Filing for bankruptcy is the worst thing can happen to an individual. And to make matters worse is if you end up hiring the wrong lawyer to help you with the process. Nonetheless, there are several mistakes that most people in bankruptcy dilemmas tend to make. These mistakes when made can negatively impact your financial future. Therefore, when looking for a bankruptcy lawyer, it is essential that you be keen and avoid making the following mistakes;
The last-minute rush
The last-minute rush is a peculiar behavior among many people even outside bankruptcy cases. People tend to wait until the last minute to make decisions or take action. Well, in this case, the worst thing that can happen besides you have to declare bankruptcy is to decide on using a lawyer at the last minute.
When you wait until the 11th hour for you to find a bankruptcy attorney, you only make your situation worse. How? The longer you wait to declare bankruptcy the worse things get and the more incapable you become at being able to pay your debts. Therefore, even when you eventually get a lawyer, he/she may not have enough time to prepare and help you salvage the situation.
Make affordability your sole determining factor
Another mistake that you should never make is put all your focus on finding a cheap lawyer. Here is the bitter truth, bankruptcy cases are usually complicated, and so are their laws. This only means that finding a ‘cheap’ lawyer that will represent you in such a case is like looking for a needle in a sack of rice.
The best thing you can do if budget is a concern is to locate several lawyers and compare the rates of each. Once you are done, you can then choose the one whose rates despite being more affordable is also qualified and eligible to take your case.
Not examining their qualifications
When people know that you are desperate and especially in the case of bankruptcy, they will try to take advantage of you. In this case, you will come across scammers pretending to be professional lawyers when in a real sense they do not even possess a single qualification to that effect.
To avoid making the mistake of hiring an unqualified lawyer, you should take your time to examine their credentials and ensure that they are indeed qualified and certified before you can let them take up your case.
Not being honest with your demands and expectations
The best thing you can ever do when choosing any lawyer is to put all your demands on the table. Try to be as honest as possible by letting them know what you expect from them.
So, when you are interviewing a bankruptcy attorney, do not hesitate to ask any questions that you feel need answers. You can ask them anything provided that it is not too personal, intimidating or anything like that. Also, desist from believing anything that comes from their mouth. Not all lawyers are honest. Some would lie just to get a job. So be careful.
Being blind to reactions
You can’t expect to work with someone whose attitude about your case and job you are unsure of. Therefore, not being keen on how each lawyer reacts to questions and comments during an interview is just wrong.
You need to be extremely keen to each reaction. Be wary of a lawyer who seems elusive or unclear about certain things. Also, if you find that you are not comfortable working with any particular lawyer, then it is best if you cross them out at the very early stages. A bankruptcy case requires that you work closely with your lawyers and this has to be someone whom you are very comfortable with.
