Filing for bankruptcy can be hard especially when you hire an incompetent lawyer to do the job for you. The bankruptcy filing process has become a need to many people due to various reasons which has made many unsuspecting clients end up getting inferior legal services in matters bankruptcy. One should ensure they do thorough research before getting a bankruptcy lawyer. Below are some of the tips for hiring the best bankruptcy lawyer.
Hiring The Best Bankruptcy Lawyer
Consult your friends or relatives
One should consult their friends and relatives who could have hired legal professional service. They may be of help since they can direct you to a lawyer to handle your bankruptcy filing. If one has their personal lawyer, then they can consult them and request a referral for one. Your personal lawyer will be instrumental in helping you hire the best from their networks within their professional.
Where else to search
Finding out the lawyers in your local bankruptcy court panels or committees of the court. Before one can be considered to sit on the court panel they have to be the best regarding professionalism in what they do. One does not necessarily have to attend the court proceedings to find out this. They can get this information from the court clerks or their local court’s registry. The other place to find the best lawyers would be in the creditors’ or debtors’ committees of the local bankruptcy court. They can then consider hiring one of these lawyers to represent them, or they can have them recommend another lawyer to represent them. Their recommendation is always a lawyer who has a thorough understanding of the bankruptcy law and proceedings.
Met the lawyer
Have questions to ask the lawyer. This will be a chance for one to get as much information as possible from their lawyer. This will involve asking about their certifications, the number of cases they have handled and how they turned out to be. One should also find out whether the lawyer can be accessed easily, the time the filing will take and even how much they would charge you for the job done. One can then evaluate their responses. The questions that one asked should be answered satisfactorily, and they should be answered professionally. One should ensure they feel comfortable talking to them.
Do not go for the cheapest
Even if one is working on a budget, they should not be restricted when it comes to hiring the best lawyer. Most quality things come at an extra cost. If one thinks the cost of the legal fees is high, they can consult their state bar association to find out if they were charged fairly. Charging less or way above the recommended fees should be the reason to avoid hiring such lawyers.
Be involved
Once you have hired the best lawyer, it is necessary that you are involved in the whole process. Let them advise you at every step what they are doing and how much time it will take. This will ensure that the proceedings go smoothly. It also keeps your lawyer on toes.