Do Not File Personal Bankruptcy Without a Lawyer

The best advice anyone could ever provide to someone about to file for bankruptcy is to not attempt to do it on their own.

While a person facing bankruptcy may feel that their only option is
to file, speaking to an attorney with extensive experience in this area
may provide a totally different point of view. "It may not be the right
option to proceed with and finding out prior to filing is much better
in the long run than finding out later when it's too late," indicated
Jay F. Fortier of The Law Office of Jay F. Fortier, P.C., in Chicago,
Illinois.

When a person is considering filing for bankruptcy, it makes sense
to consult with an attorney, not just because of the expertise they
bring to the table, but also because of any changes to the bankruptcy
code that they would know about because they practice in that area.
It’s a lawyer's job to make sure they are current with all the
legislation pertaining to their areas of practice.

To say that finding one's way through the maze of bankruptcy rules
and regulations, plus keep up with changes to the code is almost
impossible without being a lawyer is an understatement. "One of the
changes deals with preventing the abuse of the bankruptcy statute –
meaning politicians wanted to make sure people really needed to go
bankrupt and didn't just want to avoid paying their bills," said
Fortier.

The addition of that particular section into the code arguably made
the whole process of filing for bankruptcy a bit of a mare's nest, not
to mention much more complicated. On top of that, many argued that it
failed to provide any benefits for creditors or consumers.

This is still a vociferous debate with no answer in sight, but
suffice it to say that when the bankruptcy court judges are still
having difficulties interpreting what some of the changes mean, that
can't be good – for anyone involved in the process.

"Having a bankruptcy lawyer is the smartest move in order to make
sure all the legal requirements for filing are in place, otherwise
attempting to do something like this alone may wind up costing a person
their financial future," added Jay F. Fortier of The Law Office of Jay
F. Fortier, P.C., in Chicago, Illinois.

To speak with a Chicago bankruptcy lawyer or learn more about creditor rights, Chicago bankruptcy, Chicago bankruptcy lawyer, Chicago bankruptcy attorney, visit Westsidebankruptcy.com