Utah bankruptcy counsel
You talk to John.
Not a call center.
Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 for hard-working Utahns who need a practical way forward. Direct attorney access, straightforward fees, and payment plans available.
$899 Chapter 7 attorney fee for a typical consumer case · court fee and required courses separate
Work directly with your lawyer
$899 typical Chapter 7 fee
Payment plans available
English and Spanish
Thousands
of clients helped through bankruptcy and debt relief
Millions+
in client debt discharged through bankruptcy
Since 2010
practicing law in Utah
2 institutions
actively teaching university-level courses
Historical experience and aggregate results. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What happens when you call
Four steps. No handoff maze.
You should know who you are talking to, what your options are, what it costs, and what happens next.
01
Tell John what is happening.
Debt, income, assets, lawsuits, garnishments, repossession, or a foreclosure date. Start with the problem—not a form full of legal jargon.
02
Understand your options.
Chapter 7, Chapter 13, waiting, negotiating, or sometimes not filing at all. The goal is to solve the financial problem, not force every caller into bankruptcy.
03
Know the cost and timing.
You get a clear explanation of the attorney fee, court fee, required courses, payment options, and any deadline that changes the strategy.
04
File and move forward.
If bankruptcy is the right fit, Alta Legal handles the filing, trustee process, creditor issues, and the legal work needed to move toward discharge or a Chapter 13 plan.
What bankruptcy can do
Use the law to create breathing room.
A bankruptcy filing can stop many collection actions immediately. The right chapter depends on what you own, what you owe, your income, and what has already happened before the case is filed.
Stop most garnishments
The automatic stay generally stops wage garnishment and many collection actions once a case is filed.
Stop foreclosure
If bankruptcy is filed in time, Chapter 13 can stop a scheduled sale and provide a path to cure mortgage arrears.
Protect a vehicle
Bankruptcy may stop repossession and can create options for keeping a financed car. A car already repossessed is more complicated.
Discharge qualifying debt
Chapter 7 can discharge many credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, and other unsecured debts.
Straightforward pricing
Competitive fees without the volume-firm experience.
You should know what the attorney fee is, what is separate, and what payment options exist before you sign anything.
Chapter 7
The shorter fresh-start case for people who qualify and need to address unsecured debt.
- Stop most garnishments and collection activity
- Discharge qualifying unsecured debt
- Usually completed in months, not years
$899attorney fee for a typical consumer Chapter 7
Court filing fee and required counseling courses are separate. More complex cases may cost more.
Payment plans available. Ask about options based on how quickly you need to file.
Chapter 13
A three-to-five-year court plan that can protect a home, cure arrears, and reorganize debts.
- Stop a foreclosure sale if filed in time
- Catch up mortgage or vehicle arrears
- May help when Chapter 7 is unavailable or not the best fit
Low-upfront optionsavailable in many Chapter 13 cases
Much of the allowed attorney fee can often be paid through the Chapter 13 plan, subject to the court and your case.
We explain the filing cost and ongoing plan payment before you decide.
Fee information is for typical consumer matters and is not a quote for every case. Court fees, courses, unusual litigation, business issues, tax issues, or other complexity can change the total. Ask for a written fee agreement.
No lecture
Good people can end up with bad financial math.
Job loss. Medical bills. Divorce. A business that did not work. Rising living costs. A lawsuit. Sometimes the numbers simply stop working.
The goal is not to file bankruptcy. The goal is to figure out whether bankruptcy is the best tool for getting you out of the problem.
Why Alta Legal
A bankruptcy practice built around access.
John Christiansen
Utah bankruptcy attorney · university-level instructor · English & Spanish
Bankruptcy is stressful enough without wondering who is actually handling your file. John limits his caseload so clients can work with the lawyer they hired.
01
Personal handling. Strategy and legal decisions stay with the lawyer—not a call-center intake script.
02
Teacher and practitioner. John actively teaches university-level courses at two institutions and previously taught bankruptcy law.
03
Substantial bankruptcy experience. His practice has helped thousands of clients and addressed millions of dollars in debt through bankruptcy cases.
04
No pressure. If bankruptcy is not the right tool, the consultation should tell you that too.
Bankruptcy answers
Read first. Call when you are ready.
The best bankruptcy sites make useful information easy to find. These pages are organized around the questions people actually have—not sections of the Bankruptcy Code.
Start here
Is bankruptcy right for me?
When bankruptcy tends to help, when it may not, and which facts usually change the answer.
Vehicles
Can I keep my car?
Separate the trustee/equity issue from the car-loan issue and understand the choices that matter.
Chapter 7
Reaffirmation vs. retain-and-pay
What reaffirming does, why it can create post-bankruptcy liability, and how Utah ride-through law fits in.
Urgent
Can bankruptcy stop a garnishment?
How the automatic stay affects most wage garnishments and why timing matters for money already withheld.
Home
Can bankruptcy stop foreclosure?
How Chapter 13 may stop a sale and provide time to cure arrears when the case is filed in time.
Debt
What debts can bankruptcy eliminate?
Credit cards and medical bills are only the beginning. Learn which debts are commonly dischargeable and which require special analysis.
Common questions
Start with the question keeping you up at night.
Will I lose everything if I file bankruptcy?
No. Bankruptcy exemptions protect categories of property, and secured property has its own rules. The useful question is not “will I lose everything?” but “what equity do I have, what exemptions apply, and what do I want to keep?”
Can I keep paying for my car after Chapter 7?
Often, but the legal path matters. Depending on the loan and circumstances, the choices can include reaffirmation, redemption, surrender, and in some Utah situations a limited form of ride-through.
How fast does bankruptcy stop a garnishment?
The automatic stay generally arises when the bankruptcy case is filed. Getting notice to the creditor, collection lawyer, sheriff or constable, and payroll quickly helps stop the mechanics of an active garnishment.
What if my foreclosure sale is this week?
Say that at the beginning of the call. A case generally must be filed before the foreclosure sale to stop it, and repeat filings can affect the automatic stay.
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes. Payment options depend on the chapter, how quickly you need to file, and the structure of the fee agreement. We explain the attorney fee, court fee, course costs, and payment timing before you sign.
Does filing bankruptcy mean every debt disappears?
No. Many unsecured debts can be discharged, but some debts are nondischargeable and liens generally require separate analysis. A consultation should identify the debts bankruptcy is likely to help—and the ones it may not.
Free bankruptcy options review
Request information about bankruptcy
Drop us a line if you would like more information about bankruptcy or would like to ask about scheduling a consultation.
Prefer the phone?
385-224-3765
Please do not send confidential or sensitive information through this form, including Social Security numbers, account numbers, detailed financial information, or documents. Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship, provide legal advice, or agree to represent you. It also does not stop collections, lawsuits, garnishments, repossessions, foreclosures, deadlines, or other legal proceedings. A separate written agreement is required before Alta Legal represents you.