The Bankruptcy Reform Act, S.256 better known as The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, effective October 17, 2005, requires all parties seeking to file for bankruptcy protection must first receive pre-filing counseling from an Approved non-profit credit counseling agency.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) is an approved bankruptcy counseling provider by the Department of Justice. Before anyone can file for bankruptcy, they must go through credit counseling. Once this counseling session has taken place a certificate will be issued to present to your attorney for filing with the court. In the case of joint filers, both parties are required to complete the counseling session and each receives a Certificate. This counseling session must be completed prior to your filing for bankruptcy protection.