19 Dec Filing For Bankruptcy: How Helpful Is A Bankruptcy Attorney?
When faced with a potential bankruptcy a lot of people ask whether they should hire an attorney or not. The question is a simple one yet you’ll hear many different sides and theories.
The ultimate decision is yours. The answer lies it what you are expecting to get out of your bankruptcy filing and how you imagine it going.
Here are just a few of the ways you can benefit from having a good Minneapolis bankruptcy attorney.
Level Of Comfort
Having someone who is on your side throughout the bankruptcy process can be helpful. It can add a level of comfort to an overall stressful experience. There are many different factors that play into the process of a bankruptcy and having someone there who is in it for you can be a major help.
Questions & Concerns
A great sense of that comfort comes from being able to ask questions. Not only being able to ask questions but having someone who’s on your side answering them. You can ask the court representative questions sure, but they aren’t in it with you and they won’t particularly care what happens.
A good bankruptcy attorney will be able to anticipate your questions and concerns as well. They will know exactly what’s happening in each situation and be able to explain what is going on. This will help you not only feel better but you can present yourself as someone who is confident and knowledgeable.
The level of vulnerability in filing for bankruptcy is real. Having an attorney can help act as a shield in some ways.
Extensive Paperwork
Comfort level aside, bankruptcies call for a lot of paperwork. Whether you’re filing a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 the amount of signing and form filling you’ll have to do is extensive. That’s why having a bankruptcy attorney who can do this for you is just another reason why they are good to have around.
This also ensures nothing goes missing and you have everything you need when you face the court. Along with paperwork you’ll have court appearances you have to keep up. Having an attorney there to represent you and answer questions on your behalf can cut the stress level in half really quick.
Proposed Repayment Plan
If you are filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy you’re going to need to come up with a payment plan. Chances are though you have no idea what it should be. Let’s face it, if you’re filing for bankruptcy getting an easy reign on your finances probably isn’t something that’s coming easily to you at the moment.
A bankruptcy attorney will be able to view the numbers you give them and come up with a plan that will help you. This allows you to focus on the end result rather than fuss with the numbers of it all.
You can also talk with your bankruptcy attorney to come up with the best plan for you. When you do it on your own you have to throw something together and hope it works. Your attorney will focus on what’s best for you while still appealing to the court. Everyone wins.
How Complicated Are You?
Another way to tell if you need a bankruptcy attorney is to determine just how complicated your case is going to be. Do you own a business? Do you make a lot of money per year? Do you have quite a bit of assets floating around your home? Are you involved with any cases of fraudulent activity? While these aren’t the only questions to ask they are a good place to start.
Determining the difficulty of your filing is not something easily done at the beginning and you may not know until after an attorney has taken a look. Wouldn’t you want someone there to help if it did turn out to be a nightmare?
There’s also the fact that most Chapter 13 bankruptcies filed without an attorney end up being dismissed. Who wants to start a bankruptcy only to have to dismiss it alter because they didn’t quite plan it through enough?
The point is you should get a bankruptcy attorney. They can help with more than just the numbers. They can also help with the stress of it all.
Here at Bolinske Law we are bankruptcy attorneys that specialize in helping make the process easier. We know what works and what doesn’t, and will be able to guide you through the process and to a successful outcome.
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