Family Law

• Child Support
  A: No, child support is a protected debt and may not be discharged in a Chapter 7. You may be able to file a Chapter 13, which may enable you to get caught up on your back child support and at the same time get rid of other debt which may have caused you to fall behind on your support to begin with.
• Spousal Support
  Rights in: a Social Security benefit; unemployment compensation and any other public assistance benefit; a veterans benefit; a disability or illness benefit; alimony, support, or separate maintenance to the extent reasonably necessary for support of the debtor and dependents of the debtor; a payment or a portion of a payment under a pension, annuity, or similar plan or contract on account of illness, disability, death, age, or length of service.

Criminal Law

• Wrongful Death
  Right to receive property traceable to: 1) an award under a crime victim’s reparation law; 2) payment on account of the wrongful death of an individual of whom the debtor was a dependent to the extent reasonably necessary for support and maintenance; 3) payment under a life insurance contract that insured the life of an individual of whom the debtor was a dependent, to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor or a dependent of the debtor; 4) a payment not to exceed $15,000 in value on account of personal bodily injury of the debtor or an individual of whom the debtor was a dependent; 5) any restitution payments made pursuant to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Act.
• Fraud
  A: No, there is no federal law that requires a creditor to settle your debt. Often creditors may opt to settle your debt, but it is not a result of any federal law and often has nothing to do with any bargaining ability companies advertising such a program claim. The truth is, many creditors will settle a debt with you if you are behind on payments, and they believe it is unlikely they will be able to collect the entire debt from you. Often you can settle your debt for anywhere between 40% to 60% of what you owe as long as it is in an upfront payment but be careful to get it in writing! If you believe you are the victim of a fraud related to debt settlements or any other consumer fraud you should contact your State Attorney General’s office.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  The debtor’s interest in structured settlements, resulting from personal injury to the debtor or the debtor’s dependents or the wrongful death of a decedent upon which the debtor or the debtor’s dependents were dependents to the extent reasonably necessary for support of the debtor or the debtor’s dependents.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Buckrop & VanDeVelde, P.C. has been locally known and trusted in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois for over 30 years. We are located just across the Centennial Bridge in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. Our practice is limited, focusing primarily on consumer and business bankruptcy and related fields including foreclosure defense, debt collection defense, consumer protection, and bankruptcy estate planning.

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  Once you have decided to pursue bankruptcy protection under Chapter 7, you will undoubtedly be curious as to what this process may look like. This page is intended to provide you with a general overview of the Chapter 7 bankruptcy process in Illinois and Iowa. Of course, our lawyers and staff are available to help guide you through this process every step of the way.
• Foreclosure
  We understand the stress and anxiety of debt, collection calls, foreclosure, repossession, and the decision of whether or not to file bankruptcy. We are here to listen to you, provide answers to your questions, and assist you in getting your financial life back on course. We are here to help you understand your options and to assist you in exercising your legal rights.
• Debt Collection