Lawyer wants NO calls from creditors

[completelybroke]

Hello all and thanks for this forum and all the great information here.

My question is that I talked with an attourney a few days ago and one of the things he specifically told me was to NOT give creditors his name / phone number. He said that every single call he gets from them will cost me 30 dollars. Does this seem odd?

This lawyer has been doing bk's for 26 years, seems to know what he's talking about. Got a good gut feeling from him upon talking with him.

[epiphany]

Hello all and thanks for this forum and all the great information here.

My question is that I talked with an attourney a few days ago and one of the things he specifically told me was to NOT give creditors his name / phone number. He said that every single call he gets from them will cost me 30 dollars. Does this seem odd?

This lawyer has been doing bk's for 26 years, seems to know what he's talking about. Got a good gut feeling from him upon talking with him.

You got a good gut feeling after THAT? Sounds like he can't be bothered.

I say Run Fast. You should interview several lawyers before making a decision. Many lawyers will let you start directing calls to them after just a down payment. Some want the fee in full, but this is the first time I have heard of one charging a fee per call. Screw that.

Good luck,
ep

[keepmine]

Fielding creditor calls are part of the drill.
Look elsewhere-that's nonsense.

[justbroke]

If he meant that, pre-retainer, then fine. He's not your lawyer at that point.

However, if he is saying post-retainer, he'll charge you $30/call... then he is nuts and you should RUN as fast as you can away from him.

Something should be said for Districts that have no-look Bankruptcy fees.

[HHM]

Not fielding creditor calls does not necessarily mean he is a bad attorney, it simply means he is not offering that particular service.

However, it is odd that he would exclude such a service since stopping creditor harassment is a big selling point for hiring an attorney.

As was pointed out, I too would keep shopping around.

[bkrelief22]

My attorney specificially said TO give creditors his name and # as well as the case number.

Good Luck

bk22

[AngelinaCat]

Ours did too. Please keep on searching.

[stressin]

Wow...one of the main advantages, early on after paying for my attorney, even a few months before we filed, was that she would take the calls from my creditors. She hasn't charged me anything other than the initial amount that we agreed upon. She has also offered to send letters to a creditor--after accounts went to collection agencies--and no mention was made of an additional fee.

$30 to tell your creditors that yes, you have retained them, and yes, you are filing bankruptcy seems a bit excessive to me. The actual filing of the paperwork isn't a significant time investment, the 341 takes about 5-10 minutes in most cases, so what are you getting for your money?

I would probably look for another attorney--one that you can get your money's worth out of. Managing your bankruptcy case is a service--if they are going to nickel and dime you to death for managing your case, I would be very hesitant to retain them.

[michele71]

You should definetly find another lawyer. The lawyer is charging you enough money to let his paralegal or secretary to say yes to creditors if they call.....alot of them won't even call they will wait to hear from the courts about your BK. You need to remember the lawyer is working for you he/she shouldn't be trying to drain anymore money from you since you are already having financial troubles. Besides 30 bucks per call.....he could tell you he is getting 3 or more calls per day and ding you 90 bucks a day, sucking you dry and he doesnt provide any proof but his word..NO WAY...run forrest run lol

[completelybroke]

yeah since you guys put it that way i'll definitely set up more appointments. Sucky part is i already paid him 250 but really 250 is nothing to lose considering what could be lost.

Is there a thread here with lawyer reviews in the Everett, wa area?

Thanks.

[Never_Again]

That was one of the things that my lawyer encouraged me to do... I wrote him out a check that first afternoon that I met with him, and he told me that was the end of the phone calls for me.

He also told me later on that very very few of my creditors had actually called his office.

All that they do, is talk to the secretary, who verifies that you have retained the lawyer. She passes the info on to the lawyer, and that is it.

I would continue to look, unless, AFTER the retainer is paid, you can send calls to him.

[OtisMyMan]

My lawyer also told me to send them all his way. $30 per call is ridiculous, especially when it takes an admin 30 seconds to verify that you retained him.

[ready2puke]

Can you get your money back?

[onlycashnow]

We found a paralegal to fill out all the paperwork for $375.00 dropped the paperwork off at the court and paid the $299. 341 seemed to go better for us than the people who had lawyers, the trustee helped us out when we got to the meeting. Paying a lawyer for this seems really silly after going through it now.

[completelybroke]

Paying a lawyer for this seems really silly after going through it now.

Unless you don't automatically qualify, have assets to try and protect.

Or until an unforseen curveball comes your way and you don't know what to do.