Fort Smith Bankruptcy Resources | Legal Help & Factual Resources
Helpful Information for Bankruptcy Filings in
Fort Smith — Sebastian County — Arkansas
View the Bankruptcy Rules
View the Bankruptcy Code
View the Federal Rules of Evidence
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records)
If you have previously filed a bankruptcy case in the State of Arkansas or any other state, you can search PACER to obtain information about your case and download copies of the documents. There might also be other court documents pertinent to your bankruptcy filing that you will be able to locate on PACER.
Anyone can set up a PACER account. There are charges for files accessed and downloaded. www.pacer.gov
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts:
www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts.html
Arkansas Southern District Bankruptcy Court
Sebastian County bankruptcy cases will be filed with this bankruptcy court:
S 6th Street & Rogers Avenue
Ft. Smith, AR 72901
(479) 783-6833
Counties Served: Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Columbia, Clark, Crawford, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Springs, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion, Miller, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Pike, Polk, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Union, Washington
An experienced Fort Smith Bankruptcy Lawyer will know the federal laws governing bankruptcy, but will also be familiar with the Local Bankruptcy Court Rules that are specific to each district, and sometimes specific to individual bankruptcy judges. Contact a Sebastian County Bankruptcy Attorney for a free initial consultation regarding Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or Chapter 12.
Fort Smith 341 Meeting Room Location
As soon as a bankruptcy case is filed, a date is set for the Meeting of Creditors, also known as the 341 Meeting. This meeting gives creditors the opportunity to question the debtor (you) about monies owed and property owned. An average 341 Meeting lasts about 3 to 4 minutes. Your Fort Smith Bankruptcy Lawyer will explain the meeting to you and accompany you to the meeting.
The meeting room location is:
Isaac C. Parker Courthouse
30 S. 6th Street, Room 310
Fort Smith, AR 72901
U.S. Trustee
Chapter 13 Trustees
When your Chapter 13 bankruptcy case is filed with the Court, a Chapter 13 Trustee will be assigned to your case. The Chapter 13 Trustees for the Southern District of Arkansas are:
Joyce B. Babin
P.O. Box 8064
Little Rock, AR 72203 -8064
E-mail: jbabin@13ark.com
Phone: (501)537-2500
Jack W. Gooding
P.O. Box 22067
Little Rock, AR 72221 -2067
E-mail: info@ark13.com
Phone: (501)537-4400
Mark T. McCarty
P.O. Box 5006
North Little Rock, AR 72119
E-mail: mmccarty@ch13ark.com
Phone: (501) 801-5600
Credit Counseling Services in the Fort Smith area:
All individuals (not business entities) are required to complete credit counseling before their bankruptcy case can be filed – for all chapters of bankruptcy, including Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 12, and Chapter 11. After the case is filed, individuals must complete the second half of the course which is called debt management. View the Federal Trade Commission's brochure with consumer information about credit counseling and debtor education.
Credit counseling services must be approved by the bankruptcy court in order to provide these classes. In the Fort Smith area, these providers have been approved:
Credit Counseling of Arkansas
2301 S 56th Street 103
Fort Smith, AR
(479) 452-8866
Family Service Agency
5111 Rogers Avenue 553
Fort Smith, AR
(479) 484-0311
For other approved providers in the Fort Smith area, visit the U.S. Dept. of Justice website.
Credit Reporting Agencies:
Your Fort Smith Bankruptcy Attorney may have you sign an authorization form so your credit report can be downloaded directly or you may be asked to obtain your free annual credit report yourself and submit it with your other bankruptcy documentation.
You are entitled to a free annual credit report from the three nationwide credit reporting companies. Don't be tricked by TV ads, email offers, or website banner ads into paying for your credit report. The only authorized source for your free credit report is AnnualCreditReport.com. Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website for more information about your free annual credit report.
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
1-800-685-1111
http://www.equifax.com
TransUnion
Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
1-800-888-4213
http://www.transunion.com
Experian
National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 949
Allen, AR 75013-0949
1-800-682-7654
http://www.experian.com
Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 1358
Columbus, OH 43216-1358
Tax Returns:
You will be required to file copies of your tax returns for the past 2-3 years; submitting them either to the Trustee or the Bankruptcy Court, depending on local bankruptcy rules.
Federal Tax Returns:
For Information on how to obtain a Tax Return Transcript from the Internal Revenue Service, visit the IRS website or call 1-800-908-9946.
State Tax Returns:
You will need to submit state income tax returns if, during the past 2-3 years, you lived in a state that imposes state and/or local income taxes. (There are 43 states in the United States that have a state income tax.) Contact the state's taxing authority if you need to obtain copies of your tax returns from any of these states.
Vehicle Valuations:
You will need a fair and accurate value for any vehicles you own as of the day of filing your bankruptcy case. You can use online sources, but it is sometimes more accurate to get an estimate from a local used car dealer. Local car dealers have a better idea of what someone would actually pay for a vehicle in their city, which is not always the same as the value in the car buying guides.
Online Vehicle Valuations:
NADA - www.NADA.com
Kelly Blue Book - www.kbb.com
Edmunds - www.Edmunds.com
Local Used Car Dealers (for obtaining vehicle valuations):
A Plus Automotive Inc
6308 Highway 271 S
Fort Smith, AR 72908
(479) 646-8825
Allison Motors
7416 Highway 271 S
Fort Smith, AR 72908
(479) 646-3161
Auto Master
2121 Zero Street
Fort Smith, AR 72901
(479) 646-6063
Appraisals and Valuations for Real Estate (Real Property)
A fair and accurate value for your real property must be listed on your bankruptcy forms (Schedule A). Although some Trustees and Bankruptcy Courts will use the value assigned to your property by your local tax assessor, it is beneficial to have a local expert, such as a Fort Smith real estate agent, give you a valuation on your property.
Some local Fort Smith area realtors include:
A Ok Real Estate
410 Towson Avenue
Fort Smith, AR 72901
(479) 785-4663
Advantage Real Estate & Consulting
5004 S U Street
Fort Smith, AR 72903
(479) 484-5594
Assurance Realty
2806 Towson Avenue
Fort Smith, AR 72901
(479) 783-3110
Barry Mack RL EST
6904 Hestand Lane
Fort Smith, AR 72903
(479) 452-2124
Sebastian County Bankruptcy Law Firms will review your financial situation, provide you with advice on the bankruptcy process, and show you how you can receive debt relief!
Serving clients throughout Western Arkansas, including Bloomer, Cedarville, Chester, Clarksville, Concord, Cravens, Dyer, Fort Smith, Greenwood, Mansfield, Mountain Grove, Mountainburg, Mulberry, Muldrow, Poteau, Roland, Sallisaw, Spadra, Tahlequah, West Fork, areas in the vicinity of Fort Smith Regional Airport, and other communities in Sebastian County.
Contact a Fort Smith Bankruptcy Attorney today for a free initial consultation.
Other Legal Bankruptcy Lawyers
If for some unforeseen reason, the Fort Smith Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on this site are unable to assist you, please visit the Fort Smith Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on HG.org; or the Fort Smith Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on GetLegal.com; or the Fort Smith Bankruptcy Lawyers on Justia.com