The story begins with a new client we will call Mr. Smith. He comes into your office and explains that he has a substantial amount of debt, but also earns a very substantial income and has no dependents.

He also insists on filing for Chapter 7, as he has heard a friend of his who also earns a substantial amount of income filed for Chapter 7 and received a discharge absolving them of all debt.

Is what’s good for the goose, good for the gander?

Sometimes the answers is yes, as it is not always the case that if your client’s income exceeds the state median for their particular household size, that they will not qualify for a Chapter 7 filing.  Though it is tempting to just say yes so you can retain the client it is more important not to provide them with the false hope that you can easily get them into a Chapter 7 without even reviewing all of their documents, especially with questions lingering about their income.

Outsourced Paralegal Services, LLC provides to its clients a Chapter 7 Means Test analysis at a reasonable cost so that the attorney can quickly and clearly advise their clients if they can file for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.  By doing this analysis the client can get a better feeling of comfort knowing that they can move forward with this Chapter 7 filing, and the attorney can move forward with discussing and focusing on other available options for the client during the Chapter 7 process.