Chapter 12 Bankruptcy Lawyer
Chapter 12 is built for family farmers and commercial fishermen. It lets you restructure debt around your real harvest or season, stop foreclosure and repossession, and keep the operation running. Our Chapter 12 bankruptcy lawyer makes it manageable and affordable across Philadelphia and South Jersey.
Keep the operation running
Chapter 12 works like a streamlined Chapter 13 made for agriculture and fishing, with higher debt limits and plan payments that can be timed to seasonal income. You stay in control of the farm or boat while you reorganize. No need to come to an office, and no judgment from us. We serve people across Greater Philadelphia and all of South Jersey.
What Chapter 12 does
- Restructure farm or fishing debt into an affordable plan
- Stop foreclosure, repossession, and collection
- Time plan payments to your harvest or season
- Cram down secured debt to the value of the collateral
Who it is for
- Family farmers with regular annual income
- Commercial fishermen with regular annual income
- Operations under the Chapter 12 debt limit
- Owners who want to keep operating while they reorganize
The Chapter 12 Roadmap
A clear path to restructuring your debt while you keep working.
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1
Step 1 of 10
Free consultation
Phone or Zoom, zero obligation. We review your operation, your debts, and your income.
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2
Step 2 of 10
We confirm you qualify
Chapter 12 is for family farmers and commercial fishermen with regular annual income, under the debt limit, with most debt tied to the operation. We check your numbers and tell you honestly if it fits.
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3
Step 3 of 10
Credit counseling
A quick, required online course before we can file. About an hour.
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4
Step 4 of 10
We gather your financials
Your books, debts, assets, and recent operating numbers. You pull what you have, we organize the rest.
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5
Step 5 of 10
We file
The moment we file, the automatic stay stops foreclosure, repossession, and collection. You keep running the operation.
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6
Step 6 of 10
A Chapter 12 trustee is appointed
A trustee is assigned to administer your plan payments. You stay in control of the farm or boat.
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7
Step 7 of 10
We build your plan
A repayment plan over 3 to 5 years, shaped around your operation and timed to seasonal income.
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8
Step 8 of 10
Plan confirmation
The court approves your plan, and your creditors must follow it.
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9
Step 9 of 10
You make your payments
You keep operating and make your plan payments through the trustee.
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10
Step 10 of 10
Discharge
After you complete the plan, the court discharges remaining qualifying debt. You keep the operation and move forward.
Chapter 12 questions
Who qualifies for Chapter 12?
Family farmers and commercial fishermen with regular annual income, whose debts fall under the Chapter 12 limit and come mostly from the farming or fishing operation. We confirm eligibility for you before anything is filed.
Can I keep farming or fishing during the case?
Yes. You stay in control of the operation and keep working while you reorganize. That is the whole point of Chapter 12.
How is Chapter 12 different from Chapter 13?
Chapter 12 has higher debt limits and is built for agriculture and fishing, including plan payments that can be timed to seasonal income and stronger tools to cram down secured debt.
How long does Chapter 12 take?
The repayment plan generally runs 3 to 5 years. Relief starts immediately, since the automatic stay stops collection the moment we file.
Can I do this from Philadelphia or South Jersey without coming in?
Yes. We handle everything over phone and Zoom, from your first call through your filing.