What To Ask Before You Hire a Bankruptcy Attorney

Q: How many bankruptcy cases do you file each month? (Since it is your money and your possessions at risk, you want someone experienced to guide you through the process.) FREGO & BRODSKY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY FIRMS IN MICHIGAN, FILING BETWEEN 60 AND 110 CASES PER MONTH FROM ITS DEARBORN HEIGHTS, ANN ARBOR AND FLINT LOCATIONS COMBINED.

Q: Will you let me pay my attorney fees during and after the bankruptcy?    (Many law firms advertise “easy payment plans,” but that only means “pay the lawyer, pay the lawyer, pay the lawyer and when the lawyer is mostly paid, only then will they file your case”.)  MOST OF FREGO & BRODSKY’S CLIENTS PAY THE BULK OF THEIR ATTORNEY FEES DURING AND AFTER THE BANKRUPTCY. 

Q: Do you handle both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases at your office?  (If a lawyer does only one or the other, they will try to steer you toward that option, regardless of whether that is the best choice for your situation.  Then, they will farm out the cases they absolutely cannot handle to their friends at other law firms.)  OUR FIRM HANDLES BOTH, AND ONLY “FARMS OUT” CASES WHERE WE ARE SOMEHOW EXCLUDED FROM REPRESENTING YOU.

Q: How many lawyers do you have practicing only bankruptcy law? (More lawyers means a wider variety of legal opinion.  A sole practitioner often times will not be able to spot his or her own mistakes – that’s human nature.)  OUR FIRM EMPLOYS BETWEEN SIX AND EIGHT FULL-TIME BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEYS TO SERVICE YOUR NEEDS.

Q: What sort of continuing legal education does the lawyer get? (This is especially important with the changing bankruptcy laws.  You will want a lawyer or law firm that has participated in several seminars to learn the new laws.)  ALL FREGO & BRODSKY ATTORNEYS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR ON THE NEW LAWS, MOST HAVE ATTENDED MORE THAN ONE SEMINAR.  CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION IS AN ONGOING PROCESS AND ENCOURAGED BY OUR SENIOR ATTORNEYS.

Q: What portion of your practice is devoted exclusively to consumer bankruptcies?   (You will want a firm that devotes at least 50% of their time to consumer bankruptcies to ensure you are getting a lawyer with intimate knowledge of the bankruptcy process, court system, trustees and judges.  If your lawyer splits time between several practice areas like divorce, criminal law, personal injury, trusts and wills, they become “the jack of all trades – but the master of none.”)  AT FREGO & BRODSKY, OUR BUSINESS IS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY HELPING PEOPLE FILE CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY CASES.  .

Q: How often do you tell first-time visitors that they do not need to do a bankruptcy?   (You need to trust that the lawyer is looking at you as a person in need of true, honest advice, and not as someone who must file a bankruptcy simply because they are visiting a bankruptcy lawyer’s office.)  EVERY PROSPECTIVE CLIENT IN OUR OFFICE PRESENTS A UNIQUE SITUATION AND YOU WILL ALWAYS MEET WITH AN ATTORNEY ON YOUR FIRST VISIT WHO IS OPEN-MINDED ENOUGH TO GIVE AN HONEST APPRAISAL OF YOUR SITUATION.