I get a lot of telephone calls and emails from people wanting to know how much I charge for a bankruptcy. I usually tell them that’s like calling up a car dealer and asking how much it costs to buy a car. The price depends on a lot of factors.

My attorney’s fee is set based on the specifics of a person’s case. I charge less for a “routine” case and the price increases as the complexity of the case increases.

One thing I can guarantee is that if a person is looking for the cheapest bankruptcy attorney in town, I’m not him. But I’m also not the most expensive either.

Here’s something you should be aware of. The current recession is causing a lot of good people to struggle financially. And bankruptcy filings are on the increase. So attorneys who are themselves struggling financially are attracted to what they see as the latest hot area of law – bankruptcy. This means that attorneys with little bankruptcy experience are jumping into the practice of bankruptcy law and undercutting the fees charged by experienced bankruptcy attorneys.

So understand that I won’t cut my attorney’s fee just because I’m told that another bankruptcy lawyer will do it for less money. I don’t compete on price.

If you’re considering hiring a bankruptcy attorney solely based on who quotes you the cheapest price, be careful. Be very careful.

Some areas of the law are more complex than others. Bankruptcy is one of the more complex areas. You have a lot riding on whether or not your case is handled properly. Mistakes can have huge negative consequences. This is an area where the saying “you get what you pay for” holds true.

Filing bankruptcy is not just filling out some paperwork, and filing some forms, and going to court once or twice. While it sometimes can appear that there’s not too much to filing a bankruptcy case, that’s because a competent, knowledgeable, experienced bankruptcy attorney knows what to do and makes it look easy.

Just like the practice of medicine is complex and specialized, so is the practice of law. Make sure you hire a bankruptcy attorney with experience in bankruptcy. You wouldn’t go to a podiatrist (foot doctor) for heart surgery, and you shouldn’t hire a divorce lawyer or a personal injury lawyer or a worker’s compensation lawyer to represent you in bankruptcy.

And just like you probably wouldn’t want to be a heart surgeon’s first patient, even if he quoted you the cheapest price in town, you really don’t want to be the client of an inexperienced bankruptcy attorney, even if the price seems like a real bargain.

Here are several questions that I suggest you ask the attorney you are considering hiring to represent you in bankruptcy. An experienced bankruptcy attorney who cares about his or her client, will not mind answering these questions:

1. How long have you practiced bankruptcy law?
2. What percentage of your practice is devoted to bankruptcy?
3. How many bankruptcies cases have you filed since the bankruptcy laws were changed in 2005?
4. Does the local bankruptcy judge(s) know who you are?
5. Can you name the Chapter 7 trustees and do they know who you are?
6. Can you name the Chapter 13 trustee and does he know who you are?
7. Can you name the Assistant U.S. Trustee and does she know who you are?
8. Are you a member of the bankruptcy sections of the Oklahoma Bar Association and your county bar association?
9. Are you a member of any national bankruptcy organizations? (You want an attorney who is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys).

If the bankruptcy attorney you are considering hiring cannot answer these questions comfortably and to your satisfaction, you probably should keep looking for an attorney who can.

If you’re struggling with too much debt and have questions about bankruptcy, contact me today to schedule a FREE initial telephone consultation. Just fill out the Contact Dan form on the far right side of the page and click the Submit button and I’ll get back with you as quickly as I can. Or just give me a call at 918-615-8260. I’ll answer all of your questions in plain English so that you can make a wise decision regarding what would be best for your personal situation.

Many of the people who contact me to talk about debt problems have already talked with at least one other bankruptcy lawyer. And many of the stories I hear aren’t good.

It seems that a lot bankruptcy attorneys have a terrible “bedside manner.” Some come across as arrogant. Others act like they’re doing you a favor just to talk with you. Most talk down to you.

By the time you get up the nerve to actually call a bankruptcy lawyer, things have gotten pretty bad in your life. Yeah sure, things could probably be worse. But the truth of the matter is, you’re situation sucks.

You’ve got a lot of bills that you can’t pay. You don’t answer your phone because you’ve got bill collectors calling you day and night. You’re irritable. You aren’t sleeping well. If you’re married, you’re probably fighting with your spouse. You feel bad that you can’t do things for your kids that you’d like to do.

Does that sound familiar?

And then you finally get up the nerve to call a bankruptcy lawyer and guess what? He or she actually makes you feel worse! What’s up with that?

That bankruptcy lawyer may know the bankruptcy laws inside and out, but if he or she doesn’t seem the least bit concerned with you as a person, that should be a red flag to you.

Now many of my fellow bankruptcy lawyers will disagree with me. They believe that their job is simply to provide competent legal representation and nothing more. But I think that attitude is short-sighted.

A good bankruptcy attorney is not only legally competent but also understands and empathizes with what you’re going through. The stress. The fear. The guilt. The shame. The anger. And the depression.

A good bankruptcy lawyer should show some concern about you as a person and work hard to make you feel better about both your present situation and your future.

Now having said all that, let me say that I don’t have a crystal ball and I can’t predict the future. While I can make debt that you can’t pay go away, I can’t guarantee that everything in your future will be a bed of roses.

With the economy in a major recession and with credit guidelines getting tighter and tighter, even those with good credit are having problems refinancing mortgages or getting a car loan at a decent interest rate.

I certainly won’t pretend to know what the future holds. No one but God knows that.

But I can get you out from under the mountain of debt that you feel buried under. I can jump into the sea of debt in which you are drowning and pull you back to shore.

I can help you get a financial fresh start. I can help you get your financial life back on track. I can help you begin to experience some peace in your financial life. And that’s probably what you’re looking for.

Forget all of the legal mumbo-jumbo about Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 and automatic stays and reaffirmation agreements and discharge orders. While those things have their place, your highest concern right now is just being able to know that you have hope for a fresh start.

For now, concentrate on that. Don’t worry yourself about how soon you’ll be able to buy another house or car. What you need to focus on right now is getting out of the mess you’re currently in and gaining some stability in your finances. Once you’ve done that, then you can begin to think about those other things when the time is right.

For now, think about being able to get the bill collectors to stop calling you. Think about not having to worry anymore about being sued and having your wages garnished.

Wouldn’t it be nice to stop fighting with your spouse about overdue bills? Wouldn’t it be great to get a good night’s sleep again?

I understand those things. I deal with it every day. But I understand not just because it’s my job, but also because of personal experience. I’m a lot like you. Really. I’m a regular guy. I have many of the same concerns that you do – about money, and family and the future.

And that’s why I’m really good at what I do. That’s why my clients aren’t just a number to me. That’s why when push comes to shove, I’ll fight hard for you with your creditors, your trustee and your judge.

If you’re struggling with too much debt and have questions about bankruptcy, contact me today to schedule a FREE initial telephone consultation. Just fill out the Contact Dan form on the far right side of the page and click the Submit button and I’ll get back with you as quickly as I can. Or just give me a call at 918-615-8260. I’ll answer all of your questions in plain English so that you can make a wise decision regarding what would be best for your personal situation.

I saw something at court recently that made me just shake me head.

It was a bankruptcy lawyer searching for his clients prior to a bankruptcy hearing in a way that makes it obvious that he had never met his clients before. The attorney paced back and forth and up and down the hallway calling out the clients’ names, looking into the various places his clients could be waiting, until the three of them eventually found each other whereupon the attorney introduced himself for the first time then and there at court. Their conversation revealed that the clients had been communicating mainly with the attorney’s legal assistant up to this point in time.

Now I don’t know all of the specifics and maybe what I saw was just an isolated incident and not this lawyer’s normal way of practicing law. Maybe he had somehow made sure that his clients were well prepared for the court hearing. I hope so for the clients’ sake.

You see, the entire bankruptcy process is routine for the lawyer because he or she does it all the time. But it is something entirely new and foreign to the client. And an attorney who fails to take the time to prepare his client properly for a meeting with the Chapter 7 trustee does his client a great disservice.

I’ve been representing good people with financial problems since 1996. And the vast majority of my bankruptcy clients have initially been apprehensive while some have been down right scared regarding their First Meeting of Creditors in their Chapter 7 bankruptcy case.

My clients’ apprehension or fear is understandable since going to court and being questioned under oath by a trustee is not something that they do on a regular basis.

However my clients fear or apprehension always melts away after I take the time that I always do to prepare them so that they know what to expect when it comes time to go to court to meet with the Chapter 7 trustee.

Many bankruptcy lawyers routinely have their legal assistants do much of the day-to-day work on their clients’ cases. Many people filing bankruptcy rarely deal with their lawyer but have to deal with the lawyer’s legal assistant.

My clients are never handed over to a legal assistant. As you’ll see if you click on the Meet Dan page, I operate my bankruptcy practice totally by myself. It’s a one-man show. So when a client hires me, they get me for everything. I answer their phone calls, I respond to their emails, I personally meet with them, I personally do every bit of work on their case, and I go with them to court.

This allows me to stay on top of each client’s case and to also offer my clients the best in convenience and personal service.

If you’re considering filing bankruptcy and would like an attorney who will work with you personally every step of they way instead of handing you over to a legal assistant, contact me today by completing the “Contact Dan” form on the right side of this page. I’ll get back in touch with you as soon as I can to schedule a FREE initial telephone consultation. I would count it a privilege to be able to visit with you in a relaxed and confidential environment where I’ll answer all of your questions in plain English and give you the straight scoop on the pros and cons of bankruptcy as related to your specific situation.