Choosing a lawyer resources

[Recessionist]

It seems a lot of people on this board struggle with choosing a lawyer and what kinds of things to look for in a potential attorney. Here are some resources I found to make some sense of it:

http://bankruptcy.lawyers.com/Bankru...-a-Lawyer.html

http://bankruptcy.lawyers.com/Busine...od-Lawyer.html

http://bankruptcy.lawyers.com/Bankru...-a-Lawyer.html

http://www.************************/2007/12/17/ten-questions-to-ask-a-bankruptcy-attorney/

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/deb..._lawyer_c1.asp

http://www.filingforbankruptcyonline...tcylawyer.html

I have pretty well settled on which attorney I will use - he is incredibly close to where I live, his support staff seem great, he sussed out some of my personality traits in the first 15 minutes, he didn't make me feel like a jerk or a loser for being in this situation, he listened and appreciated the research I had already done, he demonstrated his tenacity, and his rates were some of the best of anyone in the area. He is "certified" by our state bar as a Bankruptcy Specialist, has been in practice for many years. These were all important factors to me.

I would love to hear more from people who had good and bad experiences with their lawyers and what they recommend.

[liz417]

Hi there and thanks for the links. I had an attorney, finally paid him in full and paid the filing fee, but I have spent coutless hours here, reading everything I could on BK. At our first consult, I was a mess...now I understand the process much better and started asking more questions...I guess he was offended...I was left a message on my answering machine yesterday...he is taking the "month off" for personal reasons and is refunding my money if full! Now I got to start this dreaded process all over, I guess it's a blessing because I was seriously considering firing him, but he "beat me to the punch" Thanks to this site, I now know the important questions to ask before I retain my next attorney!

[Flamingo]

Unfortunately, on this site we hear more about how "bad" attorneys are and the good ones are rarely discussed. Many folks not experienced with the legal system do not realize what an attorney does as to BK filings and other legal matters, court appearances, depositions, etc. and if the attorney doesn't return one's 9 daily phone calls or emails with questions that he is a "bad" attorney. A bad attorney would be like a bad doctor, dentist or other professional; totally ignoring you, numerous mistakes, numerous cancellations not requested by the court, loss of records/information, being authoritative and talking down to a client and not explaining the process, etc. just to name a few circumstances. An overwhelmed attorney may also not appeal to someone not used to a busy attorney and they could be considered "bad" also due to lack of time.

"Good" attorney references in one's own area can come from two good sources; (1) friends/family previous positive experience with an attorney who may handle BK, or (2) Your State Bar Association which is more than happy to give references to reputable attorney's in one's state/city. I had the advantage of previous legal contacts in our situation and asked a former attorney I worked with for a recommendation. He called some of his buddies and I got a recommendation to call an attorney who turned out to be the top BK attorney in our state and worth evey penny. This attorney would email me and send us stuff before we even had the chance to inquire and his paralegal was available to us at all times and if she could not answer any questions, she would get the answers from the attorney and either she or he would get back to us within a reasonable period of time. A good attorney represents clients fully and leaves no stone unturned and goes beyond the call of duty. An overwhelmed BK attorney in the economy today may be unable to do the "beyond the call of duty" part but will always get back to someone in a reasonable time period as to issues or questions.

Many people take the time to shop for doctors to perform surgery or rely on family/friend information/prevoius experience with a doctor/surgeon but never fully investigate hiring an attorney and rely too much on the TV ads or the full page discount ads in the phone book. You get what you pay for.