Mass Interaction For Everyday People

You will need to seek out an attorney who specializes in bankruptcy, as it is a specialty.  Unfortunately bankruptcy is a volume business, which leaves many lawyers over worked with not enough time on their hands for individual cases such as yours.  It’s important to find a lawyer who will have time for you, and so your search must start as early as possible.  Many people tend to wait until the last minute to face bankruptcy, but you just can not do that if you wish to have a good lawyer on your side.

This is one of the few cases in which you don’t want to ask your friends for a referral, unless you know that they have gone through bankruptcy themselves.  If you happen to have a personal attorney you may ask them for a referral to a good bankruptcy lawyer.  If your personal lawyer offers to handle your bankruptcy case make sure they know their bankruptcy laws and the procedures in bankruptcy court.  Call the state bar association for a referral to bankruptcy lawyers in good standing.

In order to prepare yourself, and to possibly snag an attorney, plan on spending a day in bankruptcy court.  Observing the attorneys in action will give you a good idea of how you want your lawyer to represent you.  You can also talk with the debtors and ask if they thought their lawyer did a good job.

Once you have your sights on a few good lawyers, schedule to meet them at their offices.  Take in the surroundings and evaluate the level of organization, as you need for your bankruptcy attorney to be highly organized.  Interview your lawyer candidates.  Ask them how many bankruptcies they handle in a year.  Ask how many of their bankruptcy cases are businesses and how many are consumers.  Find out how much access you will have to your attorney leading up to the court date.  Find out if there will be anyone else working on your case, and ask if you may talk to them also.  Ask about the bankruptcy time frame, how long does it all take.  You should be satisfied with the answers to all the questions.  If you see any red flags, move along to the next lawyer.

Although your financial situation is not the greatest right now it’s probably best that you do not hire the cheapest lawyer.  You get what you pay for, and in this situation it is well worth paying a little extra for a lawyer who can devote the time to your case that it deserves.