What to ask (Attorney Question)

[Freddy03]

I have my first free consult with a local law firm that handles everything from BK to strategic defaults on Monday.

I have not spoken with any attorneys in the practice yet, only legal counselor. So far he has been very informative. He even answered some questions via email.

I am not sure of what type of questions I should be asking them on Monday.

I will probably go with this group b/c we can make payments. All the other offices I called want the full $1800 up front (which I don't have). And I'm on restricted time b/c of the judgment.

So if someone could help me with a list of questions I should be asking would be appreciated.

[SMinGA]

You want the atty to review your income, expenses & debts. Without that, they're just giving you general info on bankruptcy and you want an outlook on your case.

If you have given money to family/friends, or property to family/friends in the past 1-2 years - discuss. (Some states do not look past 1 year, some can.)

Ask what their fee includes, and who will be with you at the 341. Who will you work with to go over the schedules, etc. and what is the atty's preferred method of contact for questions and such? In some firms, it seems you only see an atty on the initial consult and at the 341, that everything in-between has a paralegal running interference. If you have a simple case, that might not matter. But could be useful to know in advance how accessible the actual attorneys are.

[ssmdem]

Have your six month average on income ready and ALL of your expenses. The attorney then can tell you the soonest that you can file if you're trying to get into a chapter 7.

Key your numbers into the online means test and do the Schedule I & J forms yourself before you go. That gives you a true picture of where you're at, and your attorney can very easily look at it and see if you've calculated anything incorrectly and see where you stand.

Any credit card purchases in the last 90 days? Any large (more than $600) payments to family members or friends in the last year?

Given the judgment and suits your already have, your attorney will probably focus on that first -- as that's the first question every attorney I saw asked about first. That's just telling them how fast do we need to get this done. make sure you have all the info, dates, amounts, etc on that with you when you go.

[Freddy03]

Thanks - I have not given or received any money/property from family/friends ever

I did fill out a form the attorney's office wanted before our meeting. I have done a spreadsheet with all our household items and what I paid for them and what I think they are worth now. I also listed all our expenses, income and creditors. I still need to get current credit reports but was going to wait till next month because I have used all my free ones a few months ago.

Should I bring last years taxes and our current bills to the consult?

[Freddy03]

Haven't used a credit card in almost 20 months.

[HHM]

See this article

http://askmethner.com/what-questions-should-i-ask-a-bankruptcy-attorney-before-i-hire/