Do you find yourself in a deep debt trap? Have you maxed up multiple credit cards and have no means to pay off that debt?
All you can do to make it possible to delete your debt and help yourself out of this situation is hiring a reliable bankruptcy lawyer.
Where to Find a Bankruptcy Attorney?
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Ask for referrals
Your family and your friends are the most trustworthy people for you in such a situation. If any of your family members have worked with a bankruptcy lawyer, you can surely rely on their choice and experience.
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Get a group legal plan
A group legal plan can provide you a free of cost legal assistance. So, if you are a member of any such plans, that is the first place you must reach out to for help.
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Visit a legal aid office
There can be a few legal aid offices offering legal assistance around your area. Although most of these offices do not do bankruptcies, a few of them can be of your help.
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Look for a legal clinic
A lot of law schools offer legal clinics around their institution that offer free legal assistance to the needy or people with a low or moderate level of income.
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Search in online directories
A good directory can provide some useful information about the lawyers like the type of cases they take up, their experience, or their typical fees. So, you can look for a list of bankruptcy lawyers in an online directory.
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Contact lawyer-referral panels
Most of those country bar associations can help you with an elaborate list of all the active bankruptcy lawyers in your area. However, one important thing to note is that the bar association may not screen the lawyer, so make sure to do it by yourself.
Things to Look for in Your Bankruptcy Lawyer
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Experience
It is advisable to choose an attorney who is experienced in this area of the law to make sure that he has enough knowledge base. Also, there’s nothing better than finding a lawyer who has enough experience in handling bankruptcy cases in your area.
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Empathy
Make sure you don’t hire a “dabbler” who is only interested in closing the case as quickly as possible rather than understanding your situation and putting in his best efforts to help you out of it.
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Expense
If you do enough research, you can find a good lawyer who can work with your finances by charging you with reasonable attorney fees.
Signs that the legal help you’ve approached isn’t good enough
Some lawyers are always interested in a quick and out-the-door closing and do not wish to invest enough time in your case. Here are a few clear indications that you’ve approached the wrong person to fight your case:
- If he files a large number of cases each month.
- If he advertises too much.
- If he heavily relies on the non-lawyer support staff to file your case.
- If he fails to manage and file your documents on time.
- If he arrives at hearing without any preparation.
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2 Comments
It’s good to know that online directories exist for finding a bankruptcy lawyer. A friend of mine might need to consult one soon because of the dwindling profits of her business. If operating costs keep eating at her savings, it might be time to call it quits.
My aunt wants to file a bankruptcy case. This is because she maxed out her credit card and was not able to pay for it. After losing her job, she doesn’t think she can find enough money to make up for the costs. With that, I shall then tell her to follow your advice to find an attorney who has broad experience in handling bankruptcy cases in our area to help her come up with a strategy to solve the case.