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Do You Want a Cheap Bankruptcy Attorney?

Do you want a cheap bankruptcy attorney?  My office receives a lot of phone calls asking what I charge for a chapter seven bankruptcy.  Some of these prospective clients are looking for a cheap bankruptcy attorney.  Some are just trying to get an idea of the range of bankruptcy attorney fees.  We happily give them our fee and tell them what we do for that fee.  However, it is really difficult to really show them all that we do for that fee.  While we have a competitive fee, we are not the lowest fee.  We do not want to be the lowest fee because of the loss of professionalism and service that would likely occur if we were to charge such a low fee.

A Cheap Bankruptcy Attorney Is Not Always The Best Choice

This Wadsworth bankruptcy attorney provides professional bankruptcy service.  The client meets with the bankruptcy attorney at the initial consultation.  The bankruptcy attorney in Wadsworth reviews the client’s completed questionnaire and documents in a personal appointment with the client.  This eliminates phone tag and delays.  The Medina County bankruptcy attorney shows the clients the documents and asks questions.  The clients do not have to guess what the attorney is talking about.  They are looking at the documents and are actively engaged in the process.  This process leads to a better bankruptcy petition, with thorough and accurate information.  Even after this, the bankruptcy attorney reviews the petition with the clients.  This is not simply a “sign here” meeting.  This bankruptcy attorney actually reviews the petition with the clients, going through the details.  This sometimes results in corrections, but better in the office than to be caught flat-footed sitting on your heels at the hearing.  This process leads to a smoother bankruptcy hearing.  This bankruptcy attorney, at the hearing in Akron or Canton, will review the information one last time with the clients right before the hearing.  This Summit County bankruptcy attorney often has clients ask if “that was it”?  The clients are often amazed at how easy the questions were.  The questions are not easy, but they can be if you have been thoroughly prepped for the hearing.  Take a look at the process above, which describes as many as four reviews of the information.

Will A Cheap Bankruptcy Attorney Prepare You For Your Hearing?

Many people may say that they do not need such thorough services or would rather have their bankruptcy attorney miss certain unwanted pieces of information.  This Canton bankruptcy attorney has attended many hearings in Canton, where the hearings are public.  This Wayne County bankruptcy attorney, representing his Wayne County or Stark County client, will take a few minutes to listen to some of the other hearings.  A good attorney never stops learning.  Those hearings are usually just conducted by the local chapter 7 trustee.  If the petition is red-flagged, a representative from the U.S. trustee comes to ask questions.  In one hearing, this bankruptcy attorney heard the U.S. trustee, who made a special trip to question this debtor, ask about “house expenses” listed on her bankruptcy petition.  This bankruptcy attorney’s first reaction was of surprise, as there is no line item for “house expenses,” nor is that a clear depiction of expenses.  Then, the U.S. trustee did take the trouble to send an additional representative to thoroughly vet this person with questions.  The “house expenses” item turned out to be a variety of expenses, many of which were already listed elsewhere in the petition.  Now, this attorney asked himself, didn’t the bankruptcy attorney read this bankruptcy petition before filing it?  This bankruptcy attorney was certain that this debtor did not leave that hearing asking if “that was it?”.  This particular debtor may have also faced a motion to dismiss her bankruptcy due to the misleading and untruthful nature of her petition.  This Wadsworth bankruptcy attorney wondered if that person’s attorney was a cheap bankruptcy attorney and if that person was run through a “mill” where they had minimal interaction with an actual bankruptcy lawyer.  Such a process can miss things, but the U.S. trustee is reading filed bankruptcy petitions and looking for missing things.

This Barberton bankruptcy attorney also has attended numerous bankruptcy seminars, including the annual seminar in Hartville, Ohio.  The serious bankruptcy attorneys attend this seminar regularly, as it not only provides updates of the changes in the bankruptcy laws, but also provides direct information from the people who will decide the average person’s fate.  The Akron bankruptcy judge and the Canton bankruptcy judge are there.  The chapter 7 and chapter 13 trustees for both Akron and Canton Bankruptcy Courts are there.  Many creditors’ attorneys are there.  Not only are these people there, they often present the information.  When they are in the audience, they often ask or answer important questions.  Sometimes, you cannot get this information from a book or online resources.  You have to be there, listening, especially when one of the judges offers their take on a topic.  The U.S. Trustee’s office often presents at this seminar.  Sometimes, they lecture on the federal criminal sanctions for lying on your bankruptcy petition.  Real people go to real federal penitentiaries for real lies on real bankruptcy petitions.  What is quite unfortunate is that, many of these lies, if unnoticed, provide little benefit in the bankruptcy petition.  How much better it is to have the truth presented in the most favorable light on solid legal grounds, leading to a “that was it?” hearing.  Are cheap and easy bankruptcy petitions worth the possibility of dismissal of the bankruptcy petition or possible federal criminal charges?  Is a cheap bankruptcy from a cheap bankruptcy attorney worth a denial of discharge?

What else does this Norton bankruptcy attorney provide?  Online searches of local court records and auditor’s records are checked (fiscal office records for the Summit county clients).  A credit report is ordered, saving the client substantial amounts of work in searching for long-lost creditors.  A records search is ordered, thoroughly checking the electronic records of vehicle and real estate ownership.  Some trustees conduct this search.  Shouldn’t you have access to the same information?  The credit counseling class and financial management class is ordered.  Many attorneys will send their clients to find their own class.  After years of being harassed by phone calls and trying to sort out truth from lies in these calls, do you really want to do more of the same?  Once you file your bankruptcy petition, numerous financial management providers will send you material asking you to take their course.  How do you know which ones are legitimate?  Do you really want to do this work?  Do you really want to read more material after years of reading material from debt collection companies and courts?  Ordering the courses streamlines this process and saves you this hassle.

 

 

To read articles related to this one about the pitfalls of settling for a cheap bankruptcy attorney, take a look at some of my other articles: the end of debtors’ prison in Ohio, bankruptcy is authorized in the constitution, how to fight back against harassing debt collectors in Ohio, save your Ohio home from foreclosure, can you lose your Ohio home in bankruptcy, Ohio law protects homes., and what happens when you do not pay payday loans in Ohio. I have successfully handled the bankruptcy needs for my clients, including the more complicated ones, as set forth in the case highlights section. My hard work and results are reflected in the positive reviews from my clients: Daniel Gigiano reviews; Daniel Gigiano ratings; and Daniel Gigiano work.

 

Attorney Gigiano is your experienced Wadsworth bankruptcy lawyer in Medina County who practices in the Akron bankruptcy court and Canton bankruptcy court, both divisions of the Northern District of Ohio Bankruptcy Court.  If you have questions about choosing between quality representation or a cheap bankruptcy attorney or other questions you need answered by an experienced Wayne County bankruptcy lawyer in Wadsworth, please call Attorney Daniel F. Gigiano at 330-336-3330.