Drowning in debt? Talk to a St. Paul bankruptcy attorney — without the cold calls.

St. Paul is Minnesota's capital city, and its economy reflects that: state government, Ramsey County, the courts, and public institutions are major employers, alongside health care employers such as Regions Hospital, longtime corporate residents such as Ecolab and Securian Financial, and a wide base of colleges, nonprofits, and small businesses. Steady work in government or health care does not make a household immune to financial trouble. Medical bills, a reduction in hours, a family change, or accumulating consumer debt can overwhelm a budget in St. Paul just as anywhere else, and bankruptcy is the legal tool Congress created for exactly that situation.

For St. Paul residents, the bankruptcy court is close to home. Ramsey County cases are assigned to the St. Paul division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota, which sits in the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and United States Courthouse at 316 North Robert Street in downtown St. Paul. Minnesota filers also have a choice that residents of many other states do not: because Minnesota allows use of the federal bankruptcy exemptions, you can elect either Minnesota's state exemptions or the federal exemptions, depending on which better protects your house, car, household goods, and retirement savings. The right choice varies from household to household.

A bankruptcy attorney who regularly handles Ramsey County cases will know the St. Paul division's judges, the trustees assigned to Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases there, and local practice at the meeting of creditors. That experience helps with the decisions that matter most in a consumer case: whether Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 fits your income and goals, which exemption set to elect, how to deal with a car loan or tax debt, and how to respond if a creditor has already sued or started garnishing wages. A consultation with a local attorney can clarify these options before you commit to anything.