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Meeting lawyer today
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My first meeting with a bankruptcy lawyer is this afternoon... I am fairly certain this is my only viable option.
I had a good job making over 70K/yr and lived within my means... lost my job in 2006 due to corporate downsizing, lost my health in 2007, so I am in no position to seek new employment and I have to do something before I end up living in a handicap accessible cardboard box. (Yes, applied for disability on my doc's suggestion, you know how that goes... could take years.) I sell on ebay so I do have a little income... just not enough to live on with house payments and everything so my savings is now depleted and I've already cashed in my 401k. I'm going down and it is kind of scary... and I tried talking to my family about it and they just suggest I sell my house for enough to cover everything but that is impossible... there is not enough equity to do that. So I don't think I'm going to tell them what I am doing... let them think I sold the house or whatever as they do not live locally... they know I plan to move to their town later this year, I'm thinking they don't need to know the details... they are up in years and don't need any worries about me... so in a way, I am going thru this alone. Oh well... guess I am just venting here, getting nervous about going to see this lawyer. Any advice? Thanks. Posted on 01/28/08, 01:01 pm |
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Just lay it all out for them, and tell them everything! I have been there, with the same circumstances, but it was mt husband who lost his job, and like you, we exhausted all of our resources trying to keep afloat, and created more debt by living off of the credit cards, until it came to that. Not telling your family is something I also did, as I did not want then to be judgemental, and I knew that would be what they would do! Just know that it is not the end of the world, but it will feel like it for a while. Best Wishes!! 
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I'm very sorry you have to go through this. BR is hard yes but your attorney should make you feel not bad about it. life happens and you're doing the best you can. I didn't like the actual hearing part of it but it doesn't last long. You'll start to feel better about it once it's done and then you'll move on. best of luck to you and try to stay calm and not worry as best you can.
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I bailed... this lawyer had a nice ad in the yellow pages plus a professional looking website... but when I got to his office - a dingy storefront with cheap furniture and filthy windows right next door to our, ummm... midnight massage parlor front for prostitution (or so one man claimed he innocently went in for a massage and got more than he wanted when he reported it to the police yadda yadda few years back) but needless to say, I was thinking "oh..." and the door was LOCKED, no one there.
So, I stood out on the street and waited while more clients arrived... like a small crowd... someone said "oh, he's running late" and I talked to a lady who said he scheduales everyone for the same time, then it is first come, first serve... OH... I waited 25 minutes and left. This is NOT a free legal clinic... am I wrong to expect my own appt time? I have an appt with lawyer #2 on Thursday.
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Better Luck next time! You are not wrong to be expecting to be treated decently, after all, he/she will not be doing this for free!
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Quick update... lawyer #2 moved his office to way out on the other side of the city and the day of my appt, giant tonka toys wouldn't let me out of my driveway (bulldozers, etc doing pipe work on my street.)
Lawyer #3 was NOT just a bankruptcy attorney - she specializes in family law, including bankruptcy and other monetary matters facing families. She did NOT have a "free consultation" but the advice she gave me was worth well beyond the $25 fee. She reviewed my financial situation and told me that I do not need to file bankrupty. The creditor I can't get away from (pd via auto withdrawal from my checking since day one and after YEARS of payments, the loan had come down ONE DOLLAR) is being investigated by the Ohio Attorney General s office for preditory lending practices and fraud and not to worry about them... just stop the auto payment and close the account and isn't a thing they can do to me... I have no wages to garnish. Yeah, I will lose my house if I can't sell it... and it will screw my "debt-ability" (uh, credit score) for maybe 7 years or so, but bad credit reduces the risk of identity theft (trying to look on the bright side) and I will be okay. Thanks for letting me rant.
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Bankruptcy isn't so bad. I'm not sure what it's like since they passed the new laws but I filed in 2002 and it went really easy. I had a good lawyer and the hearing went smooth. Like I said, I don't know what it's like now but I am getting my credit back in order now and things are a lot better. It's not as bad as they make it out to be, your credit it ruined for a while but you can bounce back. I wouldn't sweat it.
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