Do Not Attempt Do-It-Yourself Bankruptcy

Winter Park lawyer Eric Lanigan said do not attempt do-it-yourself bankruptcy because Chapter 7, 11, or 13 bankruptcy requires extensive knowledge. Handling any of the paperwork, filings or planning is absolutely not recommended. Bankruptcy courts and judges have zero tolerance for inexperience and ill-prepared cases.

“Bankruptcy is handled in a Federal courtroom,” Eric Lanigan said. “The judge has no leniency nor will there be any time spent waiting, explaining or telling a lay person the legal intricacies involved in bankruptcy. When you walk in there without an attorney you are wasting the court’s time because you don’t know the law.”

If you decide to file bankruptcy you’ve weighed the options about your financial future before deciding to file. The next step is to find a skilled bankruptcy lawyer you trust, who is experienced and who knows the ins and outs of bankruptcy law.

“There is no way that you can possibly prepare or provide information to a Federal bankruptcy court judge,” Lanigan said. “You could lose everything without the complete direction and legal support of a very qualified Florida bankruptcy attorney. No lawyer will ever tell you that this is a procedure that you can handle on your own.”

Eric Lanigan recommends that you hire an attorney who regularly practices bankruptcy. The attorney should have filed many, many bankruptcies and you need to ask about his or her experience.

“Just because they’re an attorney, doesn’t mean that they know bankruptcy law or that their knowledge in another area of law extends into bankruptcy,” Lanigan said.

Ask Bankruptcy Lawyer Questions

Before you complete the initial questionnaire for an attorney who wants to know about you and your financial history, you should be asking questions about the attorney’s capabilities in bankruptcy.

“If he or she suggests that you can do a good part of the bankruptcy yourself, you need to get up and out of the office,” Lanigan said. “When it comes to a do-it-yourself bankruptcy you will not be assured that a bankruptcy will be approved. You can be certain that you will lose and you will lose big. You could lose everything you thought that you could salvage.”

A DIY Bankruptcy Can Ruin Everything

The pressure of debt and extensive bills hanging over your head is a horrible stress. If you think that you can save money by a DIY bankrutcy, you can add failure and losing everything to your list of fears. There are unknown consequences that this decision can loom like an insurmountable obstacle.

You may think that forethought and basic research skills, a person may deal successfully with this difficult situation. But you had better have the counsel of an attorney to provide you with confident decision-making in the area of personal finances.

A decision must be made as to whether one should continue with a client who comes in after trying to start a do it yourself bankruptcy. Obviously, if a person is in the situation where they have weighed this option, there is already the pressure of dealing with unmet obligations and situations caused by the individual.

Instead, start the right way by turning the bankruptcy over to an attorney. He or she will want to know details that led you to filing a Florida bankruptcy. Next the attorney will tell the individual which type of bankruptcy will best resolve a particular financial situation. An attorney will know how to go about filing bankruptcy and there will be some complicated processes, paperwork and filings to handle. All of this will be routine to an experienced Florida bankruptcy attorney.

It is never a good idea to file bankruptcy without a skilled Florida bankruptcy attorney. Call Eric Lanigan at 407-740-7379 to meet and discuss your financial situation.