Find a bankruptcy lawyer
If you think that bankruptcy is the best option for you or your family, then you’re going to have to find a bankruptcy lawyer to help you through the process. The bankruptcy laws have changed, and trying to file without legal advice really isn’t a good option at this point. In order to successfully declare bankruptcy and have a better financial life after bankruptcy, you’re going to need legal help.
Of course, finding a way to pay for your legal fees might seem like a huge challenge since you’re already struggling with your finances. How are you supposed to come up with the money to pay for your fees when you can’t even keep up with your current bills? Well, the first thing you want to do is to get as much preparation as possible before you ever walk into a law office.
Remember that most lawyers charge you by the hour, and the more work they have to do the more they’re going to charge you. One of the best things you can do is to read up on the subject as much as possible with articles like this one as well as books at your local library or used bookstore. Learn as much as possible about bankruptcy in general and your situation in particular before speaking to a lawyer.
This way you will be better prepared to answer your lawyer’s questions and not take up as much time as you would have otherwise. You also want to get all of your financial documents in order and know exactly where you stand. By the way, this process of getting knowledge and preparing your records is important for deciding whether bankruptcy is the right course to begin with.
You’ll still want to discuss your case with a bankruptcy lawyer, but you can learn a lot about whether bankruptcy is right for you by reading much more on the subject.
If you’re still worried about how you’re going to cover the cost of an attorney, keep in mind that you are trying to declare yourself bankrupt after all. If you’re declaring chapter seven, your debts will hopefully be wiped out completely. If you go with chapter 13 bankruptcy, your goal is to establish a repayment plan to make things easier for you during the next few years (though you usually don’t end up paying the full amounts that you owe anyway).
In either case, this should free up your funds, which will make it easier to take care of your lawyer’s fees.