IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CURRENT CLIENTS

Thank you for retaining the law firm of Ledford & Wu for your bankruptcy filing. You have chosen well in hiring a bankruptcy firm to represent you. In this section you will find information to help you get your bankruptcy case prepared and filed with the court as simply, quickly and effectively as. We started working on your case as soon as you hired us and will continue to do so until your case is completed. However, hiring us does NOT mean your case has been filed with the bankruptcy court. In order for the case to be filed, ALL of the following must be completed:

1. You must pay all of the fees required by the Attorney Retention Contract, as instructed;
   
2. You must provide us with all the documents and information we requested;
   
3. You must complete your credit counseling course (we will provide you with the instructions); and
   
4. You must come in to sign the bankruptcy petition and other documents that we prepare for you.

Your case will NOT be filed in court until ALL of the above is done. You will find copies of the Attorney Retention Contract, Missing Information Checklist and Payment Instruction Sheet in your Ledford & Wu folder given to you at your initial consultation.

In the mean time, the information below will help your case proceed as efficiently and simply as possible. If at any time you have questions, please contact the office to speak directly to an attorney. Current clients may call us during regular business hours at 312-294-4405. You may fax us documents at 312-294-4410 or email us (see your attorney's card) at any time.

(WARNING) The information below can help you deal with many common issues that arise during the preparation of a bankruptcy case. However, the information is general and does not constitute legal advice. If you have specific questions regarding your situation, again, please contact the office directly to speak to an attorney.

1. Creditors are still calling and harassing me: If a creditor calls you before filing of your case, tell them you have retained us, give them your Client No. (Your Client No. is the 5 digit number written in your client folder) and have them call us at 312-294-4405. Even though you are not officially under court protection at this point, we will do our best to reduce the creditor harassment. Usually, once a creditor calls us, they will stop calling you.
   
2. I received a summons: If you receive a summons, complaint or other court papers, fax it to us immediately with a cover sheet giving us your name and Client No. We cannot give you legal advice regarding these documents until we review them. As a general matter, lawsuits and other court proceedings cannot be stopped until your case is officially filed with the bankruptcy court. Typically the best way to deal with this situation is to take the steps necessary to get your case filed as quickly as possible. Refer to the steps above for what is required to get your case filed with the bankruptcy court.
   
3. I received a wage assignment: Fax a copy of the loan contract, the wage assignment and the name and fax number for your payroll department to us at 312-294-4410 with a cover sheet that includes your name and Client No. We, as your attorneys, will revoke the wage assignment on your behalf and provide a copy to your employer so that no funds are taken from your check. Please note this does NOT apply to court ordered wage garnishments, as these can only be stopped by filing your bankruptcy case.
   
4. I have payday loans: Payday loan lenders often use three self-help methods to collect money from you:
Automatic deduction from your bank account -- They have you sign an authorization form that allows them to deduct money from your bank account. There are several ways to stop this action.

(a) Write a letter to your bank (the bank will not honor verbal requests). Give them your account number and the name of the lender (the payday loan store) whom you authorized to make the withdrawals, and tell the bank you want to revoke the authorization for automatic withdrawals. Keep a copy of the letter for your record and send a copy to the affected lender. You may also do this in person at your bank; or


(b) If your paychecks are deposited into your account automatically, you may want to open another checking account (with either the same bank or a different bank) so that you can write checks, and then tell your current bank to block all debits. Be sure you have taken care of all of the outstanding checks before you do that; or

(c) Close your current account altogether and open another account, with the same or a different bank. Do NOT open a new bank account with a bank to which you owe money, even if it is an unrelated debt (a credit card or personal loan).

Postdated checks -- The payday loan lender has you write a postdated check that they will later present to your bank for payment.

(a) Contact your bank to stop payment on the check. You must provide the specific check number, and may need to fill out a form or write a letter, depending on the requirement of the bank. Your bank may charge you a fee for that, but the fee will be much lower than allowing the check to clear.

Wage Assignments - SEE ABOVE

Please remember, these will only give you limited and temporary relief from the payday loan lenders. They can still resort to other collection methods such as suing you in court and garnishing your wages. You will not be protected completely until your case is filed in the bankruptcy court

• I cannot find my pay stubs: If you cannot find your paystubs for the last 6 months, please contact your payroll department immediately to request duplicates or a payroll register (they may call it a payroll detail report) that shows your gross pay, deductions and net pay broken down by pay period for the entire time requested on your Missing Information Sheet.
  
• I cannot find my tax returns: You should contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 to request transcripts for the required years. You can also fill out an IRS form 4506-T. It may take some time for the IRS to provide the transcripts, so please request them as early as possible to prevent any delay in filing your case.
  
• I have more bills I need to add to my case: Make a list of the bills you need to add. Be sure to include the name, address, account number and balance owed for each creditor. You can use our form. There is no additional charge to add bills so long as we get them before your case is filed.
  
• I have moved or have changed my phone number: If you move or change your phone number(s), be sure to let us know the new address or phone number(s) right away. Some bankruptcy cases fail simply because an attorney loses contact with his clients.
  
• My income has changed: If you income changes for any reason - you change jobs, lose your job, etc. - please contact the office right away. Changes in income can have a significant effect on your case. Once we are aware of the change we will be able to advise as to the best course of action. We will do everything in our power to keep your case going, but we need to know the situation.
  
• Auto Insurance Requirements: If you have a financed vehicle that you want to keep, you must remain current with your payments and maintain full coverage insurance with the finance company listed on the policy as loss payee. Provide a copy of the declarations page of your insurance to your attorneys prior to filing, so that we can forward it to the finance company when it is requested (it will be). Even if your vehicle is paid for, the State law requires the minimum insurance coverage.
  
• I need more payment envelopes: You can always mail a payment in a regular envelope as long as you put your name and Client No. on the payment. However, if you would like additional envelopes please call the office and we will mail you more or you can set an appointment to drop by one of our convenient offices to pick more up.
  
• I am ready to make my final payment / bring in documents: When you are ready to make your final payment, please call the office to schedule an appointment to bring the payment in along with any additional documents that have been requested. If you are not sure what documents you need, please consult the missing information checklist in your client folder. Making this payment in person will get your case filed more quickly, which is of course what you want once you have paid all of the fees.
  
• I lost my client folder: Please call the office and we will get you duplicates of the information in your folder.

Until your court case is closed (completed), do not engage in any major financial transactions without consulting us. Specifically, do not borrow money from anyone (including, but not limited to using a credit card or taking out a payday loan) and do not make payments on any debt on your own except for payments on your mortgage, cars, furniture or electronics that you wish to keep. Do not give away any of your assets or transfer any property or assets to anyone.

Most importantly; DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL THE OFFICE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. Our legal fees are fixed by the Attorney Retention Contract, so you will not get a bill for talking to us and getting your questions answered. Remember, regardless of whom you met with or talked to on the phone initially, you have hired the entire firm. We all represent you; we are all looking out for your best interests and we work as a team to provide you with prompt quality service. Do not hesitate to talk to anyone in the firm about your case. For this reason, however, we do not honor requests to speak to a particular person or return a phone call unless: 1) the person you talk to is unable to help you, and 2) you give a specific reason why you need us to return your call. Remember, one of the reasons you hired us is because all of our attorneys are experienced bankruptcy professionals; let us help you.