Filing the petition is what triggers the automatic stay — so on a deadline case, the only thing that matters is getting a clean, dismissal-proof skeleton on file in time. The package is small, but the traps are real: a matrix in the wrong format, a missing SSN statement, or a district-specific case-opening rule can turn an emergency filing into a dismissed one.
How a rush case runs
- Tell us the deadline — the sale date, garnishment date, or hearing — and we work backward from it, moving the skeleton to the front of our queue
- We build the petition, the creditor matrix formatted to your district's specification, and the SSN statement, in your Best Case, Jubilee, or NextChapter
- You review, sign, and file — the stay is in place
- Then the 14-day completion clock becomes ours: document collection, full schedules, SOFA, means test, and the district plan form, delivered well inside the window
- One flat per-case fee covers the skeleton and the completion — no emergency surcharge
- Our work is guaranteed: if the trustee kicks something back, we fix it at no charge
District rules make or break skeleton filings
Emergency filings fail on local details. In the Northern District of Texas, the creditor mailing list must be filed with the petition — failure is expressly cause for summary dismissal, and the district enforces a strict matrix format. In the Middle District of Florida, the minimum is the petition, creditor list, and SSN statement, with everything else on the 14-day clock. We track these case-opening rules district by district — see our N.D. Tex. guide and M.D. Fla. guide.
Flat fees, even in a hurry
$300 personal Chapter 7 · $400 business Chapter 7 · $400 Chapter 13 without plan · $500 with plan — skeleton and completion included, no rush surcharge, no retainer, no long-term contract.
Emergency filing questions attorneys ask
What's the minimum needed to get an emergency case on file?
In most districts: the petition, a creditor list or master mailing matrix, and the debtor's Statement About Your Social Security Numbers — with the remaining schedules, SOFA, and means-test forms due on a 14-day clock. District rules vary in ways that bite: the Northern District of Texas requires the mailing list filed with the petition on pain of summary dismissal, so we build the matrix to the district's format before anything goes out the door.
What do you need from us to start a rush skeleton?
The client's identifying information, the creditor list (even a rough one — we format it), the deadline you're working against, and confirmation the credit-counseling requirement is handled. Skeleton packages are small, so once we have those pieces the drafting itself is fast.
Do you charge extra for emergency work?
No. Rush skeletons are handled at our standard flat per-case pricing — no emergency surcharge. The skeleton and the full schedules that follow inside the 14-day window are all part of the same flat fee for the case.
What happens after the skeleton is filed?
The 14-day completion clock starts, and we treat it as ours: we calendar the deadline, run document collection, and deliver the full schedules, SOFA, means test, and (in a Chapter 13) the district's plan form well inside the window — filing-ready in your software for your review and signature.
Services are provided exclusively to licensed attorneys and law firms. We are not a bankruptcy petition preparer and do not provide legal advice or services to the public.