student loans, phone bill

[mattwm]

i am considering chapter7 because of credit card debt and vocational school tuition. 2 questions: would the tuition be dischargable? one attorney said no, annother one yes. here's why: first this was a private company, this was not a govt. or govt. backed loan, second, there was no actual loan, they simply extended me credit, set up a payment plan to pay for tuition after graduation.
second question: what about phone bills? i owe a small amount to u.s.west now known as qwest from about three years ago, about 400 then, plus interest no doubt. this is probably not more than i could arrange to pay, but it's my understanding that you must list everything in a bankruptcy, am i correct in this? will phone bills discharge? are they different in some way? does the small amount make any difference? will i be able to get a phone after bankruptcy?
p.s. the guy who said school tuition would discharge wanted 1100 bucks up front. can i get a good lawyer for less? can i do this myself? mwm denver colorado.

 

[bigun]

You are required to list all creditors when you file. Yes, you can discharge a phone bill and yes you can get a phone post bk. But, it'll be like everything else you do post bk. It'll cost more for a few years.
As for the lawyer fee. How much did he save you on the student loan question? Is that quote inclusive of the filing fee? Sounds like you found a pretty sharp lawyer that took the time to research your situation. Since hoepfully, this is the only time in your life you'll do this, I think it makes sense to spend some money and do itright.

 

[mattwm]

thanks, bigun

Thanks for your answers. That's about what I thought on the phone bill. As for the tuition, and the filing fees. I don't think this guy researched my case specifically. Although he may have known something about it in general. He gave me that opinion during an initial consultation, over the phone, so I don't know if he knows for sure. The tuition is the most pressing issue, so if it wasn't going to discharge, that might affect my decision whether or not to file.
Do you have an opinion on the dischargeability of that? I had a good overall impression of that lawyer, he seemed smart and nice. It's not that I thought 1100 was an unfair price (yes I belive that was including the filing fee), It's just that, as pathetic as it sounds, I'd have a hard time coming up with it. I do want to do it right, and I certainly hope I only do it once! but a higher price doesn't always guarantee better performance. mattwm Denver CO

 

[bigun]

I'm not a lawyer so, I can't pass judgement on your specific question. Why not just grab the bull by the horns and ask point blank has he successfully discharged this sort of debt from this company and has he ever had the request denied? Best of luck!