Kan Dail
Having to file for bankruptcy can cause a lot of stress. It will drain you of all your energy and make you worried about the future. But one thing that would make the situation even worse is hiring the wrong attorney.
Basically, bankruptcy is a very complex and stressful process that can be made easier with the help of a good bankruptcy attorney. But how can you choose the right one and how do you know you’re talking to someone trustworthy and not a scammer?
There are some traits you should look for in such a law expert, and we’ll discuss the top five here.
1. Experience
Perhaps the most important trait to consider is the lawyer’s experience. Since we are talking about your financial future here, you cannot afford to hire a bankruptcy attorney that doesn’t have a history of successful cases similar to your own.
Each attorney knows that every case is unique and will treat it accordingly. No bankruptcy case is the same as the next one. You may have to file for a particular bankruptcy chapter based on your situation. But an experienced attorney will advise you and make sure you do everything right.
So, look for a bankruptcy lawyer who has handled many cases like yours in the past. Don’t be afraid to ask the law expert about his or her history with these cases and how they ended. You shouldn’t take any chances – it’s better to take your time and make efforts to search for someone who has been in the field for enough time.
For example, if you live in California, you should know it saw 1,732 cases of business bankruptcy in 2022. Naturally, there are many lawyers who can handle these cases, including the Pakpour Banks LLP attorneys, who spent years developing their skills and knowledge. So, you should do your research and choose your lawyer carefully.
2. Good Communication Skills
Any bankruptcy attorney must know how to communicate properly. After all, they are going to represent you in court. Considering you’re paying lots of money for the service, you deserve an attorney who knows how to communicate properly.
Furthermore, the attorney should be able to offer you personalized advice based on your situation. Such lawyers will do their best to understand every single aspect of your current financial situation and give you the best advice on what bankruptcy chapter to go for and what to avoid doing during the case. With his or her experience, the bankruptcy attorney should have a generous amount of information that will be shared with you to ensure the best outcome.
So, look for bankruptcy attorneys who are native speakers and can create arguments coherently. This way, communication between them and the authorities will be effective.
3. Good Listener
On top of being a good communicator, your bankruptcy attorney should also be a great listener. Listening skills are extremely important because the lawyer must understand your wants and needs and the requirements of the case.
Attorneys who have great listening skills will know what advice to give you according to the law and will hear what you have to say.
Therefore, someone who doesn’t want to listen to you or doesn’t have time for you will not be a suitable choice. They may cause you to lose it all, and that’s the last thing you want. Spend your time talking to attorneys and analyzing them in order to find out which ones are the best listeners.
4. Great Personality
Even if the attorney is only doing their job and you’ll have a strictly professional relationship, that doesn’t mean you cannot get along. With how stressed you are from your bankruptcy situation, the last thing you want is someone who will treat you like an enemy.
So, look for a friendly and calm attorney. You need someone who can advise you and comfort you, just like a friend would. If you don’t know how to choose, check out some reviews and ask for references and client testimonials.
A lawyer with a great personality will usually have a very good reputation. What’s better than an attorney who is loved by many former clients?
Therefore, a good indicator of great personality is a solid reputation. You can find out more about the reputation of the law expert by checking online reviews and asking your family and friends for some recommendations.
Usually, you will be able to find several online comments about the attorney. If there are plenty of good reviews, perhaps it’s because the lawyer is very friendly, comforting, and willing to help.
5. Detail-Oriented
This is a trait that you shouldn’t overlook when it comes to bankruptcy lawyers. Bankruptcy and tax law are very complicated. On top of that, your lawyer must be able to pay attention to the fine print as well.
After all, the expert must have the right facts when dealing with aggressive creditors or liquidating your assets. So, don’t trust a lawyer until he or she has done a proper accounting of the situation you’re in.
This should be no news, but a bankruptcy lawyer must have enough knowledge about all bankruptcy laws, but also about local agencies, lenders, and programs. Now, considering each bankruptcy case is different depending on the type of bankruptcy you are filing, your attorney should be able to focus on the specific details of your particular case.
Ideally, they should want to learn more about your situation and case, but also answer your questions and take notes.
Final Thoughts
There are numerous bankruptcy attorneys out there, so it might be difficult to choose. To establish if a lawyer is good for your bankruptcy case, he or she must possess several traits, such as being experienced, detail-oriented, kind, a good listener, and a good communicator.
Interview several lawyers based on referrals and recommendations and see which one has all these traits. Choose the one you click with so that the case can go as smoothly as possible.