 Thanks for taking a look at our bankruptcy information page. We represent people and businesses in bankruptcies in western Montana, that is, in Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral, Lake, Lincoln, Sanders, and Flathead Counties. Our cases are heard in Missoula. If you live somewhere else in Montana, I recommend that you hire a lawyer who takes cases that will be heard in Great Falls, Billings, or Butte. We can't give you bankruptcy advice here. To do that, we must understand your financial situation in detail. However, we can report why a lot of Montanans filed bankruptcy, we can tell you something about the bankruptcy system, and we can describe how we handle bankruptcy cases in our office. Then, if you'd like to stop by for a meeting, we can review your situation in more detail and help you decide what you want to do next. (And don't worry, if you decide not to hire us, the meeting is free.) Visiting this website does not mean Trigg Law Office represents you. If you are thinking about hiring us, stop by for a meeting. If we can help you and you want to go ahead with a bankruptcy case, you can hire us by signing our attorney-client contract and paying our initial fee. You have to do both to hire us. To set up a meeting in Missoula, please send an email to thomas.trigg@gmail.com or call us at 406-721-6778. We keep regular business hours, and since our clients are often busy with work, we also have evening and weekend hours available by appointment. Why people file bankruptcy casesIn western Montana, people file bankruptcy cases because something has gone seriously wrong with their financial situation. Sometimes the problem comes on the income side, sometimes on the expense side. Some bankruptcy petitioners see the writing on the wall quickly, while others do everything they can for years to avoid having to file bankruptcy. Here are the major reasons for filing in this part of the country. Medical billsEveryone gets sick from time to time, but sometimes people end up with especially expensive illnesses -- cancer, heart attacks, unexpected surgery -- and sometimes people have no insurance or are denied coverage. Even with insurance the deductibles and co-pays can be crushing if you're sick enough. There is really no such thing as a medical bankruptcy, but sometimes it is the medical bills that push people into bankruptcy. Job lossNearly everyone in western Montana meets living expenses with a paycheck. This works fine as long as there is a paycheck, but if someone loses a job or suffers a big reduction in hours, their expenses can become overwhelming. For the last few years, we have been luckier than the rest of the country, but recently jobs seem to be vanishing. Truckers are looking at higher costs and fewer loads. Loggers have fewer places to sell logs. Local businesses are shutting down. In December 2009, the Smurfit-Stone mill at Frenchtown announced it was closing. In January 2010, we got similar announcements from Sportsman's Surplus and Macy's in Missoula. A couple of weeks later, Montana RailLink announced that it was laying off part of its workforce in Montana, and then Missoula's Community Medical Center made a similar announcement. The Montana state government and the Missoula city government are both looking at ways to save money, and since a lot of their money goes to making payroll, we might be looking at significantly higher unemployment than we have been used to. This job loss is likely to translate into more bankruptcy cases. Business reversesJust like people on paychecks, the self-employed and the people running small businesses are also looking at hard times. If their customers are out of work, the business's cash flow is going to go down. Businesses that depend on other businesses for timely payments do not always get them. And businesses that rely on steady inexpensive credit through the banking system might find credit they depend on has been turned off. These pressures do not necessarily lead to bankruptcy, but sometimes even a creative, hard-working business owner cannot put together a better business plan than bankruptcy. DivorceThese days in Montana, we refer to divorce as "dissolution of marriage," but from a financial standpoint both names mean the same thing: the cost of two households instead of one, fees for mediators and lawyers, and enough misery that it's hard to keep up your income flow. The interaction of bankruptcy and divorce can be tricky, and if you find yourself in the midst of both at the same time, get advice from your bankruptcy lawyer and your divorce lawyer about how to handle your legal situation. Judgments, garnishment, attachments, foreclosureAll these come down to the same thing: someone else has the legal right to take property away from you. What you lose might be your bank account, part of your paycheck, your house, or your car. The reason might be because you fell behind on a secured debt or because you lost a lawsuit. You might not be able to recover the property you've already lost, but it's worth talking to a lawyer to find out if bankruptcy will prevent nasty surprises in the future. Other reasonsI have covered the main reasons people file for bankruptcy in western Montana. One reason I rarely see is a deep desire to cheat creditors. Besides being slimy, it can be a federal felony. I suppose there are a few people like that, and every once in a while one comes to me. Generally, they do not like me and they take their business elsewhere. I can't say I really mind. However, it has been my experience that nearly everyone in western Montana who files bankruptcy does it reluctantly, after having explored all the other reasonable options. People have been backed into a corner financially, and bankruptcy is the only remaining way they can solve their money troubles. How the bankruptcy system works (the short explanation)Bankruptcy was put into the original version of the United States Constitution, and it's been there ever since. The bankruptcy system replaced debtors' prisons, a good thing since the prisons only fed prisoners who bought their own food. The current bankruptcy system gives honest people a chance to restart their financial lives without a detour through prison. Since being created, the bankruptcy system has given a lot of people, some famous and some not, a fresh financial start, people like Walt Disney, Kim Bassinger, and Mark Twain. If you would like to read how the bankruptcy system describes itself, click on the attachment at the bottom of this page. If you would like our explanation, read on. How a bankruptcy case can help you get a fresh financial startFiling a bankruptcy case suspends all ordinary collection efforts by your creditors. This means the phone calls stop, and the wage garnishments, the attachments of bank accounts, and the lawsuits. At the end of a successful bankruptcy case, your unsecured debts are discharged. Your creditors cannot even ask you to pay those debts. Some debts survive a bankruptcy case, including any secured debts that you choose to keep, most taxes, and most student loans. After the bankruptcy case is over (and sometimes even sooner), your income belongs to you again. Most people who file a bankruptcy case get to keep all of their property, since Montana and federal exemption laws are relatively generous. A few people lose property because it is not protected by law. For example, if you are entitled to a tax refund for the year in which you file your bankruptcy case, you will probably lose part of the refund. The exact bundle of costs and benefits from a bankruptcy depends on your particular situation and on which bankruptcy chapter you use. A lawyer can help you sort through the details. The basics you should know about bankruptcy chaptersThe Bankruptcy Code is divided into chapters. Some of the chapters regulate how the bankruptcy process works; four chapters set out the rights and responsibilities of debtors in specific situations. If you file a bankruptcy case, you will use one of these four chapters. Here is a quick summary. Chapter 7About 3/4 of all individual debtors use Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. Chapter 7 cases are often finished in less than a year. Debtors get to keep their exempt property, and the unsecured debts they owe at the start of the bankruptcy case are usually discharged. Debtors get to keep their future earnings and are able to get a financial fresh start shortly after filing their bankruptcy cases. Chapter 7 is usually the cheapest way to file bankruptcy. Chapter 13About 1/4 of all individual debtors use Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Debtors whose income exceeds Montana's median income based on household size generally must file a Chapter 13 case rather than a Chapter 7 case. Chapter 13 cases last from 3 to 5 years. During that time, debtors must pay their Chapter 13 trustee a court-ordered amount each month. This money is used to pay the costs of administering their bankruptcy cases (including their Chapter 13 trustee's fees and their lawyer's ongoing fees) and and distributing proportionate shares of money to their creditors. The Bankruptcy Court must approve debtors' repayment plans and their budgets. To make a Chapter 13 case work, debtors need regular income. They must make required payments to the Chapter 13 trustee timely and in the correct amount. If they fail to comply with their plans' requirements, including making their monthly payment, their Chapter 13 trustee will move to dismiss their case. In Montana, only about 60% of Chapter 13 cases are completed successfully. On the other hand, Chapter 13 can confer benefits that Chapter 7 does not. For instance, in Chapter 13 debtors can sometimes save nonexempt assets, cure arrearages if they are behind on house payments, get enough time to sell real estate at better than fire sale prices, avoid having to sign a reaffirmation agreement for their secured property, and pay delinquent federal and state taxes without penalty and interest. Chapter 12Chapter 12 is similar to Chapter 13, but it is of only available to family farmers and family fishermen. It is uncommon in western Montana. Chapter 11Chapter 11 is the bankruptcy chapter you hear about most often on the news. Chapter 11 is what General Motors and Chrysler used to restructure themselves in the spring of 2009. It is mostly used by businesses, although it is available to individuals as well. Chapter 11 cases tend to be much more expensive and complicated than cases filed under Chapter 7, Chapter 13, or Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code. In a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, debtors can usually continue to operate their businesses, but the court and their creditors must approve their plans to restructure their debts. Unlike the other chapters, there is no bankruptcy trustee under Chapter 11 unless the court decides that one is necessary. If the court appoints a trustee, the trustee will take control of your business and your property. My office rarely handles Chapter 11 cases, but if, after talking with you, it appears that you might need to use Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, I will be happy to give you the names of the lawyers I know of in Montana who do represent Chapter 11 debtors. Property you can keepMost bankruptcy petitioners keep property of moderate value, unless they have put it up as collateral for a debt. Montana and federal law give good protection for most items owned by Western Montana households. This means that generally people keep their household possessions, clothing, and retirement accounts. Collateral backing secured debt is trickier. You should discuss car loans and house loans with your lawyer, as well as loans secured by boats, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, trailers, and the like. If you bought any property using credit provided by the retail store, talk it over with your lawyer. You should also discuss tax refunds, legal claims you might have against someone, possible inheritances, and the money in your bank account. The answers to your questions about all these things will depend on your specific situation. I cannot give a "one-size-fits-all" answer that would work on a webpage. But don't get discouraged. Most people who file bankruptcy really do manage to keep all of their property. Talk to a lawyer to find out if this includes you. What about credit card debtFinally, I have a simple answer. Stop using every credit card, right now. And if you think that you cannot or should not do this, talk to a lawyer right away. You should also talk to a lawyer before you pay anything more to a credit card company. Find out if your payment is really going to do you any good before you make it. And what about collections? The best thing you can do to stop collections is to file a bankruptcy. In nearly all cases, the Bankruptcy Court will order your creditors to stop collection efforts immediately. You should also talk to your lawyer about how to deal with creditors and collection agencies while you are getting your bankruptcy information ready. You might be able to stop phone calls with a simple letter to a collector. And, if you are sure you want to file bankruptcy, try limiting your side of the conversation with a collector or creditor to one simple word: "Goodbye." What information you need to provideYou need to give the bankruptcy system specific information on each of your debts and each of your assets. You need to provide income information for up to seven months before your bankruptcy case is filed. You need to list your anticipated income and expenses. You need to provide all requested financial history. Your bankruptcy trustee will request many documents. See "What papers you need to give the bankruptcy system," below. The trustee might also request additional information. You have a duty to comply with all your trustee's lawful requests. We will help you organize and analyze the information you provide, and we will suggest additional places you might look to get the necessary information. Ultimately, though, you are responsible for supplying all the information the bankruptcy system requires. How you benefit by being absolutely truthful in your bankruptcyThe most important rule in all of bankruptcy is this: be completely honest and thorough about the information you give the Bankruptcy Court. Do not do anything that might mislead the Court. You will be signing your bankruptcy paperwork under penalty of perjury, and if you do not provide complete, accurate information, you could be found guilty of a federal felony. On the other hand, by providing complete, accurate information, you will be doing everything you possibly can to be sure your bankruptcy goes as smoothly and quickly as possible. How bankruptcy handles secured debtMany people have secured debt. The most typical examples are house loans and car loans. With secured debt, if the debt is not paid, the creditor can take the collateral, which is usually the property being bought with the loan. For each secured debt, you have three choices under current bankruptcy law. RedemptionYou can redeem the secured property by paying the debt. Although you might not have ready cash just after filing a bankruptcy case, you might be able to get enough money from a relative or friend to pay off a small secured debt, for instance, the remaining balance on a car loan. If you redeem property, you have paid the debt and you get to keep the property. SurrenderIn today's tough economic times, the surrender option is popular. Simply put, you turn over the property in full satisfaction of the secured debt. (In a Chapter 13 case, your creditor can file a claim for unsecured debt if the proceeds from the sale of a recently acquired motor vehicle are insufficient to pay off the loan.) Surrender might make sense if the monthly payment for the property is more than you can handle while meeting your other reasonable needs. It would also make sense if you had little or no equity in the property, above and beyond the amount of the debt. It is especially attractive when the transaction is underwater. For instance, because of sharply lower real estate prices, your house might be worth substantially less than the amount you owe on it. ReaffirmationA few debtors decide to reaffirm a secured debt. Simply put, a reaffirmation agreement is a promise to pay the debt (either on the original terms or on more lenient negotiated terms) in exchange for keeping the secured property. Reaffirmation agreements are not required by the bankruptcy system. If they are entered into they must be voluntary, they must not placed too heavy a burden on you or your family, they must be in your best interest, and they can be canceled for a short time after being entered into. If you reaffirm a debt and cannot or do not pay it, you can be sued after the bankruptcy for any money your creditor can show it lost on the deal. For instance, if your creditor repossessed your car and sold it for a fraction of its value, your creditor can sue you for the difference between what it got by selling the car and what you owed on the loan. Reaffirmation agreements, as approved by the Court, contain a provision showing your lawyer's approval of the deal. I have not yet seen a reaffirmation agreement I was willing to approve and sign. How courts handle reaffirmation agreements without a lawyer's signature is a developing area of law. I cannot predict what would happen if you decide to reaffirm a debt. How a bankruptcy discharge can help youA bankruptcy discharge is a court order that keeps creditors from trying to collect debts from you. It applies to some or all of the unsecured debts and judgments you had when you filed your bankruptcy case. It also applies to secured debts, if you have agreed to give up your collateral. For most people, getting discharged from debts is the most important reason for filing a bankruptcy case. With a big share of your debt gone, you will have more money each month to meet your ordinary living expenses and you will no longer be troubled by the companies that have been trying to collect those debts. What a bankruptcy discharge will not doGood as the discharge is, it does not solve every financial problem for every debtor. For instance, it will not help you with most taxes, child support, maintenance, student loans, court fines and criminal restitution, and personal injury claims arising from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It also will not help with any future debt you might incur. Finally, it might not solve problems if the Bankruptcy Court concludes that you have been involved in fraud. You should talk with your attorney before filing a bankruptcy case to get an idea of whether you have financial problems that bankruptcy cannot fix.
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Copies of the following documents and materials must be provided to the appropriate panel or standing trustees (and to the U.S. Trustee, if requested) at least fourteen (14) days prior to the first date scheduled for the § 341(a) meeting of creditors on each Debtor’s case. If these materials are not provided, the trustee may continue the meeting of creditors until a later date, at which time the Debtor and Debtor’s attorneys will be required to attend again in order to respond to inquiries related to such documents and materials; or, at the trustee’s discretion, the trustee or U.S. Trustee may seek dismissal or conversion of a Debtor’s case for failure to timely provide these documents and materials, or may seek an order compelling the debtor to provide such materials. A copy of this Form must also be provided to the trustee, properly completed to reflect which documents and materials are being provided, and which are not being provided. An explanation is required for each document which is not provided indicating the reason for not providing the document (e.g., “n/a” if the item is not applicable to the debtor). Leave no blank items. 1. Tax Returns: Copies of state and federal income tax returns (including all schedules) for the two years (or more, as requested by the trustee) prior to the bankruptcy filing; including returns for any corporation, partnership or other entity in which the debtor holds an interest 2. Documents for Real Property: (Provide for each parcel; including those assets which the debtor transferred or surrendered within four years prior to filing bankruptcy, or which the debtor intends to transfer or surrender following the bankruptcy filing.) Location of Property:_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _____ Trust Indenture, Contract for Deed or Mortgage _____ Proof of Perfection (e.g., proof of recording) _____ Notice of Purchaser’s Interest (with proof of recording) _____ Homestead Declaration (with proof of recording) _____ Appraisal (or most recent year’s county tax assessment statement) _____ Underlying Promissory Note _____ Underlying Deed _____ Copy of Survey (if applicable) _____ Loan Status (most recent month’s loan statement) _____ Complete Legal Description (if not a street address) 3. _____ Documents for Personal Property: (Provide for each item of personal property which is pledged as collateral to secure a debt; including those assets which the debtor transferred or surrendered within four years prior to filing bankruptcy, or which the debtor intends to transfer or surrender following the bankruptcy filing.) Description of Property: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____ Underlying Promissory Note _____ Security Agreement or Retail Installment Contract _____ Proof of Perfection (e.g., UCC-1, with proof of filing) _____ Loan Status (most recent month’s loan statement) _____ Proof of Fair Market Value (if possible) _____ Appraisal (if any) 4. _____ Vehicle and Other Titles or Registrations: (Provide for each vehicle, trailer, ATV, motorcycle, RV, boat, personal watercraft, snowmobile, airplane, etc.) _____ Certificate of Title _____ Registration _____ Appraisal (or blue book valuation or other Internet valuation) _____ Loan Status (most recent month’s loan statement) 5. _____ Mobile Homes: _____ Underlying Promissory Note and Other Loan Documents _____ Security Agreement _____ Certificate of Title _____ Homestead Declaration (with proof of recording) _____ Loan Status (most recent month’s loan statement) 6. _____ Life Insurance: Proof of all insurance, and any cash value or loan documents 7. _____ IRA or Pension Plans: Most recent monthly or quarterly statements reflecting account balances; and copy of 401(k) or other plan, if applicable 8. _____ Insurance Policies: Copy of the declarations page for each policy (or copy of annual statement provided by the insurance company), proving that liability and/or general casualty insurance exists for the debtor’s assets, and setting forth the declared values of assets and any loan amounts 9. _____ Banking Information: Copies of all bank, credit union, or other financial institution checking, savings, money market, mutual fund, brokerage and other depository and investment account statements, reflecting all account balances as of the month the debtor’s case was filed 10. _____ Stocks, Bonds, or Other Money Instruments: Copies of all stocks, bonds, or other instruments which represent or can be converted to money 11. _____ Business Information: (For any debtor who operated a business of any kind within the six year period preceding the filing of the case) _____ Complete Listing of Most Recent Inventory _____ Listing of All Business Assets (if not contained in Schedules) _____ Copy of Most Recent Balance Sheet _____ Copy of Most Recent Profit and Loss Statement _____ Copies of All Loan Applications Provided to Anyone Within the Prior Two Years _____ Copies of All Loan Documents (including most recent month’s Statements) _____ Copies of Last Two Year’s State and Federal Income Tax Returns _____ Copy of Most Recent Accounts Receivable (including name, address, and amount of each receivable) 12. _____ Divorce: If the debtor has been divorced within two years prior to the bankruptcy filing, provide copies of the divorce decree and any marital settlement agreement 13. _____ Loan Applications: Copies of all loan applications submitted to any bank, credit union, other financial institution, wholesale or retail merchant, or any other entity within the last two years, for all loans that were approved or outstanding at the time of the bankruptcy filing. [This does not involve credit card applications.] |
I will give your trustee the required information you provided to me. Your bankruptcy trustee might request additional information from you. You have a duty to comply with all his lawful requests.
How long will it take for you to file bankruptcy
The record in my office is four days from first meeting to filing. The recordholder was old enough to be everyone's grandfather, but he got the job done. He gathered up his information, he paid his attorney fee and filing fee, he corrected every single mistake on the first draft, and he got his case filed. You can go after that record.
However, please understand that there is a lot of work to be done, and it needs to be done right.
You can start now. Gather the papers that you will need. If you need to get paperwork from someone else, the IRS or an employer, request it so the organization will have time to send you what you need. Every question needs to be answered, even if the truthful answer is "not applicable" or "none." If something does not make sense to you, ask me about it. You can send me an e-mail at thomas.trigg@gmail.com or call my office at 406-721-6778.
When you need an appointment, my office will schedule it promptly. When you bring me papers to work on, I will process them as quickly as I can. I might even get my part done faster than you did. If your wages are being garnished, be sure to let me know and I will put your work at the top of my stack.
Even working hard, we might not be able to get the job done in less than a month, maybe even two. But you can still go for the record. And if that four day record proves a little bit too hard, there is always second place. Right now, the record for second place is two weeks.
What bankruptcy will cost you
Until we have had our first meeting, you will not need to pay me anything; and if you decide not to hire me, I won't send you a bill for the meeting.
If you do decide to hire me and you have an ordinary consumer bankruptcy case, you will pay $1500 to cover the work I do in preparing your bankruptcy papers and representing you at the mandatory creditors’ meeting. Business bankruptcy clients might have to pay more, depending on how complicated your business is.
For a consumer bankruptcy, you will need to pay the first $500 of my fee when you hire me to work for you. Business bankruptcy clients might need to pay more. The rest of the attorney fee must be paid before your bankruptcy case is filed.
Chapter 13 bankruptcies ordinarily require additional work during the case, and I charge additional fees for that work. These fees are paid by your Chapter 13 trustee to the extent they have been approved by the Bankruptcy Court. Since these fees come from money that would otherwise go to creditors, they do not involve additional cost to you. In a Chapter 7 case, uncommon additional work, such as adversary proceedings, can cost substantially more than the fee for basic work. Fortunately, these are rare for my clients, but you should review my Attorney-Client Contract for the details.
The Clerk of Court charges a filing fee of $299 for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and $274 for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Like the attorney fee, the court's filing fee must be paid before your case is filed.
My work on your behalf is covered by an attorney-client contract. I will give you a copy at our first meeting. You should read the contract carefully and ask me if you have any questions. If the Attorney-Client Contract is satisfactory as written, you should sign one copy and send it to our office. Keep the other copy for your records. Remember, you will not have hired me to work on your bankruptcy case until you have signed the Attorney-Client Contract and paid the initial fee.
What class you will need to take before filing bankruptcy
You must take an approved credit counseling class before you can file your bankruptcy case. These classes are available by telephone or online. Call us at 406-721-6778 for contact information on class providers. The classes last for an one hour or two. They cost up to $50 for an individual or a couple. You’ll pay the fee directly to the company teaching the class. Since the class must be taken within the 180 days before you file your bankruptcy case, don't take it too soon. If your 180 days runs out before you file bankruptcy, you will have to take the class again and pay a second fee to the credit counseling company.
What happens after you file bankruptcy
When you file your bankruptcy case, your case will be assigned to a bankruptcy trustee. Your trustee will be a private lawyer based in western Montana who accepts appointments from the Bankruptcy Court to help administer the bankruptcy system. Chapter 7 cases in western Montana are handled by Richard P. Samson and Darcy Crum. Chapter 13 cases are handled by Robert Drummond. Your trustee will need additional information about your financial situation. We know what information the trustees routinely request, so you can gather it up and we can analyze it before your case is even filed.
What you will do at the creditors' meeting
Bankruptcy meetings are held on the first floor of the Russell Smith Courthouse, located at the corner of East Broadway and Pattee St. in Missoula, Montana. You will need to attend the meeting with your trustee. This meeting is sometimes called a creditors' meeting (although creditors rarely attend) or a 341 meeting (because Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code is what requires the meeting). At the beginning of your meeting, your bankruptcy trustee will ask you to show identification such as a Social Security card and drivers' license. Don't forget it. Your trustee will also ask if you have read "the bankruptcy information sheet." This is a two-page document that we will give you at our first meeting with you. You must read the bankruptcy information sheet before the trustee can conduct your bankruptcy meeting, and you must testify under oath that you have read it. Your bankruptcy trustee will ask you questions for five or 10 minutes about whether the information in your bankruptcy papers is accurate and whether you need to make changes. You might be asked for more detail about your bankruptcy papers. You have a duty to give honest, helpful answers. Next, any creditor with questions will be allowed a brief opportunity to question you. Generally, creditors do not attend these meetings. The creditors' meeting is usually the only formal proceeding my clients need to participate in.
What class you will need to take during your bankruptcy
After you file your bankruptcy case, you will be required to take a debtor education class, sometimes called a financial management class. The class will lasting an hour or so and cost up to $50. You’ll pay the fee directly to the company providing your class. The debtor education class is available by telephone or online. When the time comes for you to take your class, call our office at 406-721-6778 for suggestions.
When your bankruptcy case is over
Your bankruptcy case is over when the Bankruptcy Court enters a Final Decree in your case. This will happen after your bankruptcy trustee has finished all of his work. In most Chapter 7 cases, the bankruptcy is over as a practical matter three or four months after you file your case. For most Chapter 13 cases, the bankruptcy is over in 3 to 5 years when you have successfully made the payments required by your bankruptcy plan. After a case ends, it can be reopened if your bankruptcy trustee gets additional money to pay to creditors. Most often this happens when clients receive a tax refund or an inheritance that is property of the bankruptcy estate. It can also be reopened, even years later, if the bankruptcy systems suspects it has uncovered fraud. Nearly everything that happens toward the end of your bankruptcy case happens out of your sight and mind. One day, your letter carrier will show up with your final decree, and you can turn your attention to getting on with life.