A Chester County debtor should advise their attorney about any prior filings. In addition, just to be safe, a Chester County bankruptcy lawyer should also ask their clients and check the PACER system to see if the person has filed before. Why is this important?
For starters, you have to disclose it to the Bankruptcy Trustee. Also, you must know there are potential restrictions on a person who has previously filed. A person cannot file a subsequent Chapter 7 for 8 years after the discharge date of their prior bankruptcy. A person may have a limited automatic stay if they previously filed a Chapter 13 within a year. A person may have a "no-discharge" Chapter 13 if they received a Chapter 7 discharge within the past 6 years.
As you can see, even if you don't remember the rules, you must remember one thing -- tell your Chester County bankruptcy attorney about your prior filings.