Which was harder?

[stray]

Making the appointment was most difficult for me, I had never met with an attorney for anything in my life so it was a little intimidating. My first meeting was a bad experience, my second was a really good one. He was down-to-earth, we communicated easily and I think he appreciated that I was somewhat prepared (thank you all!) Retaining him was almost assumed. He gave me a packet of paperwork to complete, booked an appt with a paralegal and I didn't have to pay until the petition was complete and they filed for me the next day.

[Sammie]

Actually retaining the Attorney was the most difficult part since we first went to him exactly 2 yrs. ago & thought that we would be able to maintain and get out of the CC debt, but that did not happen. We are current on all of our bills and nothing is due for 2 wks. but we have finally decided to stop paying our bills, which is everything we have been taught not to do. This is the most discouraging thing for us. We file the beginning of next week. I am scared to death & so grateful for everyone on this Forum. sammie

[MarkHenry]

Thanks for the information.

[TheBajan]

The hardest part for me so far was to actually stop making the payments. We continued to make the minimum payments for 6 months after we started talking to an attorney. My husband was in a temporary job assignment that we hoped would become permanent and perhaps save our situation but it didn't. The first month I didn't pay all of my bills just made me sick. Making an appointment was more difficult than actually filing because by the time we filed, I knew we had no other options and there was no hope left of being able to work this out so I was anxious to move on and get it over with (started at least). I'm still anxious. We've just had our 341 meeting last Thursday and haven't been confirmed so we have a very long way to go. I'm hoping there won't be any bumps along the way but from what I'm seeing in this forum, everyone seems to experience some sort of glitch.

[flyinbroke]

I think make an appointment with the attorney could be the best idea, they can provide you the alternative solution for the bankruptcy.

I only met one who was interested in alternatives to BK. He is the one I hired to sue CAs for violations. Even when I was sued, all of the lawyers I met with or talked to were interested in shuttling me into a 13 as fast as possible, and I was unwilling to part with all of my disposable income for 5 years over a few delinquencies. If I qualified for a 7, or had assets to preserve I may have considered BK.

I took an alternate path. For others BK will be the best path. YMMV depending on your particular situation.

And the hardest part is admitting that you need help, whether it is filing BK or dealing with a suit.

[nickels22]

For me, the hardest part was not making the appointment but actually going to the appointment. I came to the the conclusion that filing Chapter 7 would be best for me about a year ago. I made appointments to meet with attorneys for the free consultation several times but every time the day of the appointment would come, i wouldn't go. Finally once my paychecks began to get garnished, I realized that I really need to get this taken care of. I met with three different attorneys, chose my favorite one and put the retainer down and i guess you can say the rest is history.

[ashleywatson]

I think make an appointment with the attorney could be the best idea, they can provide you the alternative solution for the bankruptcy.

[lillymarlene]

In my case actually retaining the attorney was harder. (I new I needed somebody since I had lawsuits pending against me.) Then the one I finally decided on, was different than the others. It seems I had to first convince him to have me as his client.

[Fresh]

I would say retaining the attorney because of his fee which I did not have at the time. Very shortly after I met with the attorney I ultimately retained, I knew I had to find a way to get the money. I tried to borrow the money, but had no luck. I told the attorney that I would come back when I had his entire fee. He and his staff were very understanding and told me that they weren't going anywhere. When I met with him again, about 3 months later, I had socked away enough from my temporary job to retain him (about half of his total fee). I had a can I'd filled with cash. I did the same thing for the remainder, and gave him the rest at the filing. He gave me receipts for everything and told me that there were a lot of his clients that came in with wads of cash, so his receipt book was filled. I told him that day I didn't know how I had done it, and that I was so glad to have the money for him. He told me that a lot of clients said the same thing and that it was much easier to have some cash when you weren't sending everything to a credit card company.

I can imagine that it's hard for some people to go to the initial appointments, but I wanted to share something about that. I had made several consultations and I went to one where I had a weird feeling. It's like what some people here call a "bankruptcy mill." It was very odd. I went and made a follow-up appointment. The woman who made the appointment was like a robot. Anyway, I called to cancel it after I had met with the other attorney who I selected in my head, and she just wanted to schedule an alternate follow-up. I told her that I would call to reschedule if I needed to do so. What happened over the next few weeks was nearly daily calls, sometimes 2x, for another appointment. Eventually, I had to call the office and request that I be removed from the "call list." Obviously, that's what was happening.


~Fresh~

[ccsjoe]

Definitely reaching the mental state of accepting that we needed to make & keep the appointment. This after 3 made & cancelled appointments because it "always looked like we could dig out next month". Wish we would have done it at the beginning of the year instead.

[newbegin]

I called several lawyers; most were taking Chapter 7 and none were taking bankruptcy with a business. When I found one who did bankruptcies involving businesses, I made an appointment. He wanted a large down payment and did not seem to be very helpful. Later, I found the one we will be filing with.

We too had a same situation, most attorneys did not like doing chapter 13's (which we did not know) being unknowledgeable about bankruptcy, we were winging it, thank God I listened to my gut instincts and did not listen to the 1st, second or third attorney, we would have lost everything we've worked for all our lives "our home and business".

[espo1357]

Making the initial appointment was the hardest. All the shame & feeling of failure having to admit my finances are not what they should be.

Good for you for doing the right thing. People that look down on it are dumb. It took a drop of about 35k/year in income per year after losing my job, to get me to see that the good old days are not coming back for awhile, and that BK was the move.

My blood pressure is under control too.

[longhaul]

Making the initial appointment was the hardest. All the shame & feeling of failure having to admit my finances are not what they should be.

[espo1357]

The hardest part was actually to stop paying all my credit cards. I had never even been late before. However after they jacked up all my rates for no reason and my minimum payments doubled I was struggeling to pay them all and put food on the table. I am still confused about community debt and although stopped all payments to the credit cards in my name did not stop the ones in my husbands name as he was not going to file with me. Now I am wondering if those debts will also be charged off as they were community debts. UGH! So confusing. If so won't that screw his credit up anyway!? its just so stressful going thru this. I can't wait until its all over.

hear ya kitty.
when I filed, I thought it was over. but, in a 13, it never seems to end. hopefully, when I get confirmed next month, I will have some relief.

Nonetheless, that payment never goes away until there is the discharge.

The best advice I can give is to "don't think, and just live (play)", the same advice that Crash Davis gives to that rookie pitcher in Bull Durham. Thinking too much is really not a good thing in life sometimes, because it could take you to the looneybin.

[kittycat98]

The hardest part was actually to stop paying all my credit cards. I had never even been late before. However after they jacked up all my rates for no reason and my minimum payments doubled I was struggeling to pay them all and put food on the table. I am still confused about community debt and although stopped all payments to the credit cards in my name did not stop the ones in my husbands name as he was not going to file with me. Now I am wondering if those debts will also be charged off as they were community debts. UGH! So confusing. If so won't that screw his credit up anyway!? its just so stressful going thru this. I can't wait until its all over.