How many lawyers did you talk to?

[rogue182]

Right now I have plans to talk to two lawyers. Is that enough to choose from? What sould I look for when deciding which lawyer to go with?

Thanks,
John

[DebtHater]

I only talked to two.

The first I consulted with didn't seem confident. Most of the questions I asked he had do "consult" with one of the partners to give me an answer.

The second was very confident. He answered all of my questions and then some. He doesn't have associates or partners as he is the owner of his firm. He is also a panel trustee in the local court.

My recommendation is to consult with at least two. Find out their opinion's on how to handle your case and find out their fees. If you don't feel confident with either then consult with more.

[blessed]

We talked to two but I would have had no problem scheduling a 3rd consult if #2 wasn't just wonderful. He was great so we paid him in full the following week with our income tax refund.

For me, it was a few things. The first lady had the personality of a brick and I felt like that would add more stress to this process, like it's not stressful enough. She didn't volunteer very much information and I had zero experience with bk before we talked to her, how was I to know what questions to even ask? I know she was basically working for free for that first meeting, but that bothered me. The final thing that made schedule another appointment was that their fees aren't set. The range I got on the phone was different than what she wrote on the contract. I saw her look at our 2009 1040 FOUR times and then write in the "attorney fees". Hey, I'm filing for bk but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. She just pulled that number out of her butt knowing we would be getting some cash the following week. That burned me up, and I asked her right there "how do you decide the fees?" She stumbled around and couldn't answer me, saying something about the complexity of a case. Um, ours is really straightforward, there's no reason she should charge us more.

The attorney we chose has a set fee for every no-asset Chapter 7. They weren't looking to take our entire income tax refund when they saw we would receive it the following week like the first snake.

Anyway. You should get a "vibe", go with your gut. Good luck!

[JEM]

I have met with 3 in person and talked with 1 over the phone. I need to interview more because I still don't think I've found the perfect fit. They all told me basically the same info (that we were fine filing a Ch7, which is good), but I don't know if I felt any of them were "it".

And since attorney's here seem to charge a lot more than other areas ($2400-$3000 for a Ch 7), I want to make sure it's someone I feel 100% sure of.

[OutofTime]

I've met with 2 and both were competent and answered my questions with great confidence. They both had stated my case would be an easy one but #1 was $600 more than #2 and #1 is not the attorney to represent me in my 341 hearing. I'm more likely going with the lesser priced attorney but if my case were tougher, then I'd see and talk to at least 2 more.

[SMinGA]

Meet with those two - and then decide whether you need to meet with others. Reasons to see more would be if you did not feel comfortable with either of them (such as if they don't seem able or interested in answering your questions) or if they give conflicting advice.

We only met with one - but I contacted several by phone & email. The attorney that we hired was willing to do q&a sessions back & forth thru email, and to meet with us in the evening hours. That was essential as I could not take any time off from work at the end of '09.