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How to Find a Good Bankruptcy Lawyer. Just as there are good doctors and bad doctors, good teachers and bad
teachers, good auto mechanics and bad auto mechanics, so too there are
good lawyers and bad lawyers. Indeed, some attorneys are barely
competent or even downright incompetent. Just as there is no simple,
guaranteed way of finding a good doctor, there is no simple, guaranteed
way to find a good lawyer. Here are some things to look for: -
Experience.
It would seem obvious that an attorney who has been practicing for 25
years should know more than an attorney with only 10 years experience.
However, that is not always the case. There are some attorneys who have
practiced bankruptcy law for many years, but have never really mastered
the subject. There are other attorneys who have pursued a general
practice, filing a case now and then. If they have been practicing for
25 years without much in-depth experience in bankruptcy, that does not
translate to the expertise you need. Tip #1: Look
for an attorney with many years experience in consumer and small
business bankruptcy law, who enjoys the respect of other bankruptcy
attorneys, the trustees, and the judges.
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Training & Competence.
After an attorney graduates from law school and passes the state bar
examination, then the real learning begins. Even when there are not
many new laws being passed on a particular subject, attorneys improve
their skills by attending educational seminars. Now, with the enactment
of a completely different bankruptcy law, education is an absolute
necessity. So many basic concepts under the prior law just don't work
anymore. And, the new law is so complex, an attorney is making a big
mistake if s/he thinks s/he can understand it by just sitting down and
reading it. There is only one organization that is devoted to training
attorneys who represent debtors – the National Association of Consumer
Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA). NACBA held two-day workshops in Chicago
(July 2005) and Orlando (September 2005) to teach attorneys how to
practice under the new law. More than 3,000 attorneys crunched numbers,
filled out worksheets, and learned the new concepts necessary to
practice under the new law. Tip #2: Is the attorney a member of NACBA? Did the attorney attend NACBA educational events?
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Someone Who Will Listen to You.
An attorney who tells you what you should do before s/he even listens
to the facts of your situation is not the right attorney.
Unfortunately, some attorneys have a "cookie cutter" approach to legal
advice which completely ignores the true difficulties or opportunities
that your case may present. Tip #3: You want an attorney who will listen to your facts and ask the right questions so s/he will truly understand your case.
Get relief today! Find NACBA attorneys near you.
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