Free ConsultationNo obligation, just honest advice
Payment PlansFlexible payment options
100% VirtualMeet over Zoom, never leave home
Come off Parkway exit 67 or head down Route 9 and a lot of Barnegat looks brand new: the gated 55-and-over communities, Heritage Point, Four Seasons at Mirage, and the rest, built for people who worked their whole lives and moved down to the shore to enjoy it. The trouble is that a fixed income doesn’t flex. When a medical bill lands, a property-tax bill jumps, or a spouse’s pension check goes away, the credit cards fill the gap, and on Social Security they are almost impossible to catch back up. If that is where you are, bankruptcy is not a failure. It is the tool built for exactly this.
Filing bankruptcy from Barnegat at a glance
Where your case is filed
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey (Trenton vicinage), 402 East State Street, Trenton
The 341 meeting of creditors
Held by Zoom as standard practice; most filers never travel to Trenton
Sheriff foreclosure sales
Ocean County Sheriff, Justice Complex, 120 Hooper Avenue, Toms River; advertised on consecutive Thursdays
For debt built on a fixed income, credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans, the answer is usually yes, and it comes with a relief most retirees don’t expect: your retirement is protected. Social Security is exempt in bankruptcy, and so are most pensions and retirement accounts. Filing puts the automatic stay in place the same day, which stops collection calls, lawsuits, and any garnishment immediately, and a Chapter 7 discharge typically wipes out the unsecured debt for good. Most filers keep their home and their car. The point is to send your monthly check to living expenses instead of to a credit card company.
What it costs
The first consultation is free, and you will talk with Mike, not an intake screener. Fees are flat and predictable, with payment plans available. Qualifying Chapter 7 filers may be eligible for the $999 flat fee. Book a free consultation and we will tell you honestly which chapter fits and what it would run.
What actually happens after you file
Ocean County cases are filed in the District of New Jersey, Trenton vicinage, at 402 East State Street. That is a long way up the Parkway, but it almost never matters: the 341 meeting of creditors is held by Zoom as standard practice, so most filers never make the trip. We prepare everything by phone and Zoom, and if you would rather sit down in person, our Egg Harbor Township office is about 40 minutes south of Barnegat.
If a foreclosure has already started
New Jersey foreclosure is judicial, so a lender has to win in court before your home can be sold. Ocean County sheriff sales are handled out of the Justice Complex at 120 Hooper Avenue in Toms River and advertised on consecutive Thursdays before the sale. State law lets you adjourn the sale twice, up to 30 days each time, and New Jersey gives you a 10-day right of redemption even after the sale. Filing bankruptcy before the gavel falls generally stops it, and a Chapter 13 can let you catch up over time. The earlier you call, the more options stay open.
If your monthly check is going to credit cards instead of to you, let’s fix that. The consultation is free, everything can happen by phone or Zoom, and you will know where you stand after one call: (609) 808-3300.
NJ Bankruptcy Court
Where your Barnegat case is filed
A bankruptcy filed from Barnegat goes through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey (Camden vicinage). Mike practices there regularly and stays with your case from the first call through discharge.
We help people across Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland County and throughout New Jersey.
Your bankruptcy options in Barnegat
Most people we help in Barnegat file under one of these three chapters. Here is how each one works and who it fits.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Barnegat
Wipe out debt and start fresh
Chapter 7 is the fastest path to a fresh start. For most people in Barnegat who qualify, it clears credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, and most other unsecured debt in about three to four months, and it stops collection calls, lawsuits, repossessions, and wage garnishment the day we file.
Whether you qualify depends on the New Jersey means test, which compares your household income to the state median. Most of our Barnegat clients keep everything they own. New Jersey lets you choose the set of exemptions that protects the most, so your home, your car, and your retirement are usually safe.
Chapter 13 is for people in Barnegat who are behind on a house or a car, owe back taxes, or earn too much to qualify for Chapter 7. Instead of liquidating, you keep your property and repay what you can over a three- to five-year plan, often for a fraction of what you owe.
It is the strongest tool we have to stop a foreclosure or a repossession and make a lender accept your missed payments over time. When you finish the plan, the remaining qualifying balances are discharged.
Subchapter V is a streamlined Chapter 11 built for small business owners. If you run a business in or near Barnegat that is buried in lease payments, equipment loans, or merchant cash advances, it lets you reorganize that debt and keep operating, without the cost and delay of a traditional Chapter 11.
You stay in control of the business, propose a plan to repay creditors from future earnings, and in most cases keep your ownership. Mike has represented business debtors in reorganizations across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Mike has represented many people in bankruptcy and focuses his practice on it across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
No Bait and Switch
Other lawyers may sell you on filing a bankruptcy and then pass your case off. With us, you work with the same lawyer from start to finish.
Always a Live Person
Other lawyers may use AI to handle their calls. With us, you always get a live person.
Common questions
I am retired and living on Social Security. Can they take it if I file?
No. Social Security is protected in bankruptcy, and most pensions and retirement accounts are exempt too. Filing is meant to clear the unsecured debt your fixed income cannot keep up with, so your monthly check goes to living, not to a credit card company. We will show you exactly what is protected in the free consultation.
Do I have to drive up the Parkway to Trenton for court?
Almost certainly not. Ocean County cases belong to the Trenton vicinage on paper, but the 341 meeting of creditors runs by Zoom as the standard practice, so most filers never make the trip. If you would rather meet in person, our Egg Harbor Township office is about 40 minutes south.
I got a sheriff sale notice on my Barnegat home. How much time do I have?
More than the notice makes it feel like. Ocean County sales run out of the Justice Complex in Toms River, you can request up to two adjournments of up to 30 days each, and New Jersey gives you a 10-day right of redemption even after a sale. A Chapter 13 filed before the sale can stop it and let you catch the arrears up over time.
Will I lose my house and car if I file?
Most filers keep both. New Jersey filers can use the federal exemptions, which protect a range of home equity and a vehicle, and if you have fallen behind on a mortgage or car loan, Chapter 13 can catch the arrears up while you keep the property. We will run your specific numbers before anything is filed.
Ready for a fresh start in Barnegat?
Free consultation over phone or Zoom. No obligation, just honest answers.
