When choosing a lawyer to represent you in a foreclosure, there are red flags to watch for.
Rheingold says a lawyer shouldn't take your money if "you don't have sufficient income to support your house. So any lawyer who, without knowing what your income is, immediately says, 'I can help you, I can save your house,' then they may not be worth their salt."
Beware the opposite spiel, too. Asbury's top warning sign: "They say, 'Well, there's nothing you can really do about it. You haven't been paying. I can buy you maybe six months, maybe a year. But eventually you're going to lose your house.' That doesn't give you much confidence, does it?"
Sometimes Asbury tells clients that all she can do is buy them time. "But I'm doing it with a purpose," she says. Asbury tells some clients: "I can stall this for a little bit, but you've got to realize the point of stalling is to get you a job so you can get back on your feet and reinvent yourself."
Beware of lawyers who charge a flat rate to handle a case from start to finish, Asbury says, and ask how many cases they are handling.