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Collingswood is a dry borough that somehow became one of the best places to eat in New Jersey, with a whole restaurant row of independent BYOBs packed along Haddon Avenue and a PATCO station that drops you in Center City in about fifteen minutes. That mix is a lot of the town: servers, cooks and small owners living on tips and seasons, plus commuters paying a Philadelphia-adjacent mortgage on a hundred-year-old house. When a slow winter, a medical bill or a credit card balance tips the math the wrong way, it can feel like there is no version of the numbers that works. There almost always is. A bankruptcy lawyer can usually change that math, faster and for less than you would expect.
Filing bankruptcy from Collingswood at a glance
Where your case is filed
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey (Camden vicinage), 401 Market Street, Camden
The 341 meeting of creditors
Held by Zoom as standard practice, so most Collingswood filers never travel to Camden
Sheriff foreclosure sales
Camden County Sheriff, City Council Chambers, 520 Market Street 2nd floor, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at noon
Nearest office
923 Haddonfield Road, Cherry Hill, a short drive up Route 561 from Haddon Avenue
In most cases, yes. The moment you file, the automatic stay stops collections, lawsuits and wage garnishment, usually the same day. A Chapter 7 wipes out unsecured debt like credit cards, medical bills and personal loans, and you can typically keep your home, your car and your retirement accounts. If you have fallen behind on a mortgage and want to save the house, a Chapter 13 lets you catch up the arrears over time on a plan you can actually afford. The right chapter depends on your income and what you want to protect, which is exactly what the free consult is for.
What it costs
Your first call is a free consultation with Mike, the attorney, not a screener reading off a script. Fees are flat and predictable, so you know the number before you commit to anything, and we offer payment plans because most people call us precisely when money is tight. Qualifying Chapter 7 filers may be eligible for our $999 flat fee. If you would rather just talk it through first, call (609) 808-3300.
What actually happens after you file
Collingswood cases run through the Camden vicinage at 401 Market Street, but here is the part that surprises people: the 341 meeting of creditors is held by Zoom as standard practice, so you rarely set foot in Camden at all. You handle it from your kitchen table. And if you ever want to sit down in person, our office at 923 Haddonfield Road in Cherry Hill is just up Route 561, minutes from the Collingswood PATCO station.
If a foreclosure has already started
New Jersey is a judicial foreclosure state, so the process moves through court and it takes time, which usually works in your favor. Camden County sheriff sales are held at the City Council Chambers, 520 Market Street, 2nd floor, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at noon. Even once a sale date is set, New Jersey lets you request two adjournments of up to 30 days each, and you have a 10-day right of redemption after the sale. Best of all, a bankruptcy filed before the sale generally stops it, and a Chapter 13 gives you a structured way to catch up and keep the house.
You do not have to have it all figured out before you call. Reach Mike directly at (609) 808-3300 and let’s find the version of the numbers that works.
NJ Bankruptcy Court
Where your Collingswood case is filed
A bankruptcy filed from Collingswood 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 Collingswood
Most people we help in Collingswood file under one of these three chapters. Here is how each one works and who it fits.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Collingswood
Wipe out debt and start fresh
Chapter 7 is the fastest path to a fresh start. For most people in Collingswood 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 Collingswood 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 Collingswood 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 Collingswood 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 work in one of the Haddon Avenue restaurants and my income is mostly tips. Can I still file bankruptcy?
Absolutely. Tipped and seasonal income is completely normal in a bankruptcy case, and it does not disqualify you. We look at your real earnings over time, not one good or bad week, to figure out whether Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 fits. Plenty of Collingswood service-industry workers file every year and come out the other side with a clean slate.
Can bankruptcy stop a wage garnishment from my Collingswood paycheck?
Yes. The automatic stay takes effect the moment your case is filed, and it legally requires an employer and creditors to stop garnishing your wages, usually the same day. If a creditor has already won a judgment and started taking money out of your check, filing is often the fastest way to make it stop and to protect the paycheck you count on.
There is a Camden County sheriff sale scheduled on my house. Is it too late?
Probably not. Camden County sheriff sales are held at 520 Market Street on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at noon, and a bankruptcy filed before that sale generally stops it. New Jersey also lets you request two adjournments of up to 30 days each and gives you a 10-day right of redemption after a sale. The sooner you call, the more options you have, so do not wait for the date to arrive.
I own an older home in Collingswood. Will I lose it if I file?
In most cases, no. Many people keep their home, car and retirement accounts through bankruptcy. New Jersey filers use the federal exemptions, which protect a meaningful amount of home equity, and if you are behind on the mortgage a Chapter 13 lets you catch up the missed payments over time while you stay put. We will map out exactly what is protected before you file anything.
Ready for a fresh start in Collingswood?
Free consultation over phone or Zoom. No obligation, just honest answers.
