| 13
tips to avoid hiring a bad bankruptcy attorney | | |
| 6. Find
out who sits on local bankruptcy court panels.
Mitchell says
to check out the trustee panel. "These are attorneys who are regularly in
bankruptcy court and are well enough respected to be put on the panel," he
says.
Graves recommends you also get the names of lawyers
on the local bankruptcy court's debtor or creditor committees. "People on
these committees do it to attract business, but they also take their work seriously,"
says the former judge. 7. Check out
the law firm's offices.
You're not looking for how tastefully
a lawyer's office is decorated, but how well-organized an office is, as well as
the general environment. This office appraisal can give you vital clues as to
how a lawyer would handle your case. "Look around the
office and see how well organized it is. Is it neat or are there 25 folders spread
around the floor," asks Judge Graves. "You wouldn't go to a doctor with
a dirty examining room and you don't want to go to a lawyer with a disorganized
office." 8. Ask questions.
Once you have some candidates, interview them or someone at the law firm.
Be sure to ask: - How many bankruptcies do you handle in
a month or in a year?
- How many of those bankruptcies are
consumer/personal rather than business filings?
- How much
access will I have to an attorney during my bankruptcy filing?
- If
I'm not working directly with you (the lawyer), who will I be working with?
- Can
I interview the person who I would be working with?
- What
time frame do you have for this bankruptcy?
- How will the
procedure work?
This is a critical decision, so if you
get evasive answers, it's probably a red flag that this is not the firm for you. 9.
Evaluate the responses.
Because bankruptcy law is a volume
business, the time you'll actually be working with a specific attorney may be
small. In fact, with most consumer bankruptcies the client works with a clerk
or a paralegal; your actual attorney won't come into play until your day in court. | 
