If you are considering filing a bankruptcy petition in Michigan, whether it be a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 case, be sure to find an experienced bankruptcy attorney to help you through the complicated process of filing bankruptcy.  You should never consider filing bankruptcy on your own, because more than likely you will spend hours and hours trying to figure out the law and how to fill out the complicated bankruptcy forms and you will make mistakes that could cost you far more than the legal fees would have been for an experienced attorney.  In reality, most people that start out as “pro se” or “on one’s own behalf” bankruptcy filings end up hiring attorneys later to fix the mistakes that have already been made.

When looking for a bankruptcy attorney, look for these qualities:

Bankruptcy is a highly complicated area of law and you don’t want an attorney who practices bankruptcy on the side in addition to other areas of law such as personal injury or divorce. Bankruptcy is so highly specialized that it is actually broken up into two areas of specialty: either Consumer or Business Bankruptcy.

 

If you are an individual or married couple and have household debt, you want to look for a specialist in consumer bankruptcy. In the metro Detroit Michigan area, there are only about 5 bankruptcy attorneys who specialize in consumer bankruptcy law and limit their practice to representing only the people filing bankruptcy. The American Board of Certification certifies bankruptcy attorneys across the United States. A Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney has passed a rigorous screening process and written examinations in addition to the State Bar exam to certify the specialization. I myself have been a Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney in Michigan since 2005 and you can verify that here: http://www.abcworld.org/search/attorney/details.php?id=527

Be sure to find an attorney who has years of experience and has represented thousands of clients. If you are going under the knife for an open heart surgery, you don’t want a doctor who has only performed hip replacements. Similarly, when you file bankruptcy, you want an attorney who has the experience in and around the court in which your case will be filed. I have limited my bankruptcy practice to exclusively filing consumer bankruptcy cases in the Detroit bankruptcy court which handles all cases filed in nine surrounding counties, including Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. I am well known by all of our local bankruptcy Judges, trustees and court clerks. When filing bankruptcy, especially in the Detroit area, many documents must be presented to the trustees in an orderly fashion.  Some of these documents are difficult to obtain.

An experienced bankruptcy attorney will help you locate and organize the required paperwork and will know the local court procedures and rule to assure that your case goes through the bankruptcy system with ease.  I have filed well over 10,000 personal bankruptcy cases in the Detroit bankruptcy court over the past 30+ years and have seen every type of bankruptcy case during my career.  See testimonials from past clients of mine.

Many people think that hiring a specialist will be much more expensive than a less experienced attorney.  That is not always true.  Most less experienced attorneys will charge more because they will need to spend more time brushing up on the law to be comfortable filing your case.  I have a very efficient office and pride myself on offering high quality bankruptcy services at a very reasonable fee.

I offer free face-to-face evaluations and bankruptcy consultations always with an attorney at which time you will be counseled on whether bankruptcy is the right decision for you and your family and if so, whether you should file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case. I encourage all potential clients to come into my office and meet me and my staff. It is important that you feel comfortable with your attorney who will work with you through the bankruptcy process to achieve the goal of a fresh financial start.  I strive to treat my clients with respect and understand the difficult times you may be going through. I understand that coming to see a bankruptcy attorney can be difficult and even embarrassing and try to reassure my clients who may be apprehensive about it.  I have helped many friends and even family eliminate their debt when they have had financial difficulties.

Feel free to come down to my office and meet me and my staff.  You don’t need an appointment at my main office in Detroit, just come down during normal business hours.  Bring your bills, a recent pay-stub and last year’s tax returns and we can sit down face to face and see if a bankruptcy can help you get a handle on your debt.