Over the last number of years, I’ve helped a lot of people in Utah file for and complete chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy cases. I help them prepare and file their petitions and give them advice about how to protect their assets as best as possible. I go to their creditor’s meeting with them to make sure that they are treated fairly by their trustee. I’ve helped many propose and confirm Salt Lake chapter 13 bankruptcy plans that allow them to catch up on their mortgages, reduce their car payments, pay their back taxes over time, and pay as little as is necessary to their unsecured creditors. And, through the process, I have helped my clients discharge (eliminate) hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt so that they can get back on their feet.

If I’m honest, I have to admit that after my clients get their bankruptcy discharge and they no longer need my Salt Lake bankruptcy services, I’ve wonder what happens to them. Do they use their bankruptcy to really get on their feet again? Do they take steps to regain control of their financial live and move towards financial independence?  As I’ve followed up with some, I’ve learned that some have but many have not.

As I’ve thought about it, I have come to believe that bankruptcy is a powerful financial planning tool to help “honest but unfortunate debtors” get out of debt so that they can begin anew, with a fresh start and opportunity to move ahead and become financially independent. As a Salt Lake City bankruptcy attorney, I have come to realize that I am in a powerful position to offer needed, post-bankruptcy financial help and counseling to Utah bankruptcy clients in need of good, sound,  advice. I can teach my clients the importance of budgeting and how to do it. I can teach my clients about the importance of creating an emergency savings fund and strategies for doing so. I can teach my clients about the importance of being properly insured to protect themselves and their families in the event of death or other tragedy. I can help my clients understand the importance of preparing and following a plan so that they can retire some day. I can and should be more than an ordinary  bankruptcy attorney.   I need to be a different kind of bankruptcy attorney.

To this end, I have begun to offer a free, post-bankruptcy Fresh Start Meeting. At the meeting, I review my clients’ bankruptcy discharge papers and help them dispute incorrect debt reporting to the credit bureaus so that they can begin the process of reestablishing their credit.  More importantly, I talk with them about basic financial-management and planning principals and the importance of developing a financial plan that they can use to catapult themselves to financial independence, and give them options for developing and working that plan. As I’ve been doing this over the last few months, I’ve learned from my clients that many of them are afraid or uncertain about their financial future and just need help and guidance to help them get started along the path to financial independence.   I’m excited about helping them accomplish this.