Cheap Lawyers are everywhere, but you may not be able to afford them.
You can see a lot of lawyers bragging about being the cheapest. Search on the web and you will see ads for “Cheap Bankruptcy Attorney,” “Low Fee Bankruptcy.”
We all know that quality and cheap don’t go together. If we buy cheap we know it will cost us more in the long run. You get what you pay for. This is no surprise. We expect it and make buying decisions knowing what will happen. When it comes to hiring a lawyer, hiring the cheapest is not the way to go. The risks are just too great.
What Does A Low Cost Bankruptcy Lawyer Cost?
Some of my clients meet with other lawyers before coming to see me. These clients are smart and just want another opinion before making a big decision. Most of the time they have gotten good advice and I will tell them so. But that is not always the case. Recently a married couple came in to discuss filing a bankruptcy. They already hired another attorney and been advised to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. They were unsure of this advice based upon the reading they had done on my web site. I reviewed their situation and recommended a Chapter 13 instead. The Chapter 13 would eliminate the same debt, but allow them to keep other valuable property, things they would have lost in the Chapter 7 recommended by the cheap lawyer. In the Chapter 13 their monthly expenses and payments for their secured property would be less. The discount lawyer would have saved them a little up front in legal fees, but it would have cost them everything they had worked for. They realized their situation would be a lot better in the future by spending a little more now.
A Discount Bankruptcy Costs Too Much.
Every week I get calls from people who have hired other bankruptcy lawyers. They are frustrated because they can’t get the lawyer to return their calls. The lawyer doing the low cost bankruptcy can’t afford to spend time answering your questions or returning your calls. Other situations I see are even sadder. People who file Chapter 7 cases with lawyers that are the cheapest end up losing money, land, and property in their Chapter 7 case because it was not protected. The low cost lawyer was in a hurry, had not read the law, or never bothered researching the client’s situation. The money and property could have been protected with some pre-bankruptcy planning. My grandmother called this “being penny wise and pound foolish”, in other words, saving a little now and losing a lot later on. Hiring a cheap lawyer can be very risky.
Is Your Bankruptcy Necessary?
A much more common problem is when a bankruptcy is recommended by the low cost lawyer and it is not needed. Many people come to see me about filing bankruptcy and I advise against it. In their situation it may not be needed. There are a many reasons why someone should not file bankruptcy, or should at least delay filing. Not everyone with debt problems must file bankruptcy. But, the low fee lawyers must file a lot of cases to pay for their office and overhead.
Conclusion – Choose the Right Lawyer.
You want a skilled bankruptcy lawyer that will give you honest advice and find the best solution for your problem even when it means you won’t be hiring him. Money is tight when you are thinking about bankruptcy. If you are tempted to find the lowest cost attorney, consider the risks first. I am convinced that paying a little more in legal fees will be a far less expensive in the long run.
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