The Firm was founded in 1994 by Forrest L. Ingram. The Firm’s founder has always envisioned a small nucleus of intelligent, competent, resourceful attorneys who work together closely in serving clients, with individual attention to client’s special requirements. Thus, the Firm networks with other professionals and hires such attorneys, clerks, and paralegals as are needed at any time to accomplish its clients’ goals. The founder has never wished to expand the core group beyond four additional attorneys.

The Firm has practiced law for 25 years. The primary focus is on bankruptcy law, but they also handle civil litigation and appeals and work with co-counsel in specialty areas such as intellectual property. Attorney Ingram is familiar with the bankruptcy trustees and the major bankruptcy practitioners in the area. He is not affiliated with any bank or mortgage company. Attorney Ingram is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois Bar Association. He is certified to file documents using ECF (Electronic Case Filing), and has filed many cases and other documents using my special password for PACER/ECF. The Firm’s motto is “friendly and professional,” and they live that ideal.

If you have an issue with mounting bills, please contact Attorney Ingram. The first half-hour of consultation is free, whether over the phone or in person. Sometimes, the free consultation has stretched to one hour, depending on the complexity of the problem.

The firm is able to communicate in English, German, French and Dutch. The firm also has employees and associates available to interpret in Polish and Spanish.

Since July 1, 2005, no attorney may file any document in any bankruptcy case in this District unless they are so certified and have been given a password. Attorney Ingram has attended ABI seminars on the new bankruptcy law for the prevention of abuse that will take effect October 17, 2005, and is familiar with its requirements. After October 17, 2005, the cost of bankruptcy will go up because the requirements will be much more stringent and burdensome for debtors and attorneys alike.

The firm handles Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. Please do not allow your financial problems to continue to fester. Contact Attorney Ingram today to get the process of protecting your rights started.

• What chapter should I file under?
  Your particular circumstances will determine the best chapter for you to file under. Choosing the appropriate chapter is very important. The decision whether to file a bankruptcy and under what chapter is an extremely important decision and should be made only with competent legal advice from an experienced bankruptcy attorney after a review of all of the relevant facts concerning your case.

• What is a chapter 11 bankruptcy?
  Chapter 11 is the reorganization chapter available to businesses and individuals that have substantial assets and/or income to restructure and repay their debts. Creditors vote on whether to accept or reject a plan of reorganization that must be approved by the court. Chapter 11 allows flexibility in structuring the reorganization. Some plans may even release a debtor from ongoing contracts such as a commercial lease or service contract. Because of the flexibility, if you think that you are nearing financial trouble, you should consult with an attorney before you reach a financial crisis. There is no debt limit under Chapter 11. However, only a chapter 11 debtor that qualifies as a small business may request expedited treatment under chapter 11. To qualify as a small business, the debtor must be engaged in commercial or business activities, other than the ownership of real property, and the total of its secured plus unsecured debts must be less than $200,000. Due to the expense and complexity of chapter 11, the decision to file a chapter 11 petition should be made in consultation with an attorney. In addition to the filing fee paid to the Clerk, a quarterly fee must be paid to the U.S. Trustee in all chapter 11 cases.

• What is a chapter 13 bankruptcy?
  Chapter 13 is the debt repayment chapter for individuals with regular income whose debts do not exceed $1,000,000 ($250,000 in unsecured debts and $750,000 in secured debts), including individuals who operate businesses as sole proprietorships. It is not available to corporations or partnerships. Chapter 13 generally permits individuals to keep their property by repaying creditors out of their future income. Each chapter 13 debtor proposes a repayment plan that must be approved by the court. The amounts set forth in the plan must be paid to the chapter 13 trustee who distributes the funds for a small fee. Many debts that cannot be discharged can still be paid over time in a chapter 13 plan. After completion of payments under the plan, chapter 13 debtors receive a discharge of most debts.

• What should I do if I cannot make my chapter 13 payments?
  If the debtor cannot make a chapter 13 payment on time according to the terms of the confirmed plan, the debtor should contact the trustee by phone and by letter advising the trustee of the problem and whether it is temporary or permanent. If it is a temporary problem and the payments can be made up, the debtor should advise the trustee of the time and manner in which the debtor will make up the payments. Significant changes in the debtor’s circumstances may require that the plan be formally modified. If the problem is permanent and the debtor is no longer able to make payments to the plan, the trustee will request that the case be dismissed or converted to another chapter. The determination of whether to modify, dismiss or convert a case requires the same kind of analysis as is needed for the initial decision whether to file bankruptcy and under what chapter. Therefore, the debtor should seek counsel from a qualified bankruptcy attorney before attempting to make such a decision. If the debtor delays making a voluntary decision and cannot make the plan payments, the court may dismiss the case.

• What is a chapter 7 bankruptcy?
  Chapter 7 is the liquidation chapter of the Bankruptcy Code. Chapter 7 cases are commonly referred to as straight bankruptcy or liquidation cases, and may be filed by an individual, corporation, or a partnership. Under chapter 7, a trustee is appointed to collect and sell all property that is not exempt and to use any proceeds to pay creditors. In the case of an individual, the debtor is allowed to claim certain property exempt. In exchange for this, the debtor gets a discharge, which means that the debtor does not have to pay certain types of debts. Corporations and partnerships do not receive discharges. Consequently, any individuals legally liable for the partnership’s or corporation’s debts will remain liable. Therefore, individual bankruptcies may be required as well as the corporation or partnership bankruptcy.

• What is a chapter 12 bankruptcy?
  Chapter 12 offers bankruptcy relief to those who qualify as family farmers. There are debt limitations for chapter 12, and a certain portion of the debtor’s income must come from the operation of a farming business. Family farmers must propose a plan to repay their creditors over a period of time from future income and the court must approve it. Plan payments are made through a chapter 12 trustee who also monitors the debtor’s farming operations while the case is pending.

• What is a chapter 9 bankruptcy?
  Chapter 9 is only for municipalities and governmental units, such as schools, water districts, some utility companies and other similar organizations.

• What is a discharge?
  The discharge order is issued by the court and permanently prohibits creditors from taking action to collect dischargeable debts against the debtor personally; this does not prevent secured creditors from seizing collateral if payments are not kept up, or other creditors from pursuing property of the estate. Some debts are not dischargeable, and others may be found to be non-dischargeable depending on particular circumstances.