Katz and Wulff Attorneys at Law

Completing the “Credit Counseling Requirement”

After the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 became law in October of 2005, individuals filing for bankruptcy relief are required to complete two separate rounds of “credit counseling”:

(1) Before filing, you must complete the “pre-filing screening”, i.e. you must file with your petition proof that you have met with a counselor that has been certified by the  U.S. Department of Justice in order to review your budget and your non-bankruptcy alternatives.

(2) After filing, but before you can receive your order of discharge at the end of the case, you must also complete a “personal financial management course”.  Both of these requirements can be completed by visiting websites that we will refer you to so that you can complete the counseling online.

Katz & Wulff has reviewed most of the companies approved to provide the required counseling in this district and has selected the two that we feel represent the best value for our clients.

The pre-filing, pre-screening counseling can be completed by visiting Cricket Debt Counseling and clicking on the button that says “Click Here to Begin”.  Please Note: Once you have attended your first appointment with the attorney in our office, you will be given a code to access the counseling session free of charge.

The post-filing, personal financial management course can be completed by visiting Hananwill Credit Counseling and clicking the button that says “Click Here to Complete the Second Course”.  Our firm will cover the cost of this second course as well.  You will be given instructions on how to access the course for free after your case is filed.

Class Schedule for Personal Financial Management Course (Chapter 13 Cases with Russell C. Simon, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee)

If you are currently in a Chapter 13 case with our office, and your Chapter 13 Trustee is Russell C. Simon, we recommend completing the course by attending a short, live seminar given by Mr. Simon’s office once per month on Saturday morning at the Four Points by Sheraton & Fountains Conference Center at 319 Fountains Parkway, Fairview Heights, Illinois 62208. The class begins promptly at 9:00 a.m.  No late arrivals will be admitted. Class size is limited so we would advise you to show up no later than 8:45 a.m.  The current class schedule and other information can be found here.  The course is provided free of charge.