How many attorneys did you meet with...

[lotsahats]

before deciding on one?

[Drazil65]

We met with 3, one big bankruptcy mill type firm (huge, multiple offices), one practice with 3 or 4 attorneys and one solo practice with 2 offices. The big firm, we only met with paralegal who was all about selling us on a chp 13 right from the get go. We did not like this setup from the beginning and knew immediately this one was out. The practice with 3 or 4 attorneys, we met with one attorney but he seemed rushed during the consult and also told us that "one of us will be there for the 341", ah no. We absolutely wanted the same attorney for everything. We obviously retained the solo attorney because he spent 1.5 hours with us, answered alot of questions, had been doing bankruptcy for 18 years, had 2 paralegals and an admin assistant in the office so we knew that he had enough staff to get the job done. He also gave us his direct email and office number, we liked that. I emailed him several times before we retained him (about 4 weeks later) and he always responded within 24 hours and in most cases within a couple of hours. He knew the system and the people at the top of the food chain (the Trustees and Judges), all of this made us very comfortable with him and our instincts have been spot on so far.

[lillymarlene]

I met with three attorneys, face to face. The first one who is sort of a generalist seemed like a nice person, but seemed to want to push me into whatever was the easiest for him. The second attorney one of a fairly large firm, had me meet with his paralegal. I thought that if I was going to spend all that money, the lawyer should meet with me in person. The paralegal also had it seemed to me, a lot of misinformation. For example, that I really couldn't file about my business debt (which was a good part of the cause of my debt problem. LOL)

The third lawyer, though he didn't seem the friendliest, seemed the most knowledgeable. But, when I called him, he said he didn't think he could help me. I then told him that I was sure he could, and made the second appointment. Well, I've been right so far and being self-employed I had kind of a complicated situation. I had a fairly smooth 341 December 2010, my plan was confirmed last Spring, and I'm now 13/48 payments in.

[AngelinaCat]

We went to only one. One that 'Hub located on the Internet. Because she was 45 miles west of our community, and NOT part of our local community lawyers 5:00 PM 'coffee klatch' at the local 'watering hole', is why we chose her.

Boy, were we wrong. She was inept, and cost us much more in mistakes that we should NOT have made. We would have been far better off, going with the local BK attorney (also a trustee) who has a very good reputation. You know what they say about 'hindsight'....

Keep on shopping.

[basketsbears]

Hi,

We have met with 4 attorneys over last couple of years. 2 were big BK firms, one was by himself with many paralegals, and the last was one who has about 5-8 years experience and only does Bk. She spent 1.5 hrs on free consultation. We meet next week to retain her and figure gameplan.

[mountanddo]

Just one and I retained her. If my case was not such a simple one I would of been more unhappy. As it ended up, she didn't have to do much which was good because she didn't seem very concerned about me as a client.

[my2girls]

We met with about 6. We were borderline 7/13 and most wanted to push us right into a 13 no questions asked. Thankfully we came across one medium size firm who said no guarantees but would try for the 7. He charged us more to do so but it was worth it in the end. Filed over median and were discharged last week ( : I liked this particular firm b/c they met with us gratius more than once to review our situation, was willing to try for the 7 given our circumstances and always anwered our phone calls/questions in a timely manner. Make sure you are comfortable before making the committment.

One last comment, some make think it was overkill, definately stressful and time consuming but definatley worth it. I also made a list of questions to ask (this forum has many great things to ask). Some acted like I didn't know what I was talking about but this firm knew I was doing my homework.

[JackBondLove]

I have a friend whose brother is a lawyer, and was recommended someone; I had actually met this guy years ago in a social club, and this guy is also a trustee that another friend of mine had as the trustee (i.e., as a creditor in that case.) We had a good meeting, but after that, I had questions about buying a house before BK, wanting to know just how high of a price I could get without the trustee forcing me to sell. I guess I was asking too many questions that he didn't like, so he fired me as a client! (I had not paid him yet, as it would be a few months before I was going to file.)

So I let my "fingers do the walking", and tried talking to a bunch of attorneys. Some wanted me to schedule a time to visit. Others did not want me as a client because they demanded that their clients be residents of their court district for 6 months. (I was going to file in the district where I was planning to buy my home, not the one in which I then had my legal address, which was an unimproved lot.) After that incident, I went calling for folks in the district of my lot. I got a hold of one buy who happily answered my questions, and had no problem with me "doing everything I could legally to walk away with as much assets as possible." I told him I would hire when I was ready, and he gave me the info sheet for me to fill out (which I instead put into a spreadsheet file.) Right before the filing, I asked him what type of home improvements I could do with pre-BK money that would not cause a problem, and he gave me the proper guidelines. He filed the documents about 3 weeks after I signed with him. At the 341, the trustee asked me a lot more questions than my attorney, and probably because I was doing such a good job, he didn't feel the need to say much.

Everything with him went pretty smoothly until right after the 341, when I was asked to get prior bank statements for the panel trustee. My attorney had other business to do right after the 341, so I went working on calling up the banks to get the statements. I was using what seemed to be the secretary's desk, and somehow by me telling her that I needed to get these documents for my case, my attorney later balled ME out for basically trying to get all the documents to be faxed to his office (I didn't quite understand what the deal was there - isn't the client king?) The only other issue I had with my attorney was to get advice/help on what to do about the trustee demanding that I buy back or surrender all my non-exempt assets. I guess his fee only covered up to the 341 meeting as he told me that this issue was between me and the trustee. Fortunately, advice garnered at this forum made me aware that trustees can bargain, so I asked him if I could write a letter offering a lower amount, to which said, sure, but that the trustee could decline it. (I basically negotiated away the standard real estate fee for selling my home.)

Except for the spat with the secretary - and perhaps not getting me to get all the bank statements before the 341 - I was pleased with his service.

[lotsahats]

I've found a few via internet search. There is one firm, that, for some reason, just from looking at their website, I don't get a very good vibe about. I can't put my finger on why that is. They only have three reviews, but they're all positive, and they are among the more affordable. I keep thinking I should at least meet with them, but, every time I visit their website, something screams at me, "You don't want them!"

Does that make any sense?

I should probably go with my gut. It's usually right.

[DirkDiggler]

We met with a total of 5 before deciding on our attorney. I chose her because she spent 1.5 hours with me in her free consultation and answered all my questions and I never felt like I was being rushed out of her office. She was also about $800 cheaper than the attorney we had originally decided on, but being bankrupt, we needed to save some $$ and we realized that a nice huge office in the nice part of town was the reason the other guy was more expensive

[lillymarlene]

I've found a few via internet search. There is one firm, that, for some reason, just from looking at their website, I don't get a very good vibe about.

The opposite happened to me. After I met with the attorney I ended up choosing, I looked at his website, and was even more sure this was who I wanted. He plainly listed what sort of services he had, and what a potential client could expect if he/she listed with him. When I had met him, he seemed to be if anything, a very blunt but straightforward person, and I can appreciate that.