|
1. First and foremost, ask yourself, “Do I even need a
Chicago bankruptcy lawyer to eliminate my debt?” For consumers with unsecured debt like credit cards, personal loans, medical bills and repossessions, your best choice may be debt settlement. By using debt settlement services, you can eliminate your debt for 50 percent of what is owed with payments you can afford. Best of all, you can avoid the harsh consequences of a bankruptcy filing.
However, if you have no income, are set on filing bankruptcy, and your case is fairly straightforward, then chances are you can get a bankruptcy petition preparer to file your case for much less than the cost of hiring a lawyer. Despite popular conception, bankruptcy law is not very complicated, so hiring an expert most of the times doesn’t make sense if you have the time to research what filing bankruptcy entails. (There are numerous books available regarding filing bankruptcy.) The real question then becomes, “How complicated is my case?” In short, if a) you have 100 percent unsecured debt (credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, repossessions, ect.); b) you’re unemployed with no assets (car, home, brokerage accounts, ect.) and c) you didn’t accumulate the debt very recently or in any way that can be construed as fraudulent (i.e. buying a big screen TV on a credit card a month before you filed) then you won’t need a bankruptcy lawyer to file your case. 2. If your case is more complicated, then will you receive the sort of personal attention that you deserve in order to have your case properly handled? A lot of bankruptcy firms are devoted to basic filings, and you will receive little to no attention from your actual lawyer. With this much at stake, it’s important that you deal directly with a professional that is an expert in bankruptcy law.
3. Get a referral. If you know someone in Chicago who has filed bankruptcy, don’t be afraid to ask them whether they felt their lawyer handled their case well. If you don’t know anyone who has filed bankruptcy before, then call a law firm outside of your area and ask for a referral from them.
|
