Filing for bankruptcy is a long and confusing experience for everyone, including Santa Clarita residents, especially when you have no idea how you got so far in debt.

That’s why the government requires two bankruptcy counseling sessions before you are permitted to file. The first course, called the pre-filing session, is to be done before you present your claim to the courts. If you arrive without proof of completing this session, your case will be thrown out. The second session is called the pre-discharge session and is completed before the courts forgive your debts.

In the pre-filing bankruptcy counseling session, you can expect to discuss your debt and the options you have. A major part of the pre-filing session is to determine whether or not you actually need to file bankruptcy. Financing specialists look through statements involving your income, expenses, and debt to try and find any unnecessary expenses you can cut out in order to save some money and be able to pay off your debt without having to file for bankruptcy.

Related Article: When You Shouldn’t File For Bankruptcy

If you do not qualify for this option, the specialist will give you the benefits and the disadvantages that filing for bankruptcy will provide. Upon completion of the course, you are given a certificate of completion that the courts need in order to process your claim.

The pre-discharge bankruptcy counseling session is the last step you need to take before the court approves your bankruptcy claim and discharges your debts. In this session, a financial specialist helps you go through your income and expenses to create a budget, understand your credit score and help you raise it, and recognize and avoid any financial risks.

This course was designed to help clients avoid unnecessary spending so that they never have to file for bankruptcy again. When you finish your pre-discharge session, you receive a certificate of completion so that the courts can finalize your claim and forgive your debts.

Bankruptcy counseling courses are only a small part of the bankruptcy process, but they are necessary landmarks that are needed in order to kickstart the entire process. In Santa Clarita, law firms such as the Law Offices Of Louis J. Esbin are dedicated to ensuring that your bankruptcy process is smooth and that you have the knowledge to avoid this painful situation from ever happening again.

For more information, go to: http://esbinlaw.com/

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