If you already have an attorney for a different matter, he or she is a great resource in the search for a bankruptcy attorney. Your attorney is likely to know a qualified colleague who would be more than happy to assist with your bankruptcy filing. Also be sure to ask what qualifying values the attorney has. How many years of experience? Does your attorney have any personal affiliations with the individual? Would your attorney utilize this person if he or she had to file men's wearhouse bankruptcy?tenant lawyer near meare all important questions that provide you with an overall view of the bankruptcy attorney.
Don't focus only on the billable hour rate. If you're hesitating between someone who costs you $250 per hour and someone else at $350 per hour, don't make your decision strictly on cost. What matters are two things: first what the final bill will be and, second, what value who will have received. The hourly rate is a red herring. What is the point of asking someone to do a job for you at $250 per hour if the person needs 40 hours for the job where the other lawyer at $350 per hour only needs 20 hours? Particularly if the other lawyer can do a better job for you. Billing policy is too much of a thorny and elaborate issue to address in a few lines. My point is simply that the hourly rate is not the be all and the end all.
But communication is a two way process. The attorney-client relationship will not work well unless the attorney also communicates. More pointedly, your attorney must respond to your communications. Otherwise there is no point in you communicating in the first place. You deserve answers. You deserve to know what is going on. A good attorney will keep you up to speed on all details relevant to your case through regular communication and by timely responding to your questions and concerns.
Choosing a DUI lawyer is no easy task, however. There are many things to consider before making a choice like this. How many cases has he/she won? How much will the lawyer cost? Does the lawyer have a history of getting charges dropped completely or reduced? How is the lawyer's follow through if he or she hits a roadblock during a trial? Is the lawyer DUI-specific, or does the lawyer take on cases of all types?
An experienced personal injury lawyer protects your rights in and out of court. Since most cases are settled far before court, you may think you can forgo a lawyer and just take a cash settlement. True, you might avoid paying a lawyer fee, but you rarely will get the full amount you might have gotten. And that's saying that the offer is even made without a lawyer. They may take you to court instead. In that case, a lawyer is essential.
You need to tell your bankruptcy attorney about all of your financial obligations, even small ones. You should include loans from friends and family as well as money owed for credit cards, medical expenses and any other loan companies.
You should avoid paying your taxes with credit cards and then immediately file for bankruptcy. In many parts of the country, you cannot get this debt discharged, and in the end you will be left owing the IRS a big sum of money. If the tax can be discharged, so can the debt. So using your credit card to pay off your tax obligations, then filing for bankruptcy, can actually hurt you instead of help you.
