunnel. Basically, do you have a way to increase income or decrease expenses enough so that you can pay significantly more than the monthly minimum payments on the credit cards/loans to get the balance down to zero in a reasonable amount of time? If you answer yes – make sure that you are being realistic and can commit to the extra payment every month.  By the time most clients reach the point of contacting my office, there is no other realistic option. Debt consolidation is generally a bad idea as it will cost much more than a bankruptcy, destroy credit much worse and has a very low chance of success.  I have worked with many clients that came to me after signing up with a debt consolidation company and spent thousands of dollars trying to handle their debts outside of bankruptcy.

There have been recent changes at the Department of Justice for how they will review attempts to eliminate or reduce the amount of student debt a debtor in bankruptcy has. Before the change at the Department of Justice, it was nearly impossible to discharge student loans in bankruptcy. Although the bankruptcy code and case law has not changed, this new direction that will be taking place under the current presidency means that the chance to discharge some or all of your federally guaranteed student loans should be much easier now than it has been for several decades. Learn more in my recent blog post on How to Discharge Student Loan Debts Through Bankruptcy Law. 

I believe that it is important to have a consultation with an attorney (not a paralegal or other person working for the attorney) to see if you are comfortable with that attorney representing you for the process of seeking a discharge of your debts in federal bankruptcy court.  I would make sure to ask how long they have practiced bankruptcy and whether they handle only bankruptcy matters or are they a “jack of all trades” and handle several areas of law.  It is important to hire an attorney that appears before the bankruptcy trustees and judges on a regular basis. Although the practice of bankruptcy is governed by the federal code – the implementation of the practice can change by how a judge or trustee decides to handle certain situation. A trustee may start asking questions that they had never asked before. If the attorney does not appear at trustee meetings and court hearings on a regular basis, they may not be aware of such changes.

A chapter 7 can generally discharge (eliminate) all credit cards, personal loans (not secured) and medical debts. You can discharge a secured debt (vehicle, boat or trailer loan) if you wish to surrender the asset. If you wish to keep the asset, you will need to execute a Reaffirmation Agreement (the attorney will take care of this and explain it to you). You may not discharge a debt incurred “fraudulently” in a chapter 7 but you may in a chapter 13. Some federal tax debts are dischargeable – it depends how old the debt is and when the tax return was filed. Student loans are not automatically dischargeable. A separate action within the bankruptcy called and Adversary Proceeding must be filed and served on the Department of Education and the student loan provider. Alimony and child support may not be discharged.