By Celeste Murray
Filling for bankruptcy can be a very complex procedure especially if you are a lay man. Because of this, if you plan to file for insolvency, it would be good to choose a relevant lawyer to guide you through the process. This is important because if you make certain bankruptcy blunders, there are high chances that your application will be rejected by the court. So, it is usually in your best interest to work with someone who is competent enough. Below are tips to help you identify a good bankruptcy lawyer in Salinas CA.
The best approach to finding a good attorney still remains word of mouth. In fact, no amount of advertisement can be compared to a referral from a trusted friend. As such, if you see a solicitor who is putting big billboards in every corner of the town, you really need to be careful with him/her. Good lawyers do not always have to advertise themselves in order to get business. Most of their clients usually come through referrals from satisfied clients.
Once you come up with a list of potential attorneys through referrals, the next important step is to consider their areas of specialty. Remember that bankruptcy is a very complex and specialized aspect of the law. What this means is that anybody who does not specialize in it may not excel in it either. As such, you should always give priority to attorneys who dedicate much of their time to insolvency cases.
Hand in hand with area of specialization is the experience. You need to locate a solicitor who has a lot of experience in insolvency. When considering experience, you should not just dwell on the number of years one has been in this practice. You also have to factor in the number of similar cases he/she has successfully handled in the recent past. An ideal bankruptcy attorney would be one with at least ten years of active practice under his/her belt.
Legal fee is another important factor that you cannot afford to ignore. If you want the best deals, you should always compare quotes from different attorneys before making a choice. However, just like when buying any product, you should remember that you will only get whatever you have paid for. Because of this, extremely low fees are usually not the best.
Before you settle on any attorney, he/she should show you a copy of his/her license of operation. Most lawyers usually do not any problem with this. However, if a solicitor is opposed to the idea of showing you his/her license, this could be a sign that he does not even have one or that he is using one that has expired.
Once you find a good attorney, you should also insist on a written contract. This is usually very important as it safeguards the interest of clients by ensuring that they get whatever they have paid for. As such, you should never allow any attorney, no matter how innocent he/she may seem to start working for you without a written contract in place.
As can be seen above, finding a good insolvency attorney is not something you will be able to achieve within a day. You need ample time to go through all the possible options. This is why starting the search early is always mandatory.
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Read more about Guidelines To The Best Bankruptcy Lawyer.