One of the first steps your Louisville bankruptcy lawyer will suggest you do to save yourself some time is to complete two important requirements. First you need to prove to the courts that you attended debt counseling. This has to be done at least 180 days before you file for your bankruptcy. The credit counseling must be carried out with a government approved organization. Plus, you will have to take a debtor education course. Without this your debts will not be discharged.

Finding An Agency

To find a credit counseling program that is acceptable you can check the Department of Justice U.S. Trustee Program list of acceptable organizations, but this will depend on which state you are filing in. You can always contact your bankruptcy lawyer and advise him that you are going to go through with these two requirements for which he can offer you some advice. What you can expect is to spend about 60 to 90 minutes discussing your financial situation in this counseling session. They will evaluate your situation and determine if there are other alternatives to bankruptcy. This is a free counseling service if you are not able to pay for the service, so the excuse that one couldn’t afford it will not be accepted by the courts. Make sure that you get a certificate of proof of your counseling session as you will need this for your court proceedings, and it is also applicable for the district in which you are filing for your bankruptcy.