Bankruptcy Lawyer Indiana

This article is the continuation of a September 2nd post on how to find a competent, experienced Indiana bankruptcy lawyer.  In that post, I offered six tips to retain the right lawyer that meets your needs and who will get the job done.  To that end, below are some more steps the reader should take to find a qualified Indiana bankruptcy attorney. 

7. Ask Questions.  Once you have found some candidates, interview them or someone in their law firm.  Be sure to ask:

a. How many bankruptcies do you handle in a month or in a year?

b. How many of those bankruptcies are consumer or business filings?

c. How much access will I have to an attorney during the pendency of my bankruptcy case?

d. If I’m not working directly with you (the lawyer), with whom will I be working?

e. Can I interview the person with whom I will be working?

f. How much of my time will you require throughout the bankruptcy case?

This is a critical decision, so if you get evasive answers, it is probably a red flag that this is not the firm for you.

8. Evaluate the responses.  Your attorney should be available to answer your questions and to timely return phone calls.  In the end, 90% to 95% of people who file for bankruptcy do not have comploicated issues.  It is, however, important to use the interview process to determine whether you can work well with the whole firm as well as a particular attorney.

9. Understand your role.  Go over time frames and filing requirements with the firm.  Make sure you know what is expected of you because if you do your part, you will increase the likelihood of a successful bankruptcy case.  A lawyer who briefs you on your role is probably a keeper.

10. Do Not Hire the Cheapest Lawyer.  You are obviously filing because you do not have alot of cash to spare.  But like most things in life, taking the cheap route in bankruptcy could cost you even more in the end if a bargain attorney makes mistakes.  If you suffered from brain cancer, would you hire the cheapest brain surgeon?

11. Get fee specifics. Find out exactly what the costs of bankruptcy are.  What services are included in your retention agreement and what are not?

12. Stay involved.  Once you hire a lawyer, do not be content to let him handle it alone.  Double check all filings.  Did any of your creditors get dropped off the list?  Remember, it is not just who you know, but what your lawyer knows, especially since the bankruptcy laws were changed in 2005.

Call our office for a free consultation to discuss personal and/or business issues.

What is worst than declaring bankruptcy? Hiring the wrong lawyer for the job. Nobody wants an incompetent attorney, especially when it’s your financial future that hangs in the balance.

Here are some tips to help you find the best attorney to handle your bankruptcy case.

1. Do not dawdle. Contemplating hiring a bankruptcy attorney has all the allure of selecting a mortician. Waiting until the last minute will not give you the time you need to find a good lawyer. And, it will not give a good lawyer enough time to adequately prepare your case.

2. Don’t ask friends for referrals unless they too have filed for bankruptcy relief. Unless your fellow churchgoer or golf buddy has gone through a bankruptcy, he or she will not have any meaningful leads for you.

3. Rather, ask for suggestions from non-biased legal professionals. Consider who among your circle of acquaintances might know a bankruptcy lawyer. If you have a personal attorney, start there but keep in mind that bankruptcy law is a specialty. If your personal lawyer also handles divorces, criminal defense, personal injury cases, etc., and he/she offers to handle your bankruptcy case, he/she probably is not the right one.

4. Investigate experience. Attorneys who are experienced have been bankruptcy trustees themselves. See if your prospective attorney has been a bankruptcy trustee.

5. Spend a day at creditors meetings. Observing attorneys in action can give you an idea of the lawyer you want representing you. At a creditors meeting, the only statutory required appearance by all debtors, you can get a chance to talk to the debtors and ask them whether they felt their lawyer did a good job. These meetings often are held at the bankruptcy court.

6. Check out the law firm’s offices. You are not looking for how tastefully a lawyer’s office is decorated. Rather, you need to assess how well organized an office is, as well as its general environment. Are the staff friendly, courteous, and professional? Does the lawyer make a good appearance? Does he answer your questions in layman’s terms or is he confusing because he’s speaking in “Legalese?” This office appraisal can give you vital clues as to how a lawyer will handle your case. If you don’t understand what he’s saying, chances are that a trustee or judge won’t understand him either.

We have other suggestions on how to choose the right Indiana bankruptcy attorney as well which will be the subject of future blogs.

In the meantime, we invite you to navigate our website, www.schreiblaw.com, to learn about our law firm, our lawyers, their backgrounds, and the professional services offered by the firm.

This blog is authored by Jeffrey A. Schreiber, the founding lawyer of the firm. For over 26 years, Mr. Schreiber has concentrated his law practice in bankruptcy and business reorganization. He was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice as a private panel Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee and served in that capacity from 1987-2004.