There are many great bankruptcy attorneys in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. I would always urge any person considering filing a bankruptcy petition to consult with an attorney to assist them with the filing of the petition. Sometimes people ask me whether they can file a bankruptcy petition on their own without an attorney. The short answer to that question is, yes. An individual or couple may represent themselves in the filing of their bankruptcy petition. However, an individual or couple may also rewire their own home, do chiropractic manipulations on each other or repair the brakes on their own vehicles. You get the point. Just because you could, in theory, do something on your own does not mean that it makes sense to do so. Bankruptcy, in my opinion, is something that an individual should attempt to do on his or her own. There are simply too many rules and pitfalls that come along with bankruptcy to try to muddle your way through it. And, many of the actions that you may take just prior to the filing of a bankruptcy can cause problems once your case is filed.
Honestly, I am never excited when I see that one of the debtors being called prior to my case at bankruptcy court is pro se, or representing him or herself. Usually a pro se case means that it will take longer and that it will be painful to watch because the debtor will not understand what the trustee is asking or what requirements he or she may have missed. One of the most common errors I see people who have filed their own Chapter 7 bankruptcy make when I observe them at the 341 hearing is that on the date that he or she filed their bankruptcy petition they had $1,500.00 in their possession. However, they used that money to pay rent, make a car payment, or any other number of things and do not have that money at the time of the hearing. The pro se debtors are totally stunned when the trustee tells them that they are going to need $1,250.00 and the pro se debtor is trying to tell the trustee that they don't have $1,250.00 to give them. If the pro se debtor had an attorney the attorney likely would have advised that on the date of filing you are only allowed to have $350.00 that is exempt, or protected, from the trustee in cash or intangible funds in Indiana. An attorney would have advised the pro se debtor to pay the rent, car payment, etc., prior to the date that the bankruptcy petition was filed. But since the pro se debtor didn't have an attorney he or she just didn't know any better. The biggest problem with representing yourself in a bankruptcy is that you don't know what you don't know. Typing up the bankruptcy documents and filing them is the easy part. Anyone can do that....it is the knowledge of when to file them and what actions to take prior to or after the filing of the bankruptcy that an attorney can tell you.
I have already told you that I think there are many good bankruptcy attorneys in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas, but many people ask me why they should choose Halcomb Singler, LLP, for their bankruptcy advice. At Halcomb Singler we strive for excellent customer service. Even though we are attorneys, we recognize that attorneys are in the customer service business. We will return your phone calls and answer your e-mails and some attorneys are either not good about doing this or simply don't have the time to get this accomplished.
In addition, at Halcomb Singler, you will be dealing directly with your attorney. There will not be 3 people answering and screening your calls prior to being passed through to the attorney. The same goes with meetings. An attorney (not a legal assistant or paralegal) will meet with you each and every time you come to Halcomb Singler, not just during the first consultation. Finally, you will work with the same attorney during the pendency of your bankruptcy case. This is a benefit because if you have a question you know that you can ask someone with knowledge of your case. In addition, the attorney that represents you at your 341 hearing will be the same attorney you have worked with on your case. Some law firms have attorneys cover their hearings for them and you don't meet the attorney until the day of the 341 hearing. While this is certainly a permissible practice, at Halcomb Singler we avoid this because we want to make sure that our clients are comfortable on the day of their hearing. Overall, we understand that both making the decision to consider bankruptcy and the filing of a bankruptcy are very stressful times in the life of an individual and we do as much as we can to make it a smooth process.
If you live in Indianapolis, Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers, Zionsville or the surrounding areas and are considering bankruptcy please do not hesitate to call for your free consultation at (317) 575-8222 or click here.
Halcomb Singler, LLP, is a debt relief agency. It helps people file for bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code. No attorney-client relationship with the firm of Halcomb Singler, LLP, is created through this blog. Also, please note that Erika Singler is an attorney licensed in Indiana and does not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so. The information contained in this blog is general in nature and should not be relied upon for the circumstances of any individual(s) or businesses
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