It is important for the debtor to cooperate with the trustee and to provide any financial records or documents that the trustee requests. The Bankruptcy Code requires the trustee to ask the debtor questions at the meeting of creditors to ensure that the debtor is aware of the potential consequences of seeking a discharge in bankruptcy such as the effect on credit history, the ability to file a petition under a different chapter, the effect of receiving a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt. Some trustees provide written information on these topics at or before the meeting to ensure that the debtor is aware of this information.

In order to preserve their independent judgment, bankruptcy judges are prohibited from attending the meeting of creditors.

Conversion from Chapter 7

In order to accord the debtor complete relief, the Bankruptcy Code allows the debtor to convert a chapter 7 case to case under chapter 11, 12 or 13 as long as the debtor is eligible to be a debtor under the new chapter. However, a condition of the debtor's voluntary conversion is that the case has not previously been converted to chapter 7 from another chapter. Thus, the debtor will not be permitted to convert the case repeatedly from one chapter to another.

More information on later stages of a Chapter 7 case:

• The Chapter 7 Debt Discharge
• Debts that Remain After a Chapter 7 Discharge
• Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Property Under Chapter 7
• The Case Trustee, Claims, and the Bankruptcy Estate
• Counseling and Debt Education