At first, the banks, credit card companies and other lenders will want more money down and will want to charge you higher interest rates.  However, if you are careful, keep your job, start saving money, pay your bills, and do things that put good marks on your credit report, the quality of your credit will get better and better over time.  Generally, if you have  not re-established good credit in 2 to 4 years, sufficient to even buy or refinance a house, it’s not because you filed bankruptcy.  It generally means that something else has happened after the bankruptcy to hurt your credit.

If  you would like more useful information on filing for bankruptcy in South Florida, please visit www.fileforbankruptcyinflorida.com.

Matthew E. Mazur, Jr., Esq.

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For information on filing for bankruptcy in Florida, please  visit www.fileforbankruptcyinflorida.com.

©2012 File For Bankruptcy In Florida Blog. All Rights Reserved.

	Walt Disney: He went through some very serious financial difficulties in his early years because financial backers in his first company withdrew their financial backing. This left Walt with considerable debts and no way to pay them off. He filed for bankruptcy protection. He went on to found one of the largest entertainment companies in the world.
	Burt Reynolds:  He got into debt after his 1996 divorce. He owed $10,000,000.00 and his only was out was to file for bankruptcy.
	Donald Trump: As shocking as it may seem, the Donald, has filed for bankruptcy. In 1990 he filed for bankruptcy protection because he was $900,000,000.00 in debt.
	Larry King: In 1978 he was $352,000.00 in debt and had to file for bankruptcy as he had no other way out.
	Abraham Lincoln:  He declared bankruptcy in 1833 after his law practice failed. As you know he went on to become the 16th President of the United States.
	Francis Ford Coppola: He filed for bankruptcy in 1982 after one of his entertainment projects lost money. His only way out was to file for bankruptcy.
	Toni Braxton: She filed for bankruptcy in 1998. Despite the fact that she had sold millions of records she was unable to get out from under her debts without the assistance of bankruptcy.

The above list of famous successful people who have filed bankruptcy and gone on to do great things should serve as a reminder that filing bankruptcy is not the end of the world. It is the beginning of a new financial future, one that should be better than the one you had before you filed for bankruptcy.

Matthew E. Mazur, Jr., Esq.

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To find out more about how Bankruptcy can help you get back on to the road to success, please visit www.fileforbankruptcyinflorida.com.

©2012 File For Bankruptcy In Florida Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Basically, these companies put up websites to attract people who are looking to file for Bankruptcy. They get these people to fill out a online form with their name, contact information and typically a lot of private financial information in return for the promise that they will put these people in touch with a Bankruptcy Attorney in their local area. Sounds like a great deal for the potential client and the attorney, but here is the catch. These companies sell this person’s information to any attorney who is willing to pay them for it. They either cold call or have a list of attorneys in a given area that are willing to pay them anywhere from $50 to $100 for that person’s name.

I decided that this was not the way I wanted to get clients, because I think it is bad for the client. I did not believe that this approach to getting clients was honest. A lot of these websites claim to have a “Network of Attorneys” waiting to help you. Are these attorneys evaluated by the company on any other criteria than their willingness to pay for a client lead? The simple answer is no, most of these websites do absolutely nothing to verify or evaluate the qualifications of the attorneys they are selling this information to beyond them having a valid state bar license and the ability to pay for the lead! That is not something I want to have my reputation associated with.

Once I realized what was going on, it made me mad! When someone is looking for a bankruptcy attorney to represent them, they don’t need hype or false guidance. They don’t need some Lead Generation Company pretending to be a “Network of Bankruptcy Attorneys” when in fact they are nothing of the sort. These companies are profiting on hardworking people who are down on their luck. They are an unknown middleman using these people for profit and sending their private financial information to some attorney, who may or may not be qualified to handle a Bankruptcy case! This is not what people need when they are dealing with financial hardship and trying to maintain control of their financial future.

Unfortunately, many people are being sucked into these Lead Generation Company Websites and don’t even know it. They believe that the website actually is provided by a network of Bankruptcy Attorneys across the nation that wants to help them with their Bankruptcy. Most of the time this is not the case, it is all about getting their private financial information and selling, sometimes multiple times to multiple attorneys. In my humble opinion, this does not serve bankruptcy client’s best interests. You should not be treated like a commodity; you should be treated like a client!

If you are looking for a Bankruptcy Attorney, the internet is a great place to start, but it should not be the only place you go. When attempting to find information on bankruptcy attorneys online you need to make sure that the websites you are visiting are actual law firm websites and not lead generation company websites. Look to see if they have a profile page of the attorneys that work in the law firm that will be handling your case. Most lead generation company websites don’t have this information. Look at the “Contact Us” page and see if there is a physical address listed for the law firm. If there is not physical address and only a 1-800 number, chances are you are dealing with a lead generation website. Also, when viewing websites looking for a bankruptcy attorney, pay special attention to whether or not there is any reference to the law firm or attorneys being members of the “National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.” This is a national association of Bankruptcy Attorneys who handle personal bankruptcy cases. It is a great place to research potential attorneys, as they provide a search option to find bankruptcy attorneys in your local area. Their website is  www.nacba.com.  I recommend that if you are looking for a Bankruptcy Attorney you should definitely visit this website, as it has very valuable and helpful information. In the interests of full disclosure, I am a proud member of this association.

If you decide to use one of these lead generation company websites, do so with caution. If you call them up on their “1-800 number” ask the operator about their screening process to select attorneys to be a part of their network. How they respond to this simple question will tell you a lot about who you are really dealing with.

Additionally, ask them if the attorney they are recommending for you to call or be called by is paying money for this recommendation. If they are paying for this recommendation you are nothing more than a sales lead being sold by this company, chances are there is not really a network of attorneys involved. In some cases, there may be more than one attorney recommended to you or who contacts you after providing these websites with your information. That is a sure sign that your private financial information is being sold to multiple attorneys. Is this how you want to find your bankruptcy attorney? I really don’t think so.

If you are looking to hire a Bankruptcy Attorney take some time to investigate attorneys in your local area. Don’t let some unknown lead generation company, with a slick website, make the decision for you. You owe yourself better than that. Take some time and review multiple websites, make sure that you are dealing with real attorneys and law firms, not lead generation companies, whose only motivation is to get your private financial information and sell it! Make appointments with the top three attorneys that you liked based upon your initial research. Meet with each of them and evaluate how they treat you. Are you treated like a person or like a commodity? Did you trust the attorney and the staff you met with? This is a really important part of choosing a bankruptcy attorney, if you don’t like them or trust them, then why would you hire them? The attorney and law firm you hire are going to be intimately involved in your life during your bankruptcy, you need to feel comfortable with them. You need to know that they think of you as a person and not a number.

If you are contemplating Bankruptcy, it is not an easy decision to make. It is an important decision that should be 100% yours and not some lead generation company’s to make! Take some time to evaluate your options and make the choice that is right for you. Don’t be funneled toward some attorney who has paid a lead generation company to get your information, hire an attorney that you personally have researched and met with and are comfortable with and trust. Bankruptcy is a very personal event and you deserve to have an attorney and law firm that will give you the personal attention you deserve. Remember you are a client not a commodity!

Matthew E. Mazur, Jr., Esq.
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For more information on filing for Bankruptcy in Florida, please visit  www.fileforbankruptcyinflorida.com

©2012 File For Bankruptcy In Florida Blog. All Rights Reserved.