What My Office is All About and Why We're Different

Most people log onto the Internet to try and learn something about bankruptcy, not simply be bombarded with "Call Now!" slogans. So how do you sort out which Lawyer is right for you?

For some, the lowest price is all they care about. Those that provide bargain-basement prices are generally known as "mills" that crank out bankruptcy after bankruptcy, keeping the cost down by having as little client contact as possible and providing the client with lots of forms to fill out.

The quality of service suffers, however, when legal fees become bargain basement. A recent MSN Money article about the dangers of "bargain" or "cut rate" Bankruptcy fees warns about the dangers of hiring the "lowest bidder."

On the other hand, those willing to pay top dollar can get more attention and personal service than a dinner guest at the White House. They'll probably get a good cup of coffee, too. In the end, however, all that fluff only adds to the price, and not the quality of the service provided or result achieved.

Somewhere in the middle, I think, lies the right balance. My fee in a Standard Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is $901, plus the $299 Federal Court Filing Fee, for a total of $1200. We start protecting you from your Creditors with the first $100 down-payment.  There are no hidden costs. It's that simple.  We do, however, give a $50 discount on all cases paid in full at our first meeting.

Let's face it, hiring a Bankruptcy Lawyer is a lot like hiring a Plumber; you've got a problem and you need it fixed. If the job is done right, at a fair price, and you felt comfortable with the person who did it, and would recommend them to a friend, then you found the right person.

This is where my office is so different. We don't give a Client lots of forms to fill out. Instead, we'll sit down with you at the intake and ask you about what you own, what you owe, and get our information that way.   And when I say "we" I mean me and my 2 wonderful Assistants, Ann and Donna, both of whom work with me on every case.  I am the only Lawyer, so when you hire me, you get me.

I cannot imagine charging a Client for a Bankruptcy and making them do the work by giving them a packet of confusing paperwork to fill out!

Beyond just listing all the "stuff" that goes into a Bankruptcy, there is an element of planning that goes on here, and that should be done by the Lawyer's office, not the Client. After all, that's what you're paying for! Or, at least what you should be paying for. Anything less seems to be an overpriced way of just having a bunch of forms filled out.

You'll undoubtedly have questions for us, and we'll have questions for you about things like what you own and how much money you make. Then, from our questions and answers, we'll fill in the information necessary to start and complete a bankruptcy petition. This attention to detail and time spent with our Client means there are no surprises.

Our Clients know exactly what is going to happen, and when. I make sure that my office treats my Clients just like I would want to be treated. That means my office doesn't lose our Clients in the shuffle.

When I see law offices boasting tens of thousands of cases handled, I can only wonder how much time was spent with each Client, and how well the office got to know the client, and address their individual concerns. I doubt many of their former Clients could honestly say they felt "appreciated" or "understood" in the way that we make it our business to make our clients feel.

Some people, like me, want service on a much more personal level. We know our clients. We know their concerns. And our Clients know us. When our Clients call, they ask for me, or Ann, or Donna by name.

My Clients, like me, don't want to feel like just another one of the herd, but neither do they want to feel that they are getting soaked and helping pay for the fancy new artwork going up in some high-rent lobby. My typical Clients are people who appreciate being able to spend as much time as necessary with us in order to get rid of their debt and do things right.  And they are not the kind of people who want to wait in a lobby in order to drop off forms to someone they don't know.

You cannot be everything to everyone, and recognizing your place in the bigger picture is important. My office is not the bargain basement "mill," and it is not the coffee-serving, high-rent district, top-dollar operation, either.

Instead, I offer what I think is the perfect balance, and the result is the kind of high quality, personal attention at a fair price that I look for as a consumer.

There's one more thing that I do that's different.  Rather than trying to "hook you in" once you call, we figure you're going to want to (and I certainly suggest that you do) call around to check out your options.  Once you've done your shopping and checked around, then you can call back to set up that first appointment, if you decide to hire me.