Changes to Pennsylvania’s DUI laws are here.

David B. Ross, Esq is a former prosecuting attorney who handles DUI cases in Potter County, Tioga County and McKean County Pennsylvania.

The new law focuses primarily on ignition interlock devices.  It went into effect in August of 2018, with some of the changes not going into effect until October of 2018.

The purpose of the law was to provide for greater restrictions on certain DUI offenders while at the same time allowing even first-time offenders to receive a limited license once an ignition interlock device is installed on your vehicle. The goal of the law is to prevent DUI offenders from driving drunk while at the same time allowing them to keep their licenses so that they do not lose employment.

Previously, DUI laws prevented you from obtaining an ignition interlock device for a first offense.

Ignition interlock devices will be expensive. The cost to the driver will likely range from $650 to $1100 for the ignition interlock. However, PennDOT does offer a program for defendants who are unable to afford the device. Additionally, if the defendant drives an employer-owned vehicle for work, the defendant may submit the appropriate documentation to PennDOT in order to apply for a waiver of the ignition interlock requirement for the employer-owned vehicle

If you are facing a DUI in Coudersport, Potter County, PA or Bradford or Smethport, McKean County Pennsylvania, call our DUI lawyer to discuss your options.  We will review your case to determine what defenses you have and what your options are, including an ARD, plea, withdrawal of charges, or trial.

More information about the changes can be found at the DMV website here.

Don’t Get Smoked – What you Need to Know About Medical Marijuana and Driving in Pennsylvania

Whether you love it or hate it, medical marijuana use is here to stay in PA.  That means that a number of our citizens are going to be using marijuana in one form or another and then engaging in the activities of daily life, which include operating motor vehicles.  Our lawyers are former prosecutors who know the laws on marijuana and DUI and help people to navigate them in Mckean, Potter, and Tioga County, PA.

The medical marijuana laws are new, and that means that there is a lot of confusion on the part of the public and law enforcement over the new law in terms of what is permissible and what will get you into trouble fast.  The information provided in this article is taken directly from our own cases and discussions with District Attorneys about their views on medical marijuana and driving.  Below are a few scenarios that illustrate likely outcomes. 

Scenario 1

You have your medical marijuana license.  You go to the dispensary and you purchase some dry leaf and some oils and devices o use the same to deal with your Multiple Sclerosis.  On your way home you are pulled over for a broken tail light.  The officer notices marijuana in your car.  What happens?   

In this scenario, the officer is likely to ask you about the marijuana.  He may also seize it to investigate the marijuana and the related devices to determine whether you have used them to smoke marijuana.  If everything is in order, you will be allowed to get the marijuana back, but you will likely have to go to the station to get it.

Take away:  Have everything in order.  Better not to have the marijuana or devices out in plain sight.  Better to put them in the truck or at least away in bags. 

Scenario 2

You have your medical marijuana license.  You have oils and leafy material at home.  You are pulled over for high beaming the officer.  You have some marijuana in the vehicle as well as devices to ingest it including a pipe.  The officer asks you if you smoked any marijuana recently.  You reply, yes last night. 

In this scenario, the officer may seize the marijuana and devices.  He is also likely to read you implied consent law and attempt to get you to agree to a blood draw. 

Likely outcome – charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.  In PA it is illegal to have any amount of THC (the active ingredients in marijuana) in your blood.  This means that you are likely to get charged with DUI if your blood draw shows any THC.

Take away:  Vaping marijuana with a medical license is lawful.  Smoking marijuana is not legal.  Do not smoke it.  If you do, do not have a smoking device in your car.  There are pipes that will allow you to vape leafy material.  Get the right equipment so you don’t have to worry about a drug paraphernalia or DUI charge.

Scenario 3    

You have your medical marijuana license.  You have oils and leafy material at home.  You are pulled over for high beaming the officer.  You have some marijuana in the vehicle as well as devices to ingest it including a pipe.  The officer asks you if you smoked any marijuana recently.  You reply, no.  I only vape it. 

In this scenario, the officer may seize the marijuana and devices to investigate further and return them later.  In PA it is illegal to have any amount of THC (the active ingredients in marijuana) in your blood, but because you have not smoked it, you are not likely to be charged with DUI unless your blood shows levels way above a therapeutic dose and you show signs of impairment. 

Call us today!   (814) 274-8612

If you are facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  Call our attorneys.  We  serve Wellsboro, Mansfield and all of Tioga County PA, Coudersport 16915 and Potter County, and Bradford and McKean County.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people.  Let our attorneys work for you!  We will counsel you on whether to seek ARD, a plea or trial.  The right advice makes all the difference, and each case is different.

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our criinal defense attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or Bradford, Smethport, Port Allegany or elsewhere in McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612. 

 
* Federal law requires the following disclosure: We are a debt relief agency helping people file for relief through bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.
***Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this site are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  No lawyer-client relationship exists until one of our attorneys meets with you and agrees to accept you as a client.

A debt free life by David Ross | Bradford| Coudersport Bankruptcy Attorney

NerdWallet (you’ve got to love the name) conducted a recent study that found that debt for Americans in 2017 (the most recent year for which complete data is available) has reached an estimated $927 billion (that's billion with a capital B) — a more than 5% increase from the previous year. 

The same study found that the average household has credit card debt with a balance of $15,482. On average, Americans owe $134,058 (including mortgages).

Interestingly, several major spending categories have outpaced income growth over the past decade and Americans are incurring medical expenses at an alarming rate, with much of that ending up on credit cards or in collections.  These trends mirror what our bankruptcy attorneys see locally in Williamsport 17701 and Wellsboro, PA 16901    

What our debt relief and  bankruptcy attorneys do in Bradford, Coudersport, Williamsport and Wellsboro:

Our goal is to help you live a debt free or at least a balanced debt lifestyle.  How do we do that?  First, you should sit down with one of the lawyers at our law firm.  We will analyze your debt and have frank discussions about income, debt, and assets.  There are different kinds of debts and assets.  Not all of them are bad, and they are certainly not equal.  We will help you sort through secured versus unsecured debts and debts that have value, such as a mortgage, which allows you to enjoy your home while building principle and which has tax benefits.

One of the great things about sitting down with our law firm is that we have many more tools available to deal with debt than debt settlement companies.  As attorneys, we have the ability to litigate debt, negotiate debt, contest amounts owed, contest items on your credit report, threaten bankruptcy, file bankruptcy and help you to refinance.  Understanding your debt, how to manage it and reshape it and the tools available to deal with it, is a powerful first step toward debt freedom. 

When you achieve debt freedom, you will no longer have to deal with calls from creditors, embarrassing or harassing calls from collectors, bills in the mail, collections notices from the hospital or any of the other million things that happen when you fall behind.  You can also stop living in fear that the sheriff is going to show up knocking on your door with legal papers or come in and auction off your items or that a creditor will garnish your bank account.  In short, you will know freedom.

If freedom from the bondage of debt sounds good to you, call our bankruptcy attorneys today.  We have offices in Coudersport and Williamsport and serve Wellsboro and Tioga county as well.

Call us today!   (814) 274-8612

 

If you are facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  If you are facing a mountain of debt you cannot pay, don't give up.  Call our attorneys.  We  serve Wellsboro, Mansfield and all of Tioga County PA.  We will help you figure out how to get out from the medical bills, loans, credit cards, business debts or whatever the debt is.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people to be debt free.  Let our bankruptcy attorneys work for you!

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our debt relief and bankruptcy attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or Bradford, Smethport, Port Allegany or elsewhere in McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612. 

 
* Federal law requires the following disclosure: We are a debt relief agency helping people file for relief through bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.
***Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this site are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  No lawyer-client relationship exists until one of our attorneys meets with you and agrees to accept you as a client.

What Can I Keep in a Bankruptcy - thoughts of an attorney serving Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901

In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, exemptions determine what you can keep.  These include your home, car, personal belongings, bank accounts, cash on hand, investment accounts, 401(k) guns, four wheelers, tools of the trade – and the list goes on. If your property is exempt, you may keep it. If property is nonexempt, the trustee may sell it to pay your unsecured creditors. That is why it is important to hire a bankruptcy attorney who understand exemptions and how to protect everything that you have. 

Each state has its own bankruptcy exemptions.  If you live in Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, for example, the state bankruptcy exemptions available to you will be different from those if you lived in New York.  Some states require that you use the state exemptions.  Some states, however, such as Pennsylvania allow your bankruptcy lawyer to use federal exemptions that differ from the state exemptions.  In Pennsylvania, the state exemptions are very stingy so almost universally your attorney will use the more generous federal exemptions.

How Bankruptcy Exemptions Work

Exemptions set a dollar amount for certain classes of property that are protected.  If the equity in that asset is worth less than that, then you can keep that piece of property. For example, if your car is worth $3,000 and your state has a vehicle exemption of $4,000, then you will be able to keep the vehicle under a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy regardless of whether you live in Wellsboro, Tioga or anywhere in Tioga County or the State of Pennsylvania.  

Determining Your Exemptions  

To determine what property you will get to keep if you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, start by making an inventory of your property and each piece of property’s replacement value. Then compare the value to your state’s exemption, if any, for that type of property. If your state offers a choice between systems, do this for each system to determine which one allows you to keep the property that matters to you.

If you are facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  If you are facing a mountain of debt you cannot pay, don't give up.  Call our attorneys.  We  serve Wellsboro, Mansfield and all of Tioga County PA.  We will help you figure out how to get out from the medical bills, loans, credit cards, business debts or whatever the debt is.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people to be debt free.  Let our bankruptcy attorneys work for you!

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our debt relief and bankruptcy attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or Bradford, Smethport, Port Allegany or elsewhere in McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612. 

For more information on bankruptcy in general, click here!

In Williamsport?  Click here!

In Potter, McKean or Cameron Counties?   Click here!

* Federal law requires the following disclosure: We are a debt relief agency helping people file for relief through bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.
***Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this site are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  No lawyer-client relationship exists until one of our attorneys meets with you and agrees to accept you as a client.

Common Injuries in a Car Crash - Potter County, PA injury attorney

Whether you’re a new driver or have been driving for decades, being in a car accident is a traumatic, anxiety-filled experience. 

I should know. 

Since acquiring a driver’s license about twenty-seven years ago, I have had more than my fair share of car wrecks.  Many of them, I can’t deny, were my own fault.  My mom likes to pick on me for that time when I was seventeen and begged her to let me take the family minivan to drive myself and a bunch of friends despite her objection that I wasn’t “used to driving” it.  She insisted that I drive it to and from school a few times first to see how I handled it.  No problem.  I dropped my younger brother off at his school, and in doing so, had to pull into a parking space.  Well, in the two minutes I was there someone erected a telephone pole behind me, which of course, I backed into.  (I stand by that version of events.).  Others were not my fault, such as when someone pulled out in front of me.  Or when I hit a patch of black ice and ran off the road - a common occurrence in Potter County, Pennsylvania 16915, where I now practice law.

One thing these all have in common is that they were frightening.  (Well, the minivan incident was mostly frightening for how it bruised my pride and meant having to tell my parents I had backed into something . . . again.)  Thankfully, I was not injured in most of these collisions, but a few times I was.  Once my airbag deployed, and that left me with painful bruises and even a couple of burns.  Another time, I pulled something in my neck as my head hit the driver’s side window.  It turns out all of these are among the most common car accident injuries.  The symptoms I suffered - soreness, headaches, bruising, stiffness - these are the most common car accident injuries.  But, while they are common, they should not be ignored.

Below are six symptoms that should never be ignored if they occur after a car accident, even if they don’t arise until a few days or even weeks after the crash:

• Headache - this can be a sign of a concussion, whiplash, brain injury, or even a blood clot.

• Neck and Shoulder Pain - these can indicate whiplash, pulled or torn ligaments, or a spinal injury.

• Abdominal Pain - a potentially serious symptom that can be an indicator of internal bleeding.

• Back Pain - like neck and shoulder pain, this can be a symptom of whiplash, spinal injury, or ligament injury.

• Numbing and Bruising - can indicate a herniated disk or other spinal injury.

• Emotional Distress - this can signal post-traumatic stress disorder, concussion, or brain injury.

These common car accident injury symptoms need to be evaluated by a doctor. 

If you aren’t sure what your next steps should be, our Coudersport, Potter County, Pennsylvania 16915 personal injury attorneys can help you.  Unfortunately, we can’t make your car accident less painful, but we can make sure the aftermath is pain free.

In my opinion, debt negotiation or debt consolidation companies are not what they claim to be. Based upon my observations in handling volumes of bankruptcy cases as a consumer bankruptcy attorney, the debt consolidation industry preys on consumers when they are at their lowest point – when they owe money, are receiving incessant phone calls from collection agencies, and generally are desperate to make the overwhelming pressure of it all go away.    

Have you heard the ads from these debt relief companies or seen the commercials of seemingly overjoyed people leaping and jumping about their new found freedom?

In my opinion, the image they portray is a lie and not just a little white lie.  These companies want to be your new debt masters.  That makes you their slave.  They will make you sign a contract with them and make money off of you for as long as they can.  Read the disclaimers on the web sites.  They don’t guarantee anything!  My experience is that in many cases they pay off a few of the dates while making money off of you and when one or more of the companies sues you, then they tell you there is nothing they can do.  You are left worse off than when you started years before!  My advice without qualification or hesitation is do not fall for it: if you are even remotely tempted to hire a debt negotiation or consolidation company.......

DON'T DO IT!!!

And why would you ?  These debt plans go on for years.  Did you know that with a chapter 7 bankruptcy your debts will be discharged in as little as 4 months without paying the unsecured creditors back!  So armed with this information, you can make an informed choice – enter into a repayment program that lasts years and costs thousands and thousands of dollars – or have the debt discharged in 4 months.

So, our position is that you should stop whatever you are doing, turn around, and run the other direction.  Don’t fall for the slick advertising and false promises.

Just say no. When you and I chat, I can explain why I believe debt reduction or debt consolidation companies are the worst possible place to spend your money when you have debt issues.  Oh and remember, we do not charge you anything for a consultation.  That’s how much we believe in what we do!

If you are facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  If you are facing a mountain of debt you cannot pay, don't give up.  Call our Williamsport and Lycoming County 17701lawyers.  We will help you figure out how to get out from the medical bills, loans, credit cards, business debts or whatever the debt is.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people to be debt free.  Let our bankruptcy attorneys work for you!

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612

You are likely considering bankruptcy because you need relief from overwhelming debt. This includes immediate things like relief from collections and long-term relief from crushing debts that you simply cannot pay back no matter how long you had to do so. Bankruptcy provides both immediate and long-term debt relief.

Beyond the basic relief you expect, bankruptcy can provide same extraordinary benefits that you would never expect. In this blog post from your Lycoming County, Tioga County and Potter County bankruptcy lawyers, will give you details these unexpected benefits of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy:

1. Undo Judgment Liens on Your Home

Through judgment lien “avoidance” you can often permanently remove a judgment lien.  This will allow you to sell or refinance your home without having to pay off the judgment.  

2. Get Back Your Driver’s License after an Unpaid Judgment

You can reinstate your license lost because you did not pay a debt from an uninsured or underinsured motor vehicle accident.

3. Reinstate Your Driver’s License from Failing to Pay Tickets

Reinstate your license when suspension is for unpaid traffic infractions.

4. Get Out of an Unaffordable Payment Plan with the IRS/State

Bankruptcy may allow you to deal with an IRS payment plan that you can not handle and provide other tax relief.

5. Prevent Debt Collections from Re-Starting after Being “Stayed”

Bankruptcy doesn’t just stop debt collection temporarily.   It will permanently deal with your debt.

6. Bankruptcy Can Often Reduce Some or All of a Tax Lien’s Financial Impact

In some situations, a tax lien can be made either wholly or partially ineffective. Besides saving you lots of money you get the peace of mind that your home is not at risk.

7. Avoid Paying Your Ex-Spouse Most of Your Property Settlement Debts

Chapter 13 allows you to discharge—write-off—some or all non-support obligations of your divorce.

8. Get Out of Your Vehicle Lease through Bankruptcy

If you want out of your lease – great news.  You can surrender the vehicle and be done with the monthly obligation.

If you are facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  If you are facing a mountain of debt you cannot pay, don't give up.  Call our Coudersport and Potter County 16915 lawyers.  We will help you figure out how to get out from the medical bills, loans, credit cards, business debts or whatever the debt is.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people to be debt free.  Let our bankruptcy attorneys work for you!

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612. 

I admit it.  I am a bit of a WWII buff.  That period reveals the best and worst of humanity.  I am particularly partial to Winston Churchill's optimism, which I think springs from his determination to persevere.  Never give in - never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.  Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

I don't care who you are, how powerful you are, or how much money you have - life inevitably throws something at you that looks insurmountable.  Every one of us faces the decision of whether to give up or to carry on.  Today I want to encourage you to keep going.  Keep trying.  Keep believing in yourself.  Don't look at the mountain and say I cannot go over it.  Instead, take one more step and then one more step.  If you cannot go over the mountain, you will go under it or through it.  The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.  Keep on keeping on step after step.  

Remember too that, as I have written so many times before, that you are not alone.  There is always someone who will help you along the way.  

If you re facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  If you are facing a mountain of debt you cannot pay, don't give up.  Call our Williamsport and Lycoming County 17701lawyers.  We will help you figure out how to get out from the medical bills, loans, credit cards, business debts or whatever the debt is.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people to be debt free.  Let our bankruptcy attorneys work for you!

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

 

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612.

There are upwards of 5 million auto accidents a year with approxiately 30,000 of them involving fatalities and over 2 million involving injuries.  While the government and car manufacturers have taken steps to decrease the number of accidents, if you have been injured in a car crash, then you know that one crash is one too many.  As attorneys who have handled way too many car accidents in Wellsboro, Pa 16901, Coudersport and Potter County 16915, Bradford, PA and McKean County and in other states, we have seen the absolute havoc that an accident can cause.  In short, it willl change or end your life.

So here are some thougths from our accident lawyers about avoiding and coping with accidents and the effects of a truck or car crash.

1. The best advice is to avoid an accident in the first place.  Practice defensive driving.  Avoid distactions like your phone, and assume that others are distracted and pay attention to what they are doing.

2. Accidents often are not avoidable.  Think safety first after an accident.  Be careful as other drivers will be distracted by the crash scene.  Make sure you are in a safe place so something else doesn't happen.

3. Get as much information as you can about the other party, names of witnesses, photos.  This information will be very useful later if you can get it.  We recently had a case where the driver denied backing into a pedestrian.  We tracked down a witness who said the driver was waiving at a blonde woman walking down the street while backing up.  No wonder he didn't want to admit it!  As you can imagine the matter resolved after we found the witness.

4. See an attorney early.  There is no substitute for early assistance.

5. Take care of your body.  That means seeking appropriate treatment and following through with the treatment advice.  As an personal injury lawyer, I do not have the ability to heal you.  Failing to get treatment will keep you from getting better and hurt your legal claim.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.     

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with
powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612. 

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankrupty, general litigation, and family law.

Today's post is about the Meeting of Creditors in a Bankruptcy Case. Our firm handles cases in Lycoming, Tioga, Potter, McKean, Elk and Cameron Counties. If you have looked into Bankruptcy, then you have probably come across something talking about a 341 Meeting of Creditors. But what is the purpose of the meeting and what happens there? The meeting of creditors gets its name from section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code. The 341 meeting of creditors is, in my opinion, a misnomer in as much as creditors very, very rarely come to the meeting. That is good news. It means that you will not have to worry about seeing a representative of the bank, or hospital, or credit card company. The primary purpose of the meeting is so that the attorney serving as a Trustee in the bankruptcy case can verify under oath and by reviewing documents who you are and also to ask you questions about the bankruptcy petition that you filed. The Trustee will ask you if you read the Petition and signed it. He will ask you if you read and understood the bankruptcy information sheet provided by the Office of the Trustee. He might then ask you specific questions about your Petition such as "How did you determine the value of your home?" The meeting does allow creditors to attend. Out of all of the filings that I have done, I have had a creditor attend one time. In that case, it was because the debtor was surrendering a tractor-trailer and the creditor wanted to know where the truck was located. Most 341 meetings last ten minutes or less, and if you have been honest in your Petition and the Petition was prepared by a competent attorney, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. When you are ready to file for bankruptcy, you can count on us. Call our bankruptcy attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701 or the surrounding areas. We offer appointments in person and by telephone. If you are in trouble, pick up the phone. Come see us. We do not charge for an initial bankruptcy appointment. Leave our office armed with powerful information about your true choices. (570) 309-6690. In addition to family law, personal injury and car accident cases, our lawyers file bankruptcy for people in Williamsport, PA 17701, 17702 and for people in McKean County, Tioga County, and Potter County 16915 (814) 274-8612.