Obviously I am on a budget and the lawyer I liked the best and that was the least expensive was William J. Kopp, Jr. from the firm Clark & Washington, P.C. The lawyer and the firm have not been rated. Does anyone have any feedback on this firm or can you recommend a good bankruptcy attorney for me? Any help would be appreciated as I need to get this resolved asap!
It is really foolish to chose a bankruptcy lawyer or any other lawyer based on price. After all, you only get what you pay for. As a consumer, you are really at the mercy of the attorney you hire, and you need to understand the limitations of what you get for a flat fee & what might be extra.
What is the best choice for you might not be the best choice for someone else. It all depends on what you need a bankruptcy to accomplish. And no, it isn't as simple as it might seem.
Take a look at my video explaining the problems with hiring a cheap bankruptcy attorney.
Cheap Attorney http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T83kwQe3P90
Good luck
I sympathize with people who are on a budget, need legal help, and cannot afford the sometimes outrageous charges we lawyers charge. I disagree with the idea that "you get what you pay for" in legal services. Paying for legal services is not like buying a cheap suit of clothes. We don't sell vegetables. Ours is a service profession. There are many competent attorneys in Florida who haven't forgotten that making money is secondary to serving the public; that having a license to serve the public is a privilege, and who will render first rate legal services to their clients regardless of the fee, even when there is no fee. For most of us there is only one level of legal service - our very best.
Our license to practice law imposes certain duties upon us which many, though not all, take very seriously. In Florida every lawyer is required to perform pro bono work or to contribute to pro bono legal service organizations. Furthermore, unlike many states, Florida has an extremely aggressive bar disciplinary committee. Most people don't know that every month the Supreme Court, on the recommendation of the Bar, disbars, suspends and publicly reprimands some 30 to 40 lawyers statewide. One of the grounds for discipline is overcharging clients and another is for failing to render competent service. We also all contribute to a trust fund to repay clients of thieving lawyers.
How do you find a "good bankruptcy attorney" who is affordable. Pick out a few. Call them up and see if you can speak to them on the phone. If they want you to come in for a free consultation, go in and size them up. The small office practitioners all charge about the same, more or less, for a simple Chapter 7. If you don't like him/her, go on to the next. You should feel comfortable talking to your attorney. You want one who will explain things to you and who will talk to you when you have reasonable questions. Good Luck.
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