If you have come to the conclusion that filing for bankruptcy is the only way to save yourself from your mountain of debt, you might wonder if you will need the assistance of a bankruptcy attorney. While the process for filing chapter 7 bankruptcy is fairly straightforward, it is advisable that you do hire on an attorney, simply to ensure that everything is done correctly. Errors can cost you, and you may lose your case. So, presuming you want to play it safe and work with an attorney, here are some suggestions.
There are a couple of things to consider when searching for the right attorney. One is that a good bankruptcy attorney will offer you options for handling your debt, as well as tell you whether or not you really need to even file at all. A second thing to look at is if the attorney is a good fit for you. A big thing to consider is how well the attorney communicates. Do they return your calls promptly? Are they capable of answering any questions you may have about the process or the status of your claim? Are they managing the bulk of the work themselves or are they passing it off an assistant? If they are having much of the work done by an assistant, will you be allowed to speak directly with this person?
Another thing to look at is pricing. As tempting as it may be, using a cheap attorney may not yield the best results. It is possible that they may be sloppy with their work, cut corners, or even pass of much of the work to people who are not qualified or skilled enough to be handling such a case. This does not necessarily mean that a low cost bankruptcy attorney is always going to be a bad one, but it is wise to be careful of one whose prices are well below all others in the area. So while even though you may already feel like you are completely drowning in debt, don’t overlook higher priced firms just because the cost seems overwhelming. You are paying for a very important service, and as you can only file for chapter 7 bankruptcy once every eight years, you need to be sure it’s done properly the first time around.
Also, don’t assume that because a firm handle a large number of bankruptcy claims that this means they are very good. It may in fact be somewhat the opposite—they may be more focused on the number of clients they can pull in, rather than the quality of work they can provide. Also, consider using a firm whose specialty is bankruptcy. These types of attorneys will be better qualified to handle your case.
