Bankruptcy

"How Do I Find A Good Bankruptcy Lawyer? Are There Bankruptcy Attorneys to Avoid Like the Plague?"

By Joseph McDaniel, Esq.

But recently I was asked a different question, which I have never thought about much in the past.

"Are there any bankruptcy lawyers to avoid and run from, very fast and far?"

Well, I guess there are.

There are three categories of law firms and lawyers I would suggest you think long and hard about prior to making a decision to retain them for a consumer bankruptcy case.

One is the "bankruptcy mill" lawyer. It grinds out cases in huge numbers, and has a large number of new, faceless employees because it can't keep 'em in the law firm. The lawyers there are always looking for new jobs, unless they're the figurehead lawyers who never talk to clients.

One indicator of a bankruptcy mill is a firm that advertises heavily on television, and emphasizes how "easy" it is to file a bankruptcy (note: it's not easy!).

A second category is the "casual bankruptcy lawyer"; he or she is very nice, and handles one bankruptcy a year, or five a year.

It is very, very hard to keep up with the changes in the law, procedure and reality of filing bankruptcy cases unless you spend most of your time doing exactly that.

The third category that I'd examine with critical attention is the "instant bankruptcy expert", who was a personal injury lawyer for twenty years, and has now shifted over to become an "expert" in bankruptcy law, although she doesn't have board certification, an AV rating from Martindale, an AVVO rating in the stratosphere, or any indication that he's ever done any real work in Bankruptcy Court.

Now, some cases are so small, or so simple, or so lucky, that they'll slide through a Bankruptcy Court with few, if any, speed bumps.

But you always have to ask yourself the Clint Eastwood koan: "Do you feel lucky?"

NOTHING HERE CONSTITUTES LEGAL ADVICE RE A CHAPTER 7, CHAPTER 13, CHAPTER 11, OR CHAPTER 12. FIND AN ARIZONA BANKRUPTCY LAWYER WHO IS BOARD CERTIFIED IN BANKRUPTCY LAW, AV RATED, AVVO 10 RATED, ON SUPERLAWYERS, OR JUST VERY EXPERIENCED AND A FORMER CHAIR OF SOME BANKRUPTCY SECTION OR COMMITTEE. NOTHING HERE MAY BE USED AS LEGAL ADVICE IN CONNECTION WITH ANY BANKRUPTCY, WHETHER THAT BANKRUPTCY IS IN PHOENIX, GLENDALE, TEMPE, MESA, SCOTTSDALE, OR ANYWHERE ELSE.

Full post as published by Arizona Bankruptcy Attorney Blog on May 26, 2010 (boomark / email).