Western District of Washington Bankruptcy Attorneys

Filing Bankruptcy in the Western District of Washington

If you live west of the Cascades, your bankruptcy case is filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington. The district covers the Puget Sound region and the coast — King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Kitsap, Whatcom, Skagit, Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Island, San Juan, Clark, Cowlitz, Pacific, Wahkiakum, and Skamania counties. Cases are administered out of the Seattle and Tacoma courthouses, and the Vancouver area is served through the Tacoma division. Majors Law Group, P.C. represents Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 clients throughout the Western District.

Counties and Cities in the Western District

• King County — Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Federal Way, Auburn
• Pierce County — Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, Gig Harbor
• Snohomish County — Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville, Edmonds
• Thurston and Mason Counties — Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Shelton
• Kitsap County — Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard
• Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan Counties — Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Oak Harbor
• Clark and Cowlitz Counties — Vancouver, Camas, Longview
• Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific and Clallam Counties — Aberdeen, Centralia, Port Angeles

What to Expect in a Western District Case

Your case starts when the petition, schedules, and statements are filed electronically. Before filing you complete a credit counseling course; after filing you complete a debtor education course. Roughly a month after filing, you attend the meeting of creditors — the 341 meeting — where the Chapter 7 trustee or Chapter 13 trustee asks questions under oath about your paperwork. In the Western District these meetings are commonly held remotely by telephone or video, which means most clients never set foot in a courthouse. Your attorney appears with you.

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 in Western Washington

In a Chapter 7 case, qualifying debt is discharged in roughly three to four months and Washington exemptions protect your home equity, your vehicle, your retirement accounts, and your household property. In a Chapter 13 case, you repay a portion of your debt through a three- to five-year plan — the tool that can cure a mortgage default, stop a trustee sale, strip a second mortgage in some cases, and stretch out tax or support arrears. Washington also lets you choose between the state exemption scheme and the federal exemptions, and that choice can change your outcome significantly. Our attorneys run both before we file.

Local Rules Matter

Each Washington district has its own local rules, chambers procedures, form plans, and trustee expectations, and the Western District's requirements are not identical to the Eastern District's. Filing under the wrong district's practice invites objections, continued meetings, and delay. We practice in both districts and prepare each case for the court that will actually hear it.

Free Consultation With a Western Washington Bankruptcy Attorney

Whether you are in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Olympia, Bellingham, or Vancouver, we can review your debts, income, and property and tell you which chapter fits — at no cost.