Bankruptcy Attorney
What Should I Expect from a Bankruptcy Attorney?
Bankruptcy Attorney, like most legal matters, is a process and the safest route is to have an attorney guide you through the process if you want to succeed.
A good bankruptcy attorney will give you peace of mind if they provide at least these four things:
- An initial consultation – usually free! – to get an overview of your case
- Advice on options available, including what type of bankruptcy to file
- Completed paperwork necessary for filing bankruptcy
- Representation when the case goes to court.
Making guesses about how much you owe and who you owe it to is not a good idea. The attorney will want some paperwork that backs up your answers on how many assets you have and how much you owe. Don’t hold anything back if you want an honest and accurate assessment of your situation. The advice you’re attorney gives you is only as good as the information you provide.
When the attorney has enough documented evidence to evaluate your case, he should offer advice on how to proceed. A good attorney does not always recommend filing bankruptcy. It’s possible your problem could be resolved through less drastic means like debt settlement or maybe even a debt management program.
If your decision is to file bankruptcy, the next thing to expect from an attorney is filing paperwork with the court. Remember that the attorney is there to protect as many of your assets as he/she can, so chime in on what is most important to you.
Do I Need a Bankruptcy Attorney?
Consumers may choose whether to hire an attorney or represent themselves in filing bankruptcy, but as the numbers cited above from the American Bankruptcy Institute clearly demonstrate, hiring an attorney is a huge advantage.
The math on this subject is overwhelming:
Only one in 25 consumers using an attorney is denied a discharge when filing Chapter 7. One out of three who files on their own, do not receive a discharge.
Only about one in 50 consumers filing for themselves in Chapter 13, receives a discharge. Hire a lawyer and your chance for success is better than four-out-of-10.
The reasons are fairly obvious. Bankruptcy Lawyer is a complex subject. Creditors want to get paid by consumers who say they don’t have the money. Lawyers on both sides are trying to convince judges that their client is right.
If you are not experienced in filing legal documents or arguing your case persuasively, you could lose on ridiculously simple mistakes. An experienced attorney knows what papers must be filed and what deadlines must be met. An experienced attorney knows the judges involved and what arguments they must make to get the result.
Not only that, completing the paperwork incorrectly can have disastrous results. It’s entirely possible that the Chapter 7 trustee can sell your house because of a paperwork error! Those types of mistakes do not typically occur when using an attorney, but occur frequently for people filing on their own.