BK Lawyer Interview Questions

[PhxGuy520]

My GF is going to meet with a BK lawyer this Friday. Can anyone who has been through this provide some good questions to ask the lawyer (and the answer we should be looking for if not obvious)???? I want to avoid the lawyer that wants to do the bare minimum, and just collect his fees?

[lrprn]

My GF is going to meet with a BK lawyer this Friday. Can anyone who has been through this provide some good questions to ask the lawyer (and the answer we should be looking for if not obvious)???? I want to avoid the lawyer that wants to do the bare minimum, and just collect his fees?

Check out these sites - good info about interviewing and selecting a bankruptcy lawyer here:

http://research.lawyers.com/lawyer-interview-questions.html?site=537

http://bankruptcy.lawyers.com/Bankruptcy-Meeting-with-a-Lawyer.html

http://moranlaw.net/interview.html

It's a good idea for your gf to meet with 3-4 different bankruptcy lawyers in your area to understand the best options in her situation and get a feel for the different lawyer personalities. She needs to retain a lawyer who specializes in consumer bankruptcy that she can work with and who will be responsive to her questions and case needs in a timely fashion. HTH!

[SinkingFast]

Another thing you can do is,........... Check your Court's home web page. Find out who the Trustees are. Schedule a Consult appt with one of them. Current and past Trustees really know the system. What they can and cannot file.

You can also check prospective attnys to see how they rate on the Martindale Peer Review:

http://www.martindale.com/

Generally speaking, the better attnys are rated there.

[Spartan]

Another thing you can do is,........... Check your Court's home web page. Find out who the Trustees are. Schedule a Consult appt with one of them. Current and past Trustees really know the system. What they can and cannot file.

You can also check prospective attnys to see how they rate on the Martindale Peer Review:

http://www.martindale.com/

Generally speaking, the better attnys are rated there.

Would those be the private trustees associated with the local BK court then, SF?

What kind of service do they offer to bk'ers, on a private basis?

[SinkingFast]

Would those be the private trustees associated with the local BK court then, SF?

What kind of service do they offer to bk'ers, on a private basis?

Most Local Trustees are practicing BK attnys who file cases for people thru their private practices.

If you hire a Trustee as your attny to file your BK, he/she cannot be the Trustee for your case.

[notgoingasplan]

I would check with multiple lawyers cause one lawyer wanted me to pay him $3000 compare to $875 I found with another to file. The thing is that I actually felt more comfortable with the one that wanted less and felt like I was being taken advantage with on the other.

[FilingOnMyOwn]

I would check with multiple lawyers cause one lawyer wanted me to pay him $3000 compare to $875 I found with another to file. The thing is that I actually felt more comfortable with the one that wanted less and felt like I was being taken advantage with on the other.

Exactly. One wanted to rip you off, and another didn't.

[GoingUnderInNV]

Exactly. One wanted to rip you off, and another didn't.

Personally, I wouldn't go that far. My BK attorney wanted $995 up front (which is average for my area), but there WILL be other charges on top of that, which is actually considered a priority claim on your bankruptcy. Saying $3000 is a rip-off is unfair, given that the total for a bankruptcy is probably up near that for everyone (whether they pay up-front or in total). Now if that attorney wanted $3000 PLUS whatever he claimed in the proceedings, now that might be a bit much. But neither of us can really say given we weren't part of their conversations or don't know what's involved in the case, can we?