Bankruptcy.
Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Subchapter V — the right path depends on your income, your assets, the type of debt, and what you're trying to save or stop. We match you to a Utah, Idaho, or Wyoming bankruptcy attorney whose case history fits your situation, and we ask about the things that change timing: foreclosure sales, garnishments, repossessions, and recent transfers.
Tell us what happened
Sub-specialties within this area.
Chapter 7 consumer
Liquidation bankruptcy — most unsecured debt (credit cards, medical bills, personal loans) is discharged in roughly 90–120 days. Eligibility is governed by the means test against your state's median income (Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming each have their own). Exempt assets — home equity up to the homestead amount, one vehicle, retirement accounts, tools of trade — stay with you.
Chapter 13 consumer
A 3- or 5-year repayment plan that lets you keep assets you'd lose in Chapter 7, cure mortgage arrears to stop a foreclosure, strip a wholly unsecured second mortgage, or pay non-dischargeable taxes over time. Chapter 13 is typically the right tool when you have income, equity worth protecting, or a foreclosure to stop.
Chapter 11 / Subchapter V (business)
Business reorganization. Full Chapter 11 is for larger and more complex cases; Subchapter V is a small-business track (debt under roughly $7.5M) that's faster, cheaper, and gives the debtor more control. A small business with a bad lease, secured debt to restructure, or a single big creditor problem is often a Sub-V candidate.
Automatic stay relief — stopping foreclosure, garnishment, repossession
The moment a bankruptcy is filed, an automatic stay goes into effect and halts almost all collection activity — including foreclosure sales, wage garnishment, bank levies, and repossession. Filing minutes before a foreclosure sale can stop it. Repeat filers within a year have a shorter stay that may need to be extended by motion.
Non-dischargeable debt analysis
Some debts survive bankruptcy. Most student loans are non-dischargeable absent an undue-hardship adversary proceeding (Brunner test). Child support and alimony are non-dischargeable. Recent taxes survive — but income taxes more than 3 years old, filed more than 2 years ago, assessed more than 240 days ago, and not from fraud are often dischargeable. Knowing what survives changes whether bankruptcy is the right tool.
Creditor rights
Representation on the creditor side — filing proofs of claim, motions for relief from stay, adversary proceedings to challenge discharge (e.g., for fraud or non-disclosure under §523 and §727), and post-discharge enforcement. Creditor-side bankruptcy is its own bar.
Three steps to the right specialist.
Tell us what's happening
A careful AI conversation walks through the facts. Your goal (discharge debt, stop a foreclosure or garnishment, reorganize a business, dispute a single debt), your income and household size, your asset snapshot, your debt snapshot, any pending collection action, and any prior bankruptcy filing in the last 8 years. If you've moved in the last 2 years, that matters too — domicile drives which state's exemptions apply.
We identify the sub-specialty
Not just "bankruptcy" — Chapter 7 consumer, Chapter 13 consumer, Chapter 11 or Sub-V business, creditor-side representation. A consumer Chapter 7 attorney is a different fit than a Sub-V reorganization attorney.
Warm introduction to the right firm
We match you to the firm whose case history fits your sub-type. You're introduced, not handed off. The firm knows about your case before they call — and they know if there's a foreclosure sale, garnishment, or lawsuit deadline that needs a filing soon to invoke the automatic stay.
What we'll ask about.
- Your goal — discharge unsecured debt, stop a specific collection action, save a house from foreclosure, reorganize a business, or dispute one debt. The goal drives the chapter.
- Your income and household size — these run the means test against your state's median to determine Chapter 7 eligibility. The last 6 months of income matter most.
- Your asset snapshot — home value vs. mortgage and homestead exemption, vehicle value vs. lien and exemption, retirement accounts (generally exempt), bank balances, anticipated tax refund, any pending lawsuit recovery or inheritance within 180 days.
- Your debt by type — secured (mortgage, car loan), priority (recent taxes, child support, alimony), and unsecured (credit cards, medical, personal loans). Each type behaves differently in bankruptcy.
- Pending collection actions — lawsuit served, judgment entered, garnishment active, levy active, foreclosure scheduled, repossession threatened. Each has its own urgency.
- Recent transfers and prior filings — gifts, sales below value, paying back family in the last 90 days to 4 years; any prior bankruptcy in the 8-year lookback for Chapter 7 (4 years from Ch. 7 to Ch. 13). Domicile history for the last 2 years controls which state's exemptions apply.
Deadlines to know.
Bankruptcy timing matters more than most other practice areas, and the automatic stay is the reason. The moment a case is filed, almost all collection activity halts — foreclosure sales, garnishments, bank levies, repossession, lawsuits. Filing minutes before a scheduled foreclosure sale can stop it; filing minutes after generally cannot. Wage garnishment can be stopped going forward, and amounts garnished above $600 in the prior 90 days can sometimes be recovered as a preference. The means test looks at your last 6 months of income — strategic timing around a bonus, commission, or job change matters. Chapter 7 has an 8-year lookback before another Chapter 7 discharge; Chapter 13 to Chapter 7 is 6 years; Chapter 7 to Chapter 13 is 4 years. Refiling within a year after dismissal triggers a presumption against the stay that has to be rebutted by motion. The 180-day inheritance rule pulls inheritances received within 6 months of filing into the estate — strategic pre- or post-filing timing matters. Credit-counseling completion is mandatory before filing; without it, the case is dismissed without discharge.
What people ask.
Most consumer bankruptcy attorneys quote flat fees. A Chapter 7 in Utah, Idaho, or Wyoming typically runs $1,200–$2,500 plus the $338 filing fee. A Chapter 13 typically runs $4,500–$6,000, with most of that paid through the plan over 3–5 years. Sub-V and Chapter 11 business cases are billed hourly or as larger flat fees. There's no fee for talking to us or for the introduction.
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