Garland Bankruptcy Lawyer

Are you looking for a bankruptcy lawyer in Garland?

At Leinart Law Firm, we invite you to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced Garland bankruptcy lawyer.

If a collection lawsuit, a bank levy, or a pending foreclosure has you weighing bankruptcy in Garland, our attorneys can explain what a filing would accomplish and what it would cost you. A Garland, TX bankruptcy lawyer at our firm will review your circumstances and recommend the chapter, if any, that fits.

Marcus Leinart started our Dallas–Fort Worth firm in 2005, and bankruptcy and debt relief have been its focus for more than 15 years.

Contact us to schedule a consultation at a time that suits you.

Bankruptcy Lawyer Garland, TX

A bankruptcy lawyer guides individuals and small businesses through the federal process that allows them to discharge or reorganize debts they cannot repay. The attorney’s work includes determining eligibility, preparing a petition and schedules that will withstand review, protecting property through exemptions, and representing the filer before the trustee and the court. For most consumers the goal is either a Chapter 7 discharge or a Chapter 13 plan that allows them to keep a home or vehicle.

Liquidation cases make up the majority in the district that serves Garland. Chapter 7 accounted for roughly 57 percent of the bankruptcy filings in the Northern District of Texas during the 12 months ending December 31, 2025, with most of the remainder filed under Chapter 13.

Types of Bankruptcy Cases We Handle in Garland

Garland residents come to us with debt problems that range from a single lawsuit to a combination of mortgage arrears, card balances, and tax debt, and the right response depends on which of these are present and how far each has progressed. We handle the following types of matters for clients throughout the city and nearby Dallas County communities.

• Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This chapter eliminates qualifying unsecured debt, typically within a few months and without a repayment plan. Texas exemptions allow most filers to retain the homestead, a vehicle, and personal belongings.

• Chapter 13 bankruptcy. A three-to-five-year plan lets filers repay arrears on a mortgage or car loan while keeping the property. The chapter is also the route for households whose income exceeds the Chapter 7 threshold.

• Car repossession. Once a car loan is in default, Texas allows the lender to recover the vehicle on its own. A petition filed before that happens can keep the car in the filer’s hands, and any shortfall a lender claims after an auction is ordinarily discharged.

• Wage garnishment. Texas prevents most creditors from taking wages, but support obligations and certain federal debts are exceptions. A filing also halts the bank levies that consumer creditors use in place of garnishment.

• Foreclosure. Most Texas home foreclosures proceed without a lawsuit, so the time between a notice of default and a sale can be short. A filing stops a scheduled sale and opens a path to cure the arrears.

• Medical debt. Hospital and provider bills are unsecured and are dischargeable in either chapter. They often accumulate alongside other debt after an illness interrupts income.

• Credit card debt. Card balances are among the most common debts discharged in bankruptcy. A filing also stops collection lawsuits that card issuers and debt buyers have already filed.

• Business bankruptcy. Owners of small businesses frequently guarantee company debt personally, which means a failing business can leave the owner exposed. We represent small business debtors and evaluate the entity and the owner together.

• Debt collection lawsuits. A creditor that obtains a judgment can freeze bank accounts and place liens on property. Filing stops the lawsuit and can remove certain judgment liens from exempt property.

Why Choose Leinart Law Firm as my Bankruptcy Lawyer in Garland, TX?

A Dallas–Fort Worth Firm Admitted in Garland’s Federal Courts

The federal courts for the Northern District of Texas hear Garland’s bankruptcy cases, and Marcus Leinart holds admission to both its trial court and its bankruptcy court. His Texas license dates to 1995 and the firm to 2005, and his memberships include the Dallas Bar Association as well as the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, or NACBA. Our firm represents debtors, not the lenders and collectors pursuing them.

Filing Experience That Shapes Every Case

Bankruptcy trustees review petitions against consistent standards, and experience with those standards helps a case move without unnecessary delay. Our firm brings years of filings to that preparation, and our attorneys know which entries typically prompt follow-up requests so they can be documented in advance.

• A caseload measured in thousands of consumer filings

• More than 15 years devoted to consumer bankruptcy and debt relief

• A firm that grew from one employee into a multi-attorney practice

• Client stories from filers whose cases reached discharge

Understanding Bankruptcy Cases

Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 and What Qualifies

The two consumer chapters serve different purposes, and the choice depends on income, property, and what the filer hopes to protect.

• Chapter 7 is a liquidation chapter, though exemptions mean most filers give up nothing

• Chapter 13 is a reorganization in which the filer makes payments to a trustee for three to five years

• Eligibility for Chapter 7 is measured by comparing household income with the Texas median, after allowable expenses

• Chapter 13 requires regular income and debts within federal limits

• Both chapters trigger the automatic stay, which halts collection, lawsuits, garnishment, and foreclosure upon filing

• Secured debts such as mortgages and car loans remain attached to their collateral unless addressed in the case

• Support obligations, most student loans, and recent taxes are not discharged in either chapter

Filers who qualify for Chapter 7 sometimes still choose Chapter 13, most often to protect a home with mortgage arrears or property that exceeds the exemptions. The reverse also occurs, since a Chapter 13 plan that becomes unaffordable can in some circumstances be converted to Chapter 7.

What Are Important Aspects of a Bankruptcy Case?

The preparation that happens before filing has more influence on the outcome than anything that happens afterward, and several common mistakes can be avoided with advance planning.

• Accurate and complete disclosure of income, assets, and debts

• Avoiding transfers of property or large payments to favored creditors before filing

• Timing the petition relative to a lawsuit, foreclosure, or repossession

• Selecting exemptions that protect the property you most want to keep

• Deciding whether to file individually or jointly with a spouse

Filers sign the schedules under oath, so the trustee treats them as accurate, and errors can delay the case or place the discharge at risk. Amendments are possible, but an omission discovered by the trustee is treated differently from one the filer corrects voluntarily.

What Is The Bankruptcy Case Timeline?

A case moves through a defined series of steps, and preparing before filing shortens the time between the first consultation and the petition.

• The filer completes credit counseling with an approved agency

• The petition and schedules are filed, and the automatic stay begins

• The trustee reviews the documents and sets the meeting of creditors

• The filer attends the bankruptcy hearing with the trustee, usually about a month after filing

• A debtor education course is completed

• The discharge is entered a few months later in Chapter 7, or after the final plan payment in Chapter 13

The meeting of creditors is usually brief, and creditors often do not appear. The trustee confirms the filer’s identity, asks whether the schedules are complete and accurate, and inquires about recent transactions and property of value. Most consumer filers do not need to appear in court at any other point in the case.

What Should You Bring to Your Bankruptcy Consultation?

Specific documents allow us to give specific advice, and they also speed up preparation if you decide to file. Gathering them when the first warning signs of unmanageable debt appear, rather than after a lawsuit or foreclosure notice arrives, leaves more options available.

• Pay stubs and the most recent tax returns for everyone in the household with income

• Statements for bank accounts, retirement accounts, and other assets

• Recent statements for each debt, including collection letters

• Mortgage, vehicle loan, and lease documents

• Any lawsuit, judgment, foreclosure notice, or garnishment order

• A list of property sold, transferred, or given away in recent years

Plan on less than an hour for the meeting, at the end of which you will understand whether bankruptcy suits your circumstances and how a filing would affect your credit score going forward.

Garland Bankruptcy Court and Local Resources

Most of Garland lies within Dallas County, and the Northern District of Texas assigns Dallas County filings to its Dallas Division according to the county assignments the court publishes. An overview of how bankruptcy cases proceed in federal court is available from the judiciary, along with information on the two required education courses.

Reach Out to Leinart Law Firm to Schedule a Consultation

The first consultation costs nothing. We will look at your income, debts, and property, recommend a course of action, and explain what it would involve from filing to discharge, or tell you plainly if bankruptcy would not help. Contact us to set up a time to meet, and we will respond promptly.