Finance and Law

10 Key Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Bankruptcy Attorney

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Filing for <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;reasons-need-bankruptcy-lawyer&sol;">bankruptcy<&sol;a> can be a result&comma; you&comma; complicated process&period; First&comma; you get sent a ton of paperwork that looks like it is in a different language&comma; asking for dates you have long since forgotten&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Once you fill out the paperwork and get it sent in&comma; then the worry begins&period; Did I fill out the paperwork right&quest; Did I leave anything out&quest; Will I be denied and have to start the process all over again&quest;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">This process can leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed&comma; and that is why many people reach out to an attorney for help&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">How Can a Bankruptcy Attorney Help&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Typically you will get a free consultation either by phone or in person&period; Either an attorney or one of their staff will talk with you about your <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;ways-get-finances-back-track&sol;">finances<&sol;a> and take down your information&period; Typically you will know by the end of the call if they are willing to take your case or not&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">While not having an attorney does not mean you will be unable to file bankruptcy&comma; it will help speed up the process&period; There are two main types of personal bankruptcy chapter 7 and chapter 13&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Do You Specialize in Bankruptcy Law&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">With all of the laws to file for bankruptcy&comma; you need an attorney who knows all of them&period; Attorneys specializing in bankruptcy will be able to walk you through the process and advise you on your best course of action&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">What Fees Will I Have to Pay&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">There are multiple costs associated with filing bankruptcy&period; First&comma; there is a filing fee&comma; and this fee depends on if you are filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In addition to the filing fees&comma; you will be charged court fees plus what your attorney charges&period; When you meet with your attorney&comma; they will go over the complete list of fees plus their cost&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">What Are the Pros and Cons of Filing for Bankruptcy&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The pros are if you are drowning in debt&comma; this will help you get out of it&period; If you file Chapter 13&comma; you will create payment plans to pay off the debts and keep your stuff&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">If you are filing Chapter 7&comma; your debt is wiped clean&comma; but you cannot keep your items&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The cons are that it will have a negative effect on your credit score for many years&period; You will lose your credit cards and have a difficult time <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;getting-home-improvement-loan&sol;">getting a loan<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Your credit score can even affect your insurance rates or if you can rent a home or apartment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">What Information do I Need When Filing for Bankruptcy&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">With over 140 <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;uscourts&period;gov&sol;forms&sol;bankruptcy-forms" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">forms<&sol;a> available&comma; knowing which ones are needed is difficult&period; This is one of the main reasons why you need an attorney&period; They will know which documents you should use and fill them out with you&comma; and advise you as needed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>What Can I Expect Throughout the Process&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Waiting can make you feel like you are in limbo&comma; unsure of what to do or what the process is&period; Asking your attorney what you can expect will help give you an idea of how the attorney will handle your case and the amount of time it will take&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">How Often Will We Talk&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">You expect your attorney to talk to you to give you updates about your case and know what is going on and the next step&period; At this time&comma; you can also let the attorney what your preferred method of communication is&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Will You or Another Attorney be Assigned to Me&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">It is essential to know who you will be working with and who will represent you&period; If it is another attorney&comma; ask for his name&comma; experience&comma; and specialty&period; If he is available&comma; you can request to speak with him or make an appointment to meet on another day&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">How Long Does the Process Take&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">This is one of the most critical questions&period; Sometimes the legal process can take so long that it seems endless&period; While they may not know the exact amount of time&comma; they have experience with similar cases and should give you an estimate&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Do I Have Any Other Options&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Yes&comma; you do have other options&period; You can call your debtors and talk to them to see if they will work with you&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">There are <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;financing-your-startup-while-managing-debt&sol;">debt management<&sol;a> plans where a management company calls your debtors and arranges payments with them&period; And of course&comma; you can always sell things and find another way to earn extra income&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Conclusion<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Getting in over your head in bills is a scary and stressful place to be&period; It affects not only your finances but also your day-to-day life&period; While it may seem an impossible feat&comma; you can get out of the hole and get free of your debt&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Hardik Patel

Hardik Patel is a Digital Marketing Consultant and professional Blogger. He has 16+ years experience in SEO, SMO, SEM, Online reputation management, Affiliated Marketing and Content Marketing.

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