The immediate, court-ordered halt to most collection activity that takes effect the moment a bankruptcy case is filed.
The automatic stay is the part of bankruptcy that acts fastest. The moment a petition is filed, most collection activity against the debtor has to stop: collection calls, lawsuits, wage garnishment, repossession and foreclosure. It is automatic in the literal sense - no hearing and no separate order is needed - and creditors are bound by it whether or not they have been formally notified.
Its purpose is to freeze the position so that claims can be dealt with in one orderly process rather than by whichever creditor moves fastest.
It is not unconditional. Defined categories are excluded - certain family-support proceedings and various criminal matters among them - a creditor may ask the court to lift the stay as to specific property, and the protection can be shortened or unavailable where there have been recent prior filings.
The stay is often the reason a filing is urgent - a scheduled foreclosure sale or garnishment is the deadline in practice. It is also where the exceptions matter most, because assuming a particular debt is covered when it falls into an exception is a costly mistake.
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