Documents to Bring to Your Attorney

To help us properly assess your situation and give you the best possible advice, we ask that you gather and bring as many of the documents listed below to your first meeting with us. We understand that you may not have all of the documents readily available, so just bring what you can and we will work with you to gather any documents which we still need after the first meeting.

• Photo Identification
• Social Security Card
• Past four (4) years of Federal and State tax returns
• Most recent pay stubs, payment advices, or printout showing pay for the past two (2) months.
• If married, most recent pay stubs, payment advices, or printout showing pay received by your spouse for the past two (2) months. This is needed regardless of whether your spouse is filing for Bankruptcy with you.
• Recent credit report
• Past six (6) months bank statements for all bank accounts
• Most recent statements for all investment accounts (i.e., stock, bonds, money markets, CD’s, mutual funds, etc.)
• Most recent statements for all pension or retirement accounts (i.e., IRA, 401(k), 403(b), Profit Sharing Plans, Annuities, etc.)
• Past three (3) months bills for all utilities (i.e., electric, gas, oil, phone, cable, internet, cell phone, water/sewer, etc.)
• Most recent statements for all credit cards
• Most recent statements for all personal loans
• Most recent statements for all car loans
• Most recent statements for any other loans
• All documents concerning any lawsuits in which you are involved (i.e., judgments, notices to appear, judicial liens, etc.)
• All documents concerning any personal injury claims that you currently have pending or have settled/completed within the past year
• All documents concerning any of your property that has been seized, repossessed or foreclosed upon in the past year
• A list of the major items around your household (i.e. electronics, furniture, appliances, jewelry, etc.) with brand names, approximate ages, and approximate values
• Insurance policies in effect for any cars, trucks, motorcycles, motorhomes, boats or other vehicles you own or lease

Homeowners Please Also Bring:

• Deed to your home
• Homestead filed on your home, if any
• Most recent statements for all mortgages and/or home equity loans presently against the property
• Homeowner insurance policies in effect for your home or other real estate
• Any documents relating to foreclosure proceedings against your property
• Any documents which show a recent valuation of your home, such as appraisals; real estate broker price opinion (BPO); and/or comparative market analysis (CMA) documents

For your convenience, we have also provided a link to a Documents Needed Checklist containing this list of documents that you can print out to help you gather and prepare the documents.