Pacer Question

[cag]

Would it make any sense to join Pacer just to help in the process of hiring a Lawyer? Can you query a lawyers name and look at his cases and results? The cost of Pacer seems a lot cheaper then the 2k plus for picking an idiot.

Thanks

[Flamingo]

Most lawyers are not idiots as they have to pass the Bar just like most professionals (i.e., doctors) are not idiots as they have to pass certain tests/requirements to get to where they are. The way to find a good lawyer is to get a recommendation from a friend or family member who has personally used one (and may handle other things besides bankruptcy) or contact your State Bar Association (in the State section of your phone book) and ask for good, reputable BK attorneys in your section of your state. I wold not suggest PACER as a source for looking for an attorney as that is not its purpose plus at $.08 a page you could run up one heck of a bill.

[catleg]

I tend to be on the same wavelength as the original poster, I think there is some value to studying up on a lawyer's case work and see if he is any good.
First of all, if you don't see any filings at all by a lawyer that would worry me.
Then again, tons and tons of filings from the same lawyer suggests a paper mill. You want someone who is going to be your advocate. So you don't want to see objections for stupidity (i.e. ch13 case with unsecured debt over 336.9k, etc) but for gray-area type stuff.

[StartingOver08]

I agree with Catleg. Just because an attorney passes the bar it does NOT make them a professional. Attorney knowledge varies widely. Yes it is good to get referrals from friends and family - but you must do your homework too. Selecting the right attorney can make the difference between having a good outcome or a poor outcome. JMO

[cag]

Well, I have a lawyer friend of mine that represented me in a workers comp case a few years back and screwed it all up on me now he switched gears and is practicing BK and I wouldn’t have him represent my dog.
Recommendations from family and friends are ok but, I rather keep my business as low key as possible.
As StartingOver said …an attorney that passes the bar does NOT make them a professional.” You would like to think that’s the case but, there’s no guarantee they are.
I think checking them out on Pacer is just another tool for me before I make a big investment in money and my future.
I value the feedback from this forum and that’s why I’m asking.

[Mi Bankruptcy]

The best way is to meet with 3-4 bankruptcy attorneys. You should have read enough on this forum to get a good feeling of what is crap and what is not. I would also look at your district and see who the trustee is. I would then look to see if he\she( trustee) has a law firm. The trustees firm in my area no longer did BK but they recommended a BK attorney and he was actually the best after I interviewed 4 of them.

[Gerry]

I called the trustee's office and asked for recommendations.

[lrprn]

I think there is some value to studying up on a lawyer's case work and see if he is any good.

And how will a newbie filer who knows very little about bankruptcy know whether what they are seeing from a PACER search is "good" or not?

I sure wouldn't want to just type in a lawyer's name to search on either. The results could bring back hundreds of cases - which ones are you going to open? It would cost a fortune to research just one lawyer enough to truly judge just from PACER documents if they know what they are doing.

Trying to use PACER this way is a waste of time and money. You're far better off dedicating yourself to understanding how bankruptcy works in depth so you can spot red flags during your free initial consultations. That's how you weed out poor bklawyers and truly protect yourself during the entire bk process as well.

[fltoo]

And how will a newbie filer who knows very little about bankruptcy know whether what they are seeing from a PACER search is "good" or not?

I sure wouldn't want to just type in a lawyer's name to search on either. The results could bring back hundreds of cases - which ones are you going to open? It would cost a fortune to research just one lawyer enough to truly judge just from PACER documents if they know what they are doing.

Trying to use PACER this way is a waste of time and money. You're far better off dedicating yourself to understanding how bankruptcy works in depth so you can spot red flags during your free initial consultations. That's how you weed out poor bklawyers and truly protect yourself during the entire bk process as well.

Absolutely, the best advice ever in choosing a lawyer!