How to find the best attorney??

[HopefulMamma]

Greetings All ~

Hubby and I have decided to file using an attorney but have no personal recommendations to garner (no one we know has filed).

Can you suggest sites or organizations that we could use to gather info on potential attorneys?

Also, is there some place on the forum to get an idea of what to look for in an attorney?

Thanks in advance!

C

[switch625]

Hopeful..two oft-communicated rules of thumb when looking for a BK attorney. First, schedule consultations with at least three BK attorneys to give you an informed choice to work with. Second be sure they are free consultations, which most attorneys offer.

I used Avvo.com which has reviews of attys by clients, but my big method of finding an attorney was to go to my court's website to find the 341 and hearing schedules where each debtor and their attorney is listed. I used the court's 341 and hearing schedules to Google search attorneys, I would cut and past their names off the schedules and drop them into the search box. I would come across their websites, I would read them and the ones that met my criteria got on my short list. That was time consuming, but worth it.

This speaks to one of they many mysteries of the world of bankruptcy- not a whole lot of BK attorneys advertise frequently or widely, at least not in my area and not as much as personal injury, medical malpractice or social security SSI filings and appeals. When I say advertise, I mean radio and TV spots, newspaper ads, billboards, lawn signs, bus stop benches (Better Call Saul, lol).

[Drazil65]

I would suggest you spend a lot of time reading here on this site, there is a lot of good suggestions and guidance to pull from. Search different subjects or your questions and then read everything that comes up. Knowledge is power to say the least and even though you have an attorney its still your responsibility to understand your situation and know the process. Your bankruptcy will be a life changing decision and it should change your life! If it does not have that affect on your future and your attitude then you missed the boat, so learning everything you can about filing and how you got to this point is essential.

Take advantage of all the wisdom here on this forum by being proactive and do your due diligence! Good Luck!

[lillymarlene]

HopefulMamma, There is lots of good advice here. One thing I may suggest is that if you or a friend or family member has used an attorney for anything in past, you may want to ask that attorney for a recommendation. This was basically how I found somebody for my Chapter 13.

Good Luck!

[kornellred]

My opinion is that you should immediately narrow your search by dealing only with attorneys who confine their law practice to bankruptcy. They are apt to know far more about how bankruptcy is handled in their district, and they usually have a good working relationship with the trustees.

[deadbeat]

NACBA, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, has a search function on its website to find a bankruptcy attorney. I don't have enough posts on this forum to be allowed to post the link, but you can Google it.