Arizona Bankruptcy Attorney | John Skiba

Bankruptcy in Arizona – Begin Your Fresh Start Today!

Bankruptcy. Many of the people I meet with have a hard time even uttering the word bankruptcy. No one wants to file for bankruptcy. However, the stress associated with debt can be unbearable. Never-ending collection calls, threats of lawsuits, garnishments, foreclosures, repossessions. And those are just the financial aspects of debt. Overwhelming debt places stress on even the best family relationships and I have even seen it lead to divorce and health problems. The good news is there is hope. There is a way out.

I help people from all walks of life. College students, business owners, dentist, lawyers, retired people. It doesn’t matter where you went to school, what you do for a living, or where you come from, no one is immune from financial difficulties.

Get Out of Debt for Good

Whether you are dealing with credit card debt, facing foreclosure, are having your wages garnished, or are being sued, I can help you understand the bankruptcy process, the protections bankruptcy offers, and help you get out of debt for good.

I have helped literally hundreds of families like yours get out from under crushing debt and put together a plan to help them move forward with their lives. I offer a free bankruptcy consultation where we can discuss all of your bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy options for dealing with your debt.

Bankruptcy is not always the best option. At times there are alternatives to bankruptcy that will allow you to get rid of your debt and avoid bankruptcy altogether. If bankruptcy is necessary, I will help you understand the bankruptcy process, provide you with information so that you will know what to expect, and help you avoid the numerous bankruptcy pitfalls.

Nobody wants to file for bankruptcy, but if you need to, I will be there to assist you every step of the way.

To set up a free consultation with Arizona bankruptcy attorney John Skiba call (480) 420-4028.

About John Skiba

When it comes to hiring a bankruptcy attorney you have a lot of choices out there. No doubt that prior to finding my website you surfed through various bankruptcy attorney’s websites and have read what they have to say…so why should you hire me?
I can help you. Bankruptcy is all I do. I understand that financial difficulties are among life’s most challenging problems. Many would be surprised to learn that most people in bankruptcy are generally financially responsible people that have simply come upon hard times. A job has been lost, pay decreased, and often debt sky rockets because of a sickness that results in a mountain of medical bills. You feel terrible, stressed out, embarrassed, and worse, you feel hopeless.

From the Skiba Bankruptcy Law Blog

Can I Sell My Stuff Before Filing for Bankruptcy?

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 27, 2012

One of the drawbacks to filing chapter 7 bankruptcy is that you may lose some of your stuff. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a liquidating bankruptcy – meaning if you have assets that you own free and clear of any liens and that are not protected under one of Arizona’s exemption laws, then in chapter 7 you could lose them. For instance, in Arizona there is no exemption for ATVs. So, if you own a Yamaha Banshee (my favorite ATV), in bankruptcy the trustee could require that you turn the Banshee over, they [...]

Don’t Be a Pushover – Responding to a Motion to Dismiss

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 25, 2012

In previous articles I have gone over the litigation strategy of debt buying companies like Midland Funding, LVNV, LLC, and Portfolio Recovery. Despite the fact that they have filed a lawsuit against you, they really don’t want to fight you. Their hope is that you will do nothing to defend yourself and that they will get a default judgment against you. So what if you put up a fight? Sometimes they will simply seek to dismiss your case. You receive the Motion to Dismiss and you are thinking that you [...]

How to Get Along with Your Arizona Bankruptcy Trustee

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 24, 2012

When you file for bankruptcy here in Arizona your case will be assigned to a bankruptcy trustee. This person works under the Department of Justice and in a chapter 7 bankruptcy, their job is to review your bankruptcy documents, determine if there are any assets that can be sold, and then distribute the proceeds to your creditors. If your chapter 7 case is typical you will only see your bankruptcy trustee on one occasion – the Meeting of Creditors. However, despite not having much face time with your trustee, your bankruptcy trustee [...]

Billy Graham Encourages Seeking God’s Guidance Before Filing Bankruptcy

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 17, 2012

Should you seek out God’s guidance before filing for bankruptcy? Rev. Billy Graham says yes in a recent article when the question of the morality of bankruptcy was posed to him. After I have explained the nuts and bolts of the bankruptcy process to people I often get asked whether I think it is morally acceptable to file for bankruptcy. In a way it is a funny question to ask a bankruptcy lawyer. Either I feel that it is morally acceptable to file bankruptcy or I am encouraging people to [...]

It Will Be Our Little Secret…(wink, wink)

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 16, 2012

Because you told me about it. That is my typical response when I have someone tell me about an asset they have and then ask me “how will the bankruptcy court ever know that I have this asset?”. During my bankruptcy consultations I always discuss with clients the fact that a chapter 7 bankruptcy is a liquidating bankruptcy. This means that if you own assets that are not protected under one of Arizona’s exemption laws that you could lose them. I discuss with people what their assets are and what the [...]

Show Me the Money! Sports Agent Leigh Steinberg Files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 14, 2012

Earlier this week ESPN reported that NFL sports agent Leigh Steinberg filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Mr. Steinberg was the inspiration behind the movie Jerry McGuire and represented many high profile athletes including Steve Young, Troy Aikman, and Ben Roethlisberger. There are things that can be learned from any bankruptcy filing, but particularly a high profile chapter 7 bankruptcy filing shows us the following: Anyone Can End Up in Bankruptcy I recently met with one of my bankruptcy clients and she told me that one of the many things the bankruptcy process had taught [...]

G is for Garnishment

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 13, 2012

Garnishments are a pain. Maybe the only thing that pushes people into bankruptcy more quickly than garnishment is a foreclosure. In Arizona, a creditor can garnish up to 25% of each pay check. If you are living payday to payday this can completely devastate your finances. Before I get into how bankruptcy can stop a garnishment, there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to people understanding when their wages can be garnished that need to be debunked. First, your wages cannot be garnished until your creditor files a [...]

Fear the Reaper: Don’t Ignore Your Lawsuit

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 11, 2012

I see it all the time. You get served with a lawsuit by one of the big debt buyers, Midland Funding, Portfolio Recovery, or LVNV Funding. You have no idea who “Midland Funding” even is, so you brush it off. Maybe they have the wrong guy. So you do nothing. Then, things are going well…a month goes by, you don’t hear from anyone…maybe they dropped it. Then you get another legal document, this time in the mail. It says something about a “default”. Not sure what it is, but you ignored the [...]

Please, Not the Twinkies! Golden Sponge Cake and Mulitple Bankruptcy Filings

Written by John Skiba, Esq. on January 10, 2012

Hostess, the company that makes the Twinkie, is preparing to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in the last seven years. The purpose of a chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is to allow a company to restructure and emerge from bankruptcy leaner, healthier company, a process that Hostess has felt necessary to do more than once. Which leads to the question, “how many times and how often can a person file for bankruptcy?” The answer is you can file for bankruptcy as many times as you like, however you will [...]