Wesley D. Wornom, Attorney at Law, represents people throughout Northern Virginia including residents of Prince William County, Woodbridge, Dale City, Lake Ridge, Occoquan, Montclair, Dumfries, Quantico, Quantico Marine Base, Manassas, Manassas Park, Gainesville, Haymarket, Catharpin, Bristow, Stafford, Fairfax, King George, Caroline, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, Loudoun County, and Fauquier County.

The information you obtain on this site is not, nor is intended to be, legal advice. You should contact an attorney for individual advice on your own situation.

Bankruptcy FAQs

We get numerous questions about bankruptcy and how we can help. Below are a few of our most frequently asked questions and their answers.

Will bankruptcy take away all of my debts?
Bankruptcy is a legal process to give you relief from your debt. Without all the legal jargon, in some cases, your debt can be forgiven entirely, in others a payment plan will be developed to repay at least a portion of your debt, and in others some debt may still remain for you to pay in full. Some debts have special status and cannot be discharged such as some tax debts, child support, alimony and certain other kinds. Secured debts (car loans and mortgages) are generally not eliminated unless you surrender the asset securing the debt.

What is Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
This is generally referred to as a liquidation bankruptcy, or personal bankruptcy, and is the kind of bankruptcy most people are referring to when they use the term “bankruptcy.” In this kind of bankruptcy, your situation must pass a "Means Test," and then the process can be started.  The Means Test is basically a filter for all bankruptcy cases, to make sure that individuals qualify to file for this particular kind of bankruptcy. If you are determined to pass the Means Test, we will then proceed with the filing of your bankruptcy, whereby your assets can be liquidated to pay your debts equally among your creditors.Your debts will then be paid, or discharged*. We will walk you through the process, so you won’t get discouraged or confused by the paperwork or proceedings, once we’ve determined that this is the best way to relieve your debts.

What is Chapter 11 Bankruptcy?
This type of bankruptcy is generally for use by corporations or partnerships, or individuals with large amounts of assets and debts, and is also called “Reorganization.” We do NOT practice this type of bankruptcy.

What is Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?
This is meant for individuals and small business owners (sole proprietors) who would like to repay their debts, but have fallen on hard financial times. Basically, this is a plan to pay part of your debts over time (no longer than 60 months).

Give us a call and we can help you decide which option is right for you. Once you come in for your consultation, we can decide which Chapter is right for you.Our goal is to get you debt free as soon as possible. 

*Some debts will not be discharged in full, such as alimony or child support, and some tax debts.