Filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy is relatively easy to do if you hire a lawyer, and it generally only requires going to bankruptcy court one time. This visit to your local bankruptcy court is called a meeting of the creditors, and it is designed for several purposes. Here are five things you should be aware of regarding this meeting.
You Must Attend
After filing all the necessary paperwork, the bankruptcy trustee will notify you about a meeting of creditors.
- It is quite common for a person to file for bankruptcy after a divorce—often because debts are not divided properly during the divorce. If you are preparing for a divorce or have recently gone through a divorce, you may want to talk to a family lawyer to find out if there is anything you can do to prevent falling into the trap of being responsible for your ex-spouse's debts. There may be certain things you can do to prevent this, and your lawyer will help you understand how this works.
- In the past, divorce was a much trickier issue than it is today. That's because the courts required anyone who wanted to obtain a divorce to prove the ways that their spouse contributed to the failure of the marriage. Essentially, someone had to be "at fault" or else the divorce was not honored. In 2010, New York became the last state to legally recognize "no fault" divorces. That means any married couple can seek a divorce without claiming that their spouse was guilty of marital misconduct.
- Gestational diabetes is a condition that is acquired during pregnancy that poses significant threats to the health of the unborn child and can cause serious lasting conditions. It usually occurs at around the 24th week of pregnancy in women over the age of 25 who are overweight. Although it can affect women who have never had a previous diagnosis of diabetes, it's more likely to become an issue for those who have had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy.
- If you are serving alcohol at your wedding, you have a lot of choices to make. Once you decide on the amount and type of alcohol you will be serving, you still have to make sure that you are following the rules and regulations regarding serving alcohol in your state. Knowing the general regulations will help you be prepared when you discuss venue ideas and potential caterers for your event.