Debt Law Help During The Coronavirus Epidemic

The Coronavirus epidemic will cause economic fallout. Many people are being laid off, having hours reduced, suffering business loss, or worse. We are open and helping existing and new clients.

Financial Survival During the Corona Virus Epidemic

As a law firm focusing in protecting you from your creditors, we can help you to navigate the economic fallouts of the corona virus epidemic and economic downturn that will result from it. During the last recession, we were able to help individuals, families, and small businesses in resolving debts issues. We can help you now as well.

For most people, some level of reduction in work hours and job loss will be the primary issue. For others, it may be the medical debt you are faced with if you are under insured or if your insurer tries to deny your claims. For some, it will be a combination of both. Regardless of your reasons, we can help.

We are taking certain precautions as explained below.

Firm Protocols

The below protocols will be in place (and subject to update without notice) for the immediate future. These protocols are based on best practices and guidelines from the CDC and other relevant entities.
Our firm will be open during this crisis and we will be taking new cases during this time.
If you or someone in your family is suffering from the coronavirus we can represent you.
During this crisis, we are instituting a no physical contact policy. This means we will not be seeing any clients (healthy or otherwise) in person. We are also operating paperlessly so that all documents will need to be scanned and transmitted electronically. The only paper documents we will be sending will be court mandated documents to the court or opposing counsel. All of our staff are working remotely and all of our offices will be closed to the public and to clients. We do have accommodations in place or receiving and sending physical mail.
We are taking steps to avoid court appearances for us as well as our clients. If you or we can appear telephonically we will do so. If we can push back a date or reschedule a trial we will do so. Some appearances in court may not be avoidable and we will take all reasonable precautions.
All firm members are taking all recommended and reasonable steps to stay safe and healthy. We encourage you to do the same.

Free Initial Phone Consultation (206) 535-2559

We offer a free fifteen minute initial phone consultation for specific debt issues. In general, we have the ability to isolate, analyze, and discuss in depth a single debt (such as a lawsuit, a foreclosure, etc) or very broadly as to several debts. If you have extensive debt issues that cannot be handled within that time frame, you will likely need a full consultation.

Full Strategy Session and Strategic Default Consultation

For those with many questions, complex estates, or just prefer to have more time to explore solutions, we offer a paid consultation and strategy session. The strategy session focuses on issues such as the benefits and consequences of a planned strategic default, how to hold off creditors while in default, and options to settle, litigate, avoid, or discharge debts. Our standard session is for one hour with up to thirty minutes of document review prior for $300.00. We can increase or reduce the time and fee as required by your situation and needs.

Services

Services that we can provide include:

Auto Related Debts
Bankruptcy Services (both chapter 7 liquidation and chapter 13 repayment plans)
Consumer Protection Suits
Debt Settlement
Defense against Creditor and Collection Lawsuits to include Counter Claims
Foreclosure Defense and Repayment Work Outs
Landlord Tenant Related Debts
Medical Debt Defense to Include Charity Care Options, Settlement, Defense, and Other Options
Repayment Plans, Cure Arrangements, other Work Out Options
Strategic Default Consultation

However, our firm cannot assist with all of your legal needs, just your debt related issues. We may be able to offer referrals (both private and pro bono) depending upon your needs. Legal services that we do not handle would include:

Civil Rights Claims
Discrimination Claims
Employment Law Claims
Medical Malpractice Claims
Personal Injury Claims
Probate and/or Inheritance Issues
Other non-debt related legal Issues

Frequently Asked Questions

Bankruptcy Questions

How do I qualify for Bankruptcy? You need to pass the means test. If you fall below the median income in WA state for a family of your size, you presumptively qualify for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. There are some exceptions for veterans and those whose debts are primarily business related. If you fall above this threshold, you may only qualify for a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, which is a repayment plan.
Should I file for Bankruptcy? I tend to suggest a bankruptcy as a last resort approach. If there is a cheaper method, such as settlement, it should be explored first. Generally if your debts equal 20% or more of your annual income, then you should consider it as an option. If your debts equal 50% or more of your annual income, you will likely want to file.
If I don’t qualify for a Chapter 7, should I file a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy? This depends upon how much you might end up discharging if you file a Chapter 13. If you are discharging 50% or more of your unsecured debt (credit cards, medical debts, personal loans not attached to collateral), then it should be considered. If you would end up discharging less, we generally suggest a settlement approach rather than a bankruptcy approach unless there are legal consequences (such as a foreclosure) if you do not fil

Foreclosure & Mortgage Questions

I can’t pay my mortgage but am still current, what should I do? Step one is generally to call your loan servicer and see if you can get a forebearance. These are usually three to six months in duration and are a reduced payment amount. If you cannot get a forbearance, consider not paying other creditors or defaulting if necessary. It can take anywhere from six months to a year to start a foreclosure on average and about six months to complete. If you defend, it can take longer. In the meantime you can try a loan modification, sale, or chapter 13 bankruptcy as fallback options.

Landlord Tenant Questions

I can’t pay my rent, what are my legal options? The City of Seattle just put an eviction moratorium in place for an unknown duration. Other cities and counties have not yet followed suit but are likely to. Eventually, the landlord will file an eviction and you will want to prepare. One possibility is to talk to your landlord and work out a cure arrangement. A landlord is going to have a hard time re-renting units during this pandemic and may prefer to work something out with you. There are also rental assistance programs.