What should I expect (or not expect) from my free consultation?
Short answer, whatever you need! At ELC we understand that many, even most, of the people we serve have never needed or even talked to a lawyer who represented them and not their employer or the government. We are out to change that. Legal representation, especially through a complicated but vital process like bankruptcy, should be accessible to everyone. Neither financial status nor a lack of expertise or experience should ever prevent someone from consulting with an attorney.
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The way we practice this philosophy starts with how we do our free consultations. The best legal advice comes from the best information, which is why we work hard to provide an atmosphere where our clients feel totally free to unburden themselves and honestly and fully vent to us about the problems they are facing.
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When you call ELC you won’t be grilled or judged for events in your life that millions of people like you experience every year. But we also won't give you a one-size-fits-all scripted response as if you were ordering fast food. We pride ourselves on our customized client experience, so the first thing you can expect from your free consultation is to tell us your story.
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And the Enright Law center is a virtual practice, which means the entire process, from your free consultation, to providing us with the necessary financial information, your creditors meeting, and the discharge of your debts can be completed from the comfort of your home or office through whatever communication method you prefer.
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Read more about our virtual practice.
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Bankruptcy attorneys and the whole process can feel very transactional, but we got into this business because we love to see the transformation a debt-free life creates for our clients and their families. Before we help you get there, we want to hear where you’ve come from.
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We love getting to know our clients, but we also know by the time they’ve called us they are ready to get down to business. Keep reading to find out some of the financial information we need from you to get started.
What information do I need for my free consultation?
We won’t bombard you right away asking about the nitty gritty of your financial situation or requesting documents. So don’t worry about doing too much research or math before reaching out. But we will need some specific information to get started and determine how to proceed. This will be information you should have easy access to if you don’t know it off the top of your head.
Income and Expenses
Whether you’re eligible for chapter 7 versus chapter 13 bankruptcy will be determined by how much money you and your spouse earn each month relative to the average income where you live and compared to your monthly expenses. Typically the last six months of income is enough to get started. And even if your income fluctuates from month to month we’ll be able to figure out what we need.
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We’ll also want to get a general picture of your monthly budget. We’ll ask you about housing costs, car payments, utility bills, childcare or school costs, and other spending you need each month to cover the basics. Again, this initial information is for our benefit to help us determine next steps. At this point you’re not sworn to a provide specific or guaranteed number and this is not the financial information we’ll be providing to the court yet. So a ballpark figure of your expenses is fine for your free consultation.
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Assets
One of the primary reasons people file for bankruptcy is to get rid of debt while protecting their property. Therefore it will be helpful in your initial consultation to know about the property you own. This includes real property like your home or other buildings (regardless of your level of equity), and personal property like cars, business assets, and the approximate value of big ticket items and household goods.
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It is very unlikely that you will have to give up any property when you file for bankruptcy, and having an attorney is your best way of protecting your assets. But we’ll want to know what you own to determine what advice to provide.
Read more about how your property is protected through the bankruptcy process.
Debts & Creditors
Finally, we’ll want to get an idea of what your debt situation is to figure out how much you’ll benefit from a bankruptcy discharge. We can also let you know at this point what debts might not be dischargeable. Again, if you decide to file for bankruptcy we’ll be getting more details from you about your creditors and how much you actually owe. But for the purposes of your free consultation we’ll need just enough information to give you the right advice to get started.
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We’ll ask about all types of debt including any mortgages or car loans, credit card debt, medical debt, personal loans, and business debt for you and your family.
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Is this “free” consultation just a way for you to pressure me into filing for bankruptcy?
That’s not how we do things. The reason we offer a free consultation is because of the type of clients we serve. The vast majority of our clients have never talked to an attorney who represented them and not their employer or the government. We work hard to provide a judgment-free, familial experience to our clients, and that starts with our approachability.
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Our strongest belief is that everyone should have access to the life-changing benefits of bankruptcy with competent legal representation to guide them. Bankruptcy should not be reserved for the wealthy and well-connected or large corporations. Because of this we want people to reach out to us for advice without hesitation, even if they are thinking about bankruptcy as an option for the first time or they’re not sure if they even need to hire an attorney at this point.
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If you read our articles discussing whether bankruptcy is your best option, you’ll learn that we don’t think bankruptcy is the automatic answer for everyone overwhelmed by debt. And even if bankruptcy is the answer, there are many reasons why postponing the process is prudent. Not only are we legally bound to provide advice in the best interest of our clients and not our own, but we know this is the best way to do business and build trust in our community.
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Every case is different, and everyone who calls us has a different story to tell with a variety of long and short-term goals. Even what might seem like a simple situation might require a complex and nuanced approach to the bankruptcy process. That’s why we don’t set a time limit for our free consultations. We want to get as much detail about your finances as possible before deciding whether or not bankruptcy is right for you and when. But we find that we usually have enough information to figure out next steps in about an hour.
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And even if our interaction doesn’t go beyond that first consultation and you don’t pay us a dime, the information you provide to us will still remain strictly confidential.
What happens next?
If, after learning a bit about you and your family, we determine that bankruptcy is the right move for you and you agree, then we get straight to work. We’ll start gathering more detailed information from you about your income, expenses, assets, and creditors to determine what type of bankruptcy you’re eligible for and start preparing your petition for filing.
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But if you decide not to go ahead with filing for bankruptcy, we can still discuss other services we provide such as creditor negotiation or debt expungement. You’d be surprised how friendly creditors get when it’s an attorney on the phone and not their customer.
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If bankruptcy seems like a good idea but there are reasons to wait to file your petition, we can still conduct a means test to determine what chapter you’d file under and come up with a plan.
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And whether you’re taking advantage of our flat fee bankruptcy filing option or not, you’ll know from the beginning how much our services will ultimately cost. We know that even our non-bankruptcy clients need predictability in their financial life and the last thing we want is to become just another burdensome creditor.
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If you like what you hear or even if you’re just curious about an aspect of the bankruptcy process we haven’t covered here, then reach out and talk to a lawyer today!
CONTACT
ENRIGHT LAW CENTER
MULTIPLE WAYS to REACH OUT!
Contact Form:
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The best way to reach us is by filling out this contact form and letting us know your preferred response method (phone or email) and a little bit about what we can do for you. You will get a response the same day, usually within an hour.
Email: info@enrightlawcenter.com
Toll Free Tel: (844) 371-9052