Friday, June 29, 2012

Bankruptcy Attorney: How To Find One


If you are planning on filing for bankruptcy, it is practical that you start finding a good lawyer to support and help you out with the whole process. Finding a good and reliable attorney is very much important as it is when you decide to file for bankruptcy. A good and knowledgeable lawyer can help you with the process of proper legal avenues and at the same time inform you whether the bankruptcy option is the right choice for you. One of the best ways to find a bankruptcy attorney is to ask families and friends for recommendations. Make sure that you specify a request of recommendation for a bankruptcy lawyer and not just any kind of lawyer.

In case your family and friends don’t have anyone to recommend, you should also conduct your own research. One of the first places to start your search is online. There are a lot of websites where you can find good list of bankruptcy lawyers. Just make sure to read the website well and check out important information like the lawyer’s experience, education, association, and so on. You may also find a website that caters to a list of qualified bankruptcy attorneys with corresponding reviews and ratings. Once you have several candidates, the next thing to do is to meet each one of these candidates in person. A quick interview will do. Ask each their education background as well as experience in bankruptcy law. It is also important that you have that “comfortable” feeling with the lawyer since you will be working with him/her during the entire bankruptcy case.

If you want to know additional records about a specific attorney, you should ask and contact the state bar in your area. The state bar office will have feedback record of all local attorneys in their list. There are also local state bars that have their own website. To know if your local state bar has one, make a quick search online by typing in the name of your area plus state bar.   

How many years of practice and experience does a good bankruptcy lawyer have? This is a very tricky question since the answer may vary greatly. But to determine if a lawyer is fit for you to hire, you should be able to determine that the lawyer has successfully filed multiple successful bankruptcy cases. Also, you may likely find a good and reliable lawyer that only focuses on bankruptcy cases. You should avoid lawyers that practice on bankruptcy but have branched out more to other areas of law. Although they are good, they may likely have less experience in the field of bankruptcy.

Ask also if the lawyer work in a “mill”. A mill refers to a bankruptcy law firm that churns cases so quickly, which may cause sloppy work. Mills tend to be cheaper as compared to other law firms. However, this also gives you less personal attention and advice. Although mills may “financially” mean a lot to you, you should take note of all the negative consequences when hiring a lawyer from this kind of firm. 

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Sunday, April 29, 2012

How Do You Handle Poor Sinkhole Repairs?


One of the biggest frustrations property owners go through with sinkholes and sinkhole repairs is when repairs are done poorly. Handling these poor repairs takes calm, cool-headed demeanor and knowing what to do. You have a few options here; you can take care of it personally and diplomatically, go; through your insurance options, or take legal action to have things corrected. Whatever you choose to do, it's vital that you understand how to handle the situation so you come out with proper repairs and you can get past a sinkhole disaster.

The best thing to do in most situations when repairs have been or are being done poorly is to have a talk with the contractor that is on your job about it. Sometimes the contractor is unaware, or a specific employee is causing the problem, and it can be taken care of without further problems. Personally caring for poor repairs also shows your contractor that you would rather work with him than against him, and give you an excuse if you have to resort to more drastic measures. Talk diplomatically with your contractor to get your point across without causing unprofessional arguments or personal issues with him or her.

If talking diplomatically doesn't do the trick, your next course of action should be with your insurance agent. In many cases, the insurance agent can interfere with a dispute over repairs without you having to go through the fight. Contractors are often sub-contracted out to insurance companies and want to retain that business if at all possible, so they will be more likely to cooperate. Working through your insurance agent also means you will have documentation of the dispute should you have to resort to legal action. If this proves necessary, your insurance agent may be able to suggest an attorney or recourse.

A final and much more drastic option to have poor repairs corrected is to resort to legal action. There are motions and suits that can be filed against a contractor or contracting business if repairs aren't done to a certain standard. Without the proper legal action, many property owners end up with repairs that are sub-par and unsatisfactory. Your insurance agent can help you choose a legal option, like an attorney they suggest, or the insurance company itself may choose to enter into the dispute on your behalf using the company attorney, which is common as well.

A disaster like a sinkhole can turn into even more of a headache when repairs aren't done right, so dealing with the problem immediately and swiftly is very important. Taking action in this order as well is important because taking the least troublesome road of action is best. Repairs that are done correctly are great, but having poor repairs corrected is also great. Remember to be diplomatic and friendly, but firm in your needs and what you need accomplished. It is also a good idea to remember always to keep in contact with whomever you are dealing with to make sure things are moving smoothly, or moving at all, in the right direction.


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