I’ve written some guides about all sorts of debt-related issues, but for some reason, I’ve never written one about how to find a great bankruptcy attorney. So here goes.
Having lived through bankruptcy myself, I am very familiar with what I felt when searching for a bankruptcy attorney. It’s bad enough suffering in silence with debt, but when the time comes for looking for a bankruptcy attorney, that can be a painful exercise. But with the information below, it doesn’t have to be anymore.
Finding a great bankruptcy attorney is like finding a great proctologist. You never hunt for one unless you really, really need them. But here is what you should look for to find the best bankruptcy attorney to help you. Since I’ve never needed a proctologist yet, we will have to wait for that guide.
For me, both as a consumer that needed a bankruptcy attorney and a consumer debt expert that has helped people to get out of debt since 1994, the primary factor I think you need to look for is just basic kindness and communication.
The most talented book smart bankruptcy attorney in the world is no good to anyone if they can’t be open, available, and answer questions. But good attorneys are sometimes very busy so judging a great bankruptcy office begins first with the staff. If the staff isn’t consistently friendly, compassionate, and kind, that’s not a great sign. But you know, everyone has a bad day, so give them a second chance before you make your final judgment.
Start Your Hunt to Find a Great Bankruptcy Attorney
The best place to begin your hunt for a great bankruptcy attorney is to use the internet or talk to my debt coach friend Damon Day to see if bankruptcy might be right for you. Damon is friendly, not confrontational, and will listen to your situation. Most of all, he will tell you the truth.
If you can’t find someone close to you, there is always the good old internet or that retro thing called the yellow pages.
I know you feel very trepidatious about calling a bankruptcy attorney, asking questions, and making an appointment, but you really have nothing to fear. The bankruptcy attorney and their staff have heard every situation in the book, and while your situation is unique to you, it is not unique to them.
Find a Bankruptcy Attorney and Get a Free Appointment
Most bankruptcy attorneys offer free appointments. So after you’ve narrowed your search to that person you think will be best for you, see them. But, of course, there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.
In fact, the bankruptcy attorney is someone you are hiring and paying for, so your opinion and feelings about the matter.
You have nothing to fear about being open with your bankruptcy attorney. You should not feel ashamed or embarrassed in talking to them. They are not there to judge you, and seeking the protection that bankruptcy affords you under the law is not a moral exercise. It is a process to find someone to represent you legally. Bankruptcy is a process, not a confession.
My advice about how to find the right office to help you is a bit like dating. First, you’ve got to trust your gut if this match is right for you.
If you call a bankruptcy office and are not the best communicators or the friendliest to talk to, call another office. In fact, you might want to contact several offices and see if you “connect” with them. Start your search there.
An exceptional bankruptcy attorney and bankruptcy office will make the process easier, not harder. They will realize you feel stressed and apprehensive, as most people are in that situation, making the process as painless as possible.
Filing bankruptcy is basically gathering the facts and data and applying math, the law, and court procedures to achieve the desired outcome.
Not every bankruptcy attorney is great. It’s just like any other profession. There are lazy dentists. There are lazy bankruptcy attorneys.
One issue to watch out for is if the bankruptcy attorney tries to push you into a chapter 13 bankruptcy because it is easier for them. Some do this because they don’t want to spend the time qualifying you for a chapter 7 bankruptcy, and some do it because they can wrap their bankruptcy fee up into a chapter 13 plan to sell a no money down bankruptcy filing. Either way, it’s just lazy.
People can often file a chapter 7 bankruptcy even if they make too much money to meet the income test. Some factors can be considered to help someone, even with substantially more income, qualify for a chapter 7 bankruptcy. But qualifying someone for this takes time and effort on the part of the bankruptcy attorney.
While the bankruptcy fee must be paid first to file a chapter 7 bankruptcy, the biggest benefit of a chapter 7 bankruptcy is your debt is discharged in about 90 days, and you get to learn from the experience you just lived through and move on with your life quickly. Most people pay the fee for the bankruptcy attorney by stopping making payments on their unsecured debt and saving up the money to file.
If you are trying to deal with long-term obligations like a mortgage for a house you want to stay in or even sometimes student loans, chapter 13, in that case, might be a better solution.
It’s perfectly okay to shop around for a great bankruptcy attorney. Filing bankruptcy is a big step in life, and for the vast majority of people who file bankruptcy, they will only do it once in their lifetime.
Finding the best bankruptcy attorney for you can minimize the stress, help you be fully informed and understand the process along the way, and leave you understanding that bankruptcy is not the end of your life. Instead, it’s just the beginning of the next chapter of bigger and better things to come.
A great bankruptcy attorney will help you to dispel the myths of bankruptcy and help you to understand you can easily and quickly rebuild your credit; you will be able to get credit again, you will be able to buy a house and get a job. Almost every single statement you hear that scares you about bankruptcy is just simply not true.
Get the facts about bankruptcy and file bankruptcy with a great bankruptcy attorney with who you feel comfortable and treat you like a valued client.
Finding a great bankruptcy attorney to help you through this process is like having a good friend with you in a difficult time. Take the time to find a great bankruptcy attorney to help you, and you will soon realize that your bankruptcy does not define you; it’s just something you once had to do.
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It’s good to know that most bankruptcy lawyers offer free appointments. Since my aunt’s having a tough time paying all her loans to pay for her child’s college fund, she decided to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy and hire an attorney to guide her. Thanks for your tip to visit some legal representatives and see if they can make the process easier for my aunt.
My aunt has been stacked up by debts and she’s stressed about paying those pending bills. Because of that, she had filed for bankruptcy and is planning to hire an attorney. I agree that an exceptional bankruptcy lawyer will make the process, easier for their client. With that, I’ll find someone where my aunt would feel comfortable sharing her experience.
I can’t stress how important it is to find someone your Aunt can communicate with easily and that has compassionate office staff.
You made a good point that friendliness is a good way to gauge is a bankruptcy attorney is best for you. I think one of the most important things in starting up a business is knowing what to do in the worst case scenarios. I will definitely keep in mind how to go about bankruptcy once the restaurant I’m planning to open starts taking off.
So I wanted to know. Are some bankruptcy attorney’s shady? A couple of years I did a lot of research on bankruptcy and determined that it was something I should do. I even looked up the median income, and our families median income for a family of 6 fell below the median income for our state. I went for a free consultation at a lawyers office. They basically didn’t explain anything to me about the difference between a chapter 13 and chapter 7 bankruptcy. They asked for all of my bills and added them up and then said, ” You’ll be paying 900.00 a month for your bankruptcy.” I asked about a chapter 7 and the lawyer , ” Oh you thought you’d be free and clear didn’t you.” Then he said we made too much money and that was that. Before taxes and insurance my husband and I made about 65,000 a year, but we had 4 kids and we were stuck in a two bedroom house my mom in-law let us stay in because we’ve been in so much debt we can’t afford to move. Something didn’t feel right to me about the lawyer’s office so I walked out. I felt at 900.00 a month there was no point in filing….. we could do that bad by ourselves. So we struggled along for the next two years and managed to pay a little debt with our tax refund and put a little extra on one credit card to get rid of it. Now my husband is jobless, I have just graduated from nursing school and we have a 5th baby on the way. We are still in the same two bedroom house. I make about 50,000 before taxes and now we are behind on credit card bills because my husband is unemployed. I’ve revisited the thought of bankruptcy, but wary of who to trust. I feel like that last lawyer maybe wasn’t honest with me and was pushing for a chapter 13 because maybe it benefited him. And the whole time he never explained anything to me. Just said you’re paying 900 a month and that’s it!
Every field has crappy professionals. As I say in the post, “If you call a bankruptcy office and they are not the best communicators or the friendliest to talk to, call another office. In fact you might want to contact several offices and see if you “connect” with them. Start you search there.”
Keep hunting for a great bankruptcy attorney, they are out there but it sounds like you found a dud.
I was told by an attorney that even though I own a small house I inherited , I could still file for bankruptcy. After i hired him , he told me that having that house disqualifies me.
Sounds like he is not the attorney for you.