Happy Friday!
As everyone keeps digging out from the snow, think about your financial future.
Make 2016 the year to take control over debts and get a fresh start. Call us today at 981-9000 to set up your free consultation and find out why Giles & Lambert is the firm to help you!
Our payment plan packages offer comprehensive services, from credit reports to tax transcripts to follow-up credit report monitoring.
Find out how we can get you on the road to living debt free!

Monday, January 25, 2016 Court Delays:

Chapter 7 341 Hearings in Danville will start at 11:00 a.m. This means all cases are moved back 2 hours. If your hearing was at 9 a.m., it will be at 11:00 a.m. We advise afternoon clients to come approximately 1 to 1.5 hours after their originally scheduled time, as the trustee may catch up some over the normal lunch break.
Anna Crandall is attorney appearing for the firm.

US Bankruptcy Court, Roanoke:
All hearings will start at 11:00 a.m. All 9:30 a.m. hearings will be held at 11:00 a.m.

Office Hours Monday, January 26, 2016:
Blacksburg: Closed
Roanoke: 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Martinsville: Tentatively 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 Giles & Lambert PC (all locations) will be closed Friday, Jan. 22 due to the weather.

If you are looking to set an appointment, please go to our main website and send us an email! I’ll be monitoring emails and responding and we will be ready to tackle your debt issues starting Monday!

Need some good cheap fun with kids while it is snowing?

Classic Snow Cream
8 Cups (clean) snow
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowcream
•1/2 Hershey’s chocolate syrup
•1/4 cup peanut butter
•1/4 cup milk or cream
•1 tsp vanilla
•8 cups clean snow

Chocolate Peppermint Snowcream
•8 cups clean snow
•1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
•1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
•1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Mix well. Serve quickly! Enjoy!

Stay warm and safe!

Well, the forecast is so bad, the Chapter 7 Trustee has announced all 341 hearings for Friday, January 22, 2016 have been postponed to Monday, February 1, 2016. This is only the 2nd time in 23 years I can recall these hearings being cancelled due to weather!
Your hearing will be at the exact same time, but just on the new date.
Please let us know if you have any questions.

The Martinsville office is opening late today (Thursday, January 21, 2016) due to slippery road conditions. We expect to be open by 10:00 a.m.

With a forecast for the region’s first big snow set for this Friday, two common situations occur:

1. My kids (and all those in the Valley) are doing the snow dance non-stop, hoping to get out of school.
2. Clients are calling asking about Court on Friday.

This is the scoop: the 341 Meeting of Creditors (the bankruptcy hearing where you appear before your Trustee) will be held. The government office which is in charge of these hearings has only cancelled them once in 23 years that I can recall.

So, if you can get there safely, do so. If it is not possible, or extremely dangerous based on the road conditions or where you live, let us know. Each client with a hearing on Friday is being emailed my personal contact info. If you cannot make it, call, text or email me so that I know and can make arrangements for a continuance.

Be safe, Be warm. And keep working on being debt free.

If you were counting on the winning lottery ticket this weekend to pay off your debts, but were left out in the cold — we can still help!
Yes, we know the jackpot has grown even larger, but your odds of resolving debt via help through the bankruptcy system are much, much, much better than 1 in 272 million!
So, instead of wasting your money on more losing lottery tickets, come see us for a free bankruptcy consultation.
We can offer real life solutions with incredibly better odds!

I received this great testimonial from a Chapter 13 client who just finished a five year plan today:

“Giles and Lambert is an excellent company to work with if you are going to file any type of bankruptcy. Four years ago my finances were a mess and everyday it seemed that there was no way out. Just like a lot of things in life you just keep dealing with it and hoping that one day it might get better. I started using credit cards and different loans 25 years ago. I am now 49 years old and as of January 1, 2016 I am completely debt free thanks to Malissa, Tracy and the Roanoke office. I have five kids who are all grown. They see a happier dad today and will also benefit financially as well.”
– MK, Chapter 13 client finishing 5 year plan

Shouldn’t 2016 be your year to start fresh!

Solutions to your debt problems.
Our bankruptcy packages include triple credit reports, obtaining your IRS transcripts, all bankruptcy court and state court filing fees, both of your mandatory credit counseling courses, and a follow-up credit reporting monitoring program with one of our partners. We try to make sure there are no outside costs and you know what you are paying for up front!
Make 2016 your year to start fresh and put debts in the past!

The Washington Post published a photo essay this past year by photographer Brittney M. Powell which was inspired by the photographer’s own personal debt.  In the photographs, she tries to capture the stress, burdens and loneliness that living with debt can bring upon people.

You can access the story and photographs at:

Read the full story

It takes bravery for folks to talk about their personal situations publically, but doing so often can make you realize you are not alone.  According to the Post article (and we know from the experience of our practice), living with tens of thousands of dollars of debt is now a common American experience. Families have more than twice as much debt than they did in the 1950s.

If you are one of these families, know that there are solutions to help remove you from that storyline.  Call or email us to set up an appointment and see what we can do for you today.

You may start 2016 with debts, but you don’ t have to end it that way.