^[1]You wouldn’t go get a haircut without being prepared would you? Just the same you’ll want to make sure that you are prepared to meet your attorney.You will want to make your initial meeting as productive as possible. A bit of preparation on your part could save your attorney some time and yourself some money, if it helps get your case filed sooner.

Your attorney will want know about you. How to get in contact with you and a bit about your background. There will also be lots of questions about your current financial situation and also some historical questions as well. Be sure to tell your lawyer everything and to be completely honest and upfront. If you could jot down some notes beforehand of your finances that may be helpful. You will be asked to fill out a complete packet later on so this would help you out as well.

If you’re in a foreclosure proceeding be sure to bring copies of anything you have pertaining to that. Any correspondence that you’ve had with creditors will be helpful. If you have upcoming pre-trial or trial dates you should also know those.

Questions to ask your potential lawyer

There is no silly question, keep in mind that this is your financial situation that you are discussing. You should ensure that you completely understand everything that the attorney is telling you. Prepare a list of questions to take with you to your first meeting. Some questions you might ask a bankruptcy lawyer would include:

• Should you file bankruptcy?
• What might your other options be?
• How many bankruptcy cases has he or she handled?
• What percentage of his or her practice is in the area of expertise that you need?
• Does the lawyer usually represent debtors or creditors?
• What problems does the lawyer foresee with your case?
• How would the lawyer go about handling your situation? What is the process?
• How long will it take to bring the matter to a conclusion?
• How would the lawyer charge for his or her services?
• Would the lawyer handle the case personally or would it be passed on to some other lawyer or support staff in the firm? If other lawyers or staff may do some of the work, could you meet them?

Along with these questions you might want to ask about their charges and how they charge. Do they charge hourly, is it a flat fee and if so what is the fee for their services. Before you settle on the attorney if you haven’t seen it yet ask them for a copy of their retainer agreement and have it explained to you before you hire them.

Keep in mind that in the end the Attorney you hire is working for you. If the attorney doesn’t understand this relationship, then you may want to keep looking.

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