Using a Bankruptcy Free Consultation to Improve Your Results

Almost all attorneys offer free bankruptcy consultations to potential new clients. These meetings provide you a no-cost opportunity to evaluate an attorney, compare legal advice, and receive answers to your most important questions. Of course, you may talk to as many attorneys as you wish before making a decision regarding legal representation. There are a few tricks however that will greatly improve your chances of finding the best attorney for the job. In just a moment, you too will know these tricks and will easily discover how to get all the free legal advice you want. Later, if you decide to do so, you will also know how to negotiate a better fee if you decide to retain an attorney.

The Best Way to Prepare for Your First Meeting

To get the most out of your free bankruptcy consultation, prepare an interview list. Your list should include your most important questions. In addition, your list should contain a few loaded questions that are designed to compare costs, benefits and the quality of representation provided by several lawyers you may consider. If you don't already have a list of questions, a link below points the way to a highly effective interview sheet you may use as a starting point.

Get the list and read through it. You will notice that it is in Word format and can be copied to any word processor. Then, change the list anyway you wish to reflect your most important concerns and goals. For example, you may have a special situation that causes concern about:

• the benefits of pre-bankruptcy planning
• the means test and why it is vitally important
• how to qualify for Chapter 7
• the amount of your payments if you choose Chapter 13
• property exemptions and how to keep everything you own today
• transactions that could get you in trouble
• legal transactions that will help your case and keep more cash
• how long your case will last

You can create a highly targeted list of questions by completing the means test worksheets. Once you finish, you will know if you qualify for Chapter 7 and the amount of payments required if you file Chapter 13. With this information, you will be able to talk to lawyers about how to change the results of your means test. As you can now see, completing the means test worksheet before you meet with a lawyer is the easiest way to get the most out of your meeting. Hint, hint – ask about ways to change your results legally when you prepare early.

How Many Bankruptcy Free Consultations Do You Need?

Talk to at least several attorneys before making a decision. Compare their advice, expectations and recommendations. The total amount of benefits you receive is far more important than the amount of attorney fees required. In particular, ask a lot of questions about how, what and when you may be debt free and keep all property you own.

The best lawyers welcome an opportunity to discuss benefits with their clients. A lawyer should be eager to explain to you how to prepare for your case during the weeks or months before you file. This way, you can improve your results dramatically. Most people fail to do this and needlessly throw away many valuable rights and options.

Start Planning as Early as Possible

If you have several months to plan your case, you can change the results of your means test in quite a few beneficial ways. This could help you qualify for Chapter 7 and receive a complete discharge of all of your debts, without payment of any kind, in as few as four months. This is the fastest time allowed by law to receive a discharge because of mandatory waiting periods. If you fail to start early, or if you fail to plan altogether, you may be forced into Chapter 13 unnecessarily.

As you now know, you should complete the means test worksheet as soon as possible and begin talking to a few attorneys. Ask them about your test result and how to restructure your expenses to improve your potential benefits. You will be glad you did.

In a worst-case scenario, you could reduce your Chapter 13 payment by several hundred dollars a month. Over five years, you could save $300 every month for a total of $18,000. You can put this cash in your pocket and keep it. Far better, you should discover how to beat the means test and avoid Chapter 13 completely.

Are you ready to get started today? Follow this link now:

Bankruptcy Free Consultation– Tips, Secrets and a Means Test Worksheet