Questions to Ask Your Bankruptcy Lawyer

If you are wondering whether bankruptcy is right for you, the first step is to set up a meeting with a bankruptcy lawyer. This meeting gives you the chance to ask all the questions you might have about bankruptcy and how a lawyer can help. The following are some questions you may want to ask your bankruptcy attorney. 

Do you think bankruptcy is the right choice for me?

The lawyer should review your situation, including the debts you owe, the income you make, and more. Then, they should be able to tell you if bankruptcy is a good idea for you or not. If they think that bankruptcy can help, they should talk about:

• How bankruptcy will change your life in good ways and bad
• How a bankruptcy case works and what you can expect

How much experience do you have with bankruptcy cases?

When you choose to file for bankruptcy, you want to make sure you have a lawyer who knows what they are doing. Do not feel shy asking about the lawyer’s experience and how many bankruptcy cases they have handled in the past.

What information will you need from me?

While your lawyer can handle the process for you, they will still need information from you to start your case. This information usually includes:

• All of the debts that you owe, whether you can pay them or not
• All of your income sources for your household
• All of the property and financial accounts that you own

You will need to get this information together if you decide to go ahead with a bankruptcy case. 

How do you communicate with clients?

You want to make sure that your lawyer’s communication style matches yours. Would you rather email or text than talk on the phone? If so, can your lawyer give you updates in this way? When you call the law office, who will you talk to? How often will the lawyer give you updates about your case? These are all important questions to make sure that this lawyer is the right person for your case.

How much do you charge for a bankruptcy case?

Every lawyer will have different fees. The cost of a bankruptcy lawyer will depend on where you live, the lawyer’s experience, and how complicated your case will be. Having the lowest fees isn’t always a good thing, as it might be because the lawyer is inexperienced. But on the other hand, you don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for a lawyer to handle your bankruptcy case. 

The important thing is that there are no surprises when it comes to the cost of your case. Does the fee include court costs and filing fees? What else is included? Could there be fees tacked on at the end? You want to be clear on all of this before you agree to have a lawyer handle your bankruptcy case. 

Contact a Michigan Bankruptcy Lawyer Right Away

If you need help with a bankruptcy, set up a meeting with Karen E. Evangelista, PC. We help people with bankruptcy cases in Michigan, so contact us with your questions today.