Bankruptcy

Filing bankruptcy without a lawyer brings double trouble

By Cathy Moran, California Bankruptcy Lawyer

Representing yourself in a bankruptcy case has a non obvious downside:  if the case develops problems, capable bankruptcy lawyers  won’t step into a troubled case.

The judge in yesterday’s calendar was urging any number of individuals who represented themselves (in Chapter 11 cases, no less) to  get a lawyer.  He was candid with his expectation that their cases would not come to successful outcomes unless they got experienced counsel.

The problem in California, and in most other economically hard hit states, is that bankruptcy lawyers are extremely busy.   There is more demand for bankruptcy representation than there is supply of seasoned lawyers to do the work.  It’s a seller’s market.

Given a choice, lawyers will take a brand new case in the expectation of doing it right from the start rather than substituting in to a pending case that has hit snags.  And it is inevitable that any individual representing themselves in a bankruptcy case will hit snags.  General practice lawyers fumble in this field.  Most pro pers haven’t a chance.

Explore every other option before representing yourself in bankruptcy.  You may effectively cut yourself off from help if you go it alone.

More on how to pay for a bankruptcy lawyer

Thoughts on interviewing a bankruptcy lawyer

Full post as published by Bankruptcy Law Network on March 07, 2010 (boomark / email).