Financial misfortune is part of life due to various reasons – sickness, bad judgment, overall economic instability. Often we are threatened to lose our home due to foreclosure as a result of failure to pay the mortgage installments on time. In such cases, one of the best solutions to your problem will be to file a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy so that you can avoid the most negative repercussions on your financial status. But in order to be successful in this hard undertaking you need a good and reliable bankruptcy attorney who has the necessary skills and desire to help you. It’s better to choose a local attorney since they will be absolutely familiar with the exact procedure followed in your region, and if you are living in the USA it is an absolute must. The best option is to contact someone, who you are familiar with or who was recommended to you by a trusted friend or colleague but in any case you can look for these 3 signs that are a guarantee of a good professional in the field of bankruptcy.
Extensive experience in the field
The first and most important sign of a good bankruptcy attorney is their experience in the field. When you find the name of a person you believe is your future legal representative you can look for them in the respective country association of lawyers to check first and foremost that they are actually professionals registered there and then to see their experience, you can also google them but bear in mind that heaters tend to post more comments round the web so don’t take all the bad (and good for that matter) information at face value. On the website of the legal company of the particular attorney you have chosen, you will usually be able to find a short bio of the person, which will also give you a hint of their knowledge. A good sign is if the person has some experience both in practice or as a study, in any other related field such as accountancy for example.
Reasonable number of cases per year
Do not be seduced by the common pitfall of hiring an attorney you saw on TV boosting to have solved more than 1,000 cases per year. This will only mean that most of the cases are transferred to the assistants or junior colleagues to deal with and only the most well-paying get the attention of the star lawyer. If you want a real person attitude and an attorney who will listen to you and give you proper advice, you need a professional who deals with about 150-180 cases per year. In this example less actually means more – more attention to your individual problem. You should be able to book a consultation and spend a good 3 or 4 hours talking to your bankruptcy attorney and discussing the options and possible outcomes.
Free consultations
Most of the best professionals offer free initial consultations, especially on issues such as filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy or what are the other options for fighting foreclosure. A good sign is also the availability of free advice and comprehensive information that you can find on the site of the particular attorney. It may be in the form of informative posts or free online brochures and books that you might download. This clearly shows that the person in front of you is there to help and not simply take your money.
These were just a few simple tips that will help you recognize a good professional if the time has come for you to a file a bankruptcy. Choose the right attorney and you will be able to overcome this temporary difficulty and return to your normal routine.
