Bankruptcy

We represent honest, but unfortunate, debtors looking for a fresh start. Our clients include individuals and small businesses in need of debt relief.

• Chapter 13
• Chapter 7
• Debt Relief
• Garnishments
• Chapter 11
• Business Bankruptcy
• Family Farmer Bankruptcy Chapter 12
• Personal Bankruptcy
• Foreclosures

IN, Oct 1985
Bar Number: 12030-71

None

• Supreme Court of the State of Indiana (1985)
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (1985)
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (1985)
• United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (1990)
• United States Tax Court, Washington, D.C. (1990)
• United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Cincinnati (1991)
• United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Chicago (1991)

• National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
• American Bankruptcy Institute
• American Bar Association
• Indiana State Bar Association
• St. Joseph County Bar Association

I attend continuing legal education seminars on the topics of Bankruptcy and Tax Law and always exceed the required amount of continuing education hours.

No.

We handle all kinds of consumer and business bankruptcy cases, from very simple to very complex. We also represent clients with tax problems. We know how to get taxes discharged in bankruptcy and also help people resolve their tax problems outside of bankruptcy. For example, I had a client that consulted with one of the so-called "tax resolution" companies that does a lot of advertising about how they can get tax debts settled for "pennies on the dollar". This person, according to the IRS, owed over $100,000 in back taxes and then went to one of these "tax resolution" companies who told him they could settle his IRS debt by offering the IRS $5,000 in full satisfaction of the back taxes owed which were over $100,000. And, he said it would "only be" $3,000 that he would have to pay to the tax resolution company for their services to settle his tax debt. In other words, he was told that by paying $8,000 ($3,000 to the tax resolution company and $5,000 to the IRS), his $100,000 tax debt would be completely wiped out. And so he borrowed $3,000 from his parents and made out a $3,000 check to the tax resolution company. Then, he told a friend of his at work how he was going to settle his $100,000 tax debt for pennies on the dollar by hiring an "out-of-state" tax resolution company that said they had "former IRS agents" on their staff that knew how to settle back taxes for pennies on the dollar. His friend, however, happened to be a former client of mine whose back taxes were previously discharged in bankruptcy. Therefore, before sending the $3,000 check to the tax resolution company, he decided to call me for a free consultation just to make sure that he was doing the right thing. I met with him and asked him a few questions about the tax years involved and within a few minutes I began to suspect that the IRS "collection statute" may have expired on all or most of the tax years involved and that he might not owe any taxes at all. I suggested that he hire me to do an investigation for him, under the "Freedom of Information Act," so that we could determine for sure whether or not he still owed any of these back taxes that he wanted to settle. My fee was only $600 for doing this and, to make a long story short, my investigation revealed that the collection statute of limitations had actually expired for all the back taxes and nothing was owed. Therefore, the "tax resolution" company never got their chance to settle this one for "pennies on the dollar" which would have cost the client $8,000 as described above. The client asked me what we would have done if the taxes would not have been discharged by the collection statute of limitations. My answer was this: All of the back taxes (over $100,000) could also have been discharged in bankruptcy, regardless of whether or not the collection statute would have expired. The good news, of course, was that he got all the back taxes discharged without even having to file bankruptcy. And, what about those "former IRS agents" that worked for the tax resolution company? My client just laughed and said, "Well, maybe that's why they're former IRS agents!"

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Indiana

Our firm was established in 1985, and has been in existence for over 20 years.

We are a debt relief agency, who have helped numerous clients get a financial "fresh start." Bankruptcy offers a new opportunity in life without the pressure of pre-existing debts. Bankruptcy is not a failure, but a fresh start. Henry Ford filed bankruptcy twice. Without a bankruptcy law, there never would have been a Ford Mustang or a Ford Explorer. Think about it. It's intended for the honest, but unfortunate, debtor in search of a fresh start.

We bring experience, skill, and creativity to the highly complex area of bankruptcy law, and are guided by the principle that each situation calls for the right combination of innovation, creativity, and commitment. We are compassionate listeners and problem-solvers, and are approachable, responsive, efficient, and effective.

I began my professional career as an auditor for Price Waterhouse & Company in Los Angeles, California, in 1973. After receiving my Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation by the State of California, I was named senior auditor by the Los Angeles Office of Travelers Insurance Company. While at Travelers, I worked with many CPA's and attorneys in the healthcare industry and later was named controller and chief financial officer of a hospital in the Los Angeles area. I decided to become an attorney, and took a position as an auditor and tax consultant with a CPA firm in Beverly Hills that would allow me to work part-time while attending law school. After graduating from law school, I decided to move back to South Bend, Indiana where I began a tax and consulting business in 1985. I began to accept referrals from other attorneys in the area regarding clients with tax debt problems. In 1989, I went into an office with two other attorneys (a former judge and a former chief deputy prosecutor). They were handling a number of bankruptcy cases at the time and began referring some of these cases to me. One of these attorneys later retired and the other one moved out of town and became a partner with the largest law firm in the State of Indiana. Meanwhile, over the past 20 years, I have continued to concentrate my practice in the areas of bankruptcy and tax law, representing individuals and small businesses.

None.

Becky Freer

(866) 752-8152

Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday
12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Yes

No

Most of our bankruptcies are done on a flat fee basis, starting at $650 for a simple Chapter 7 for a single person. Fees vary, however, depending on the complexity of the case, and the actual fees are determined and quoted during the initial free consultation.

As previously mentioned, most of our bankruptcies are done on a flat fee basis. Hourly rates, however, may apply in certain situations which would be disclosed in the fee agreement.

Yes. The free initial consultation usually lasts about half an hour.

We can generally be retained for as little as $150 or less.