Bankruptcy
Types of Bankruptcy
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We have been practicing bankruptcy law since 1988. Our bankruptcy practice is restricted to consumers and small businesses. We work exclusively on the debtor’s side. We do not work in the area “creditor’s rights”. We believe the creditors have all of the rights outside of bankruptcy. It is good that there is one body of law where debtors can actually catch a break.
We do not “dabble” in bankruptcy. This has been a core practice area of ours for over 25 years. No one in the city of Lowell has prepared or worked on or filed more personal bankruptcies than us. No one in the City of Lowell files more personal bankruptcies each year than us. As a result, we know and understand the Judges in the Bankruptcy Court and how they think, and what they care about. We know and understand the Trustees in Bankruptcy and how they think and what they care about. We can and will get you through the bankruptcy process successfully and with a minimum of hardship and aggravation. We believe that there is nothing complicated or scary about the bankruptcy process. Our objective is not only to get the client through it successfully but without the client worrying unnecessarily.
We understand that by the time clients come into our office, they have already been harassed and hassled by creditors and are at their wit’s end. With that in mind, this office makes it a priority to make sure that those harassing phone calls stop shortly after the attorney is hired. What is more, we will never call you looking for payment. We understand that our clients are having financial difficulties.
Feel free to call the office at 978-459-8359 and make an appointment to see Attorney Haskell himself. Anyone who answers the phone can make the appointment. If they cannot make an appointment for that day, they can usually make an appointment for the next day. The initial consultation is free and there is no obligation. It would be good to bring to the first meeting recent pay stubs and tax forms and a list of the people you owe money to. However, none of that is necessary at the first meeting. If you believe you will be hiring Attorney Haskell at the initial meeting, the initial retainer is $200. However, if you only wish to meet Attorney Haskell and “kick the tires”, that consultation is free.
– What Makes Us Unique? –
We provide general consumer and small business Bankruptcy Services and legal representation, for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcies. We have adopted a number of policies in our office, which we feel make us unique among bankruptcy attorneys.
We do demand a little earnest money when you retain us ($200.00), after that, we will work out a payment schedule which will work for you. It really does not matter to us if it takes one week, one month or one year for you to make payments. We have been in Lowell, MA for over 25 years and have no plans to leave any time soon. We appreciate that it may be a little challenging to believe that any law office would be so laid back about payment schedules, but we really are.
If you have not done so already, you will stop making your regular credit card payments once you make the decision to file Bankruptcy. Your creditors will call you. All you need do is give the debt collectors our name and number, and tell them that Attorney Haskell said that you cannot discuss this matter with them. They will call us to verify. After that, they will generally back off for a few months, as they know that to continue to harass you will be a waste of their time.
Attorney Haskell has over 25 years experience, and has assisted literally thousands of clients through the bankruptcy process. We do not “dabble” in Bankruptcy. This is a core practice for us. While it may be possible to find a lawyer who charges less somewhere, you will not find one with our experience, competence and professionalism. Since the passage of the “Bankruptcy Reform” ten years ago, the Bankruptcy Court is a dangerous place for “dabblers” and their clients.
We understand that times are tough, and you cannot be skipping work to meet with your lawyer. While we are certainly available during normal business hours, we are available other times as well.
When we say that a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is $2,200, it means that it will cost you $2,200 to file Chapter 7. That price includes paperwork, representation at the hearing, filing fees, credit counseling fees, debtor education fees, credit report importing, postage, copying, parking, and any other fee that is necessary for the filing of every Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. It is the policy of this office never to advertise non-existent “fees starting at” some ridiculously low number and then add a series of charges that double or even triple the advertised fee. We believe that is a cruel thing to do a person with financial difficulties.
First of all, if there is a problem, which may make it difficult or impossible to file bankruptcy successfully, we will tell you immediately. What is more, we will boil the process down to its essential parts. We have prepared thousands of petitions. We know what the trustees and the courts care about, and what they do not care about. We will not make you spend hours researching minor aspects of financial history which no one will ever want to know about, even if it appears in some checklist list in a “how to guide to bankruptcy”. We will have you give us the essential facts for the preparation of your petition and the representation at your hearing, no more and no less.
To an experienced bankruptcy practitioner, there is nothing complicated about the bankruptcy process. For the client of an experienced bankruptcy practitioner, there is nothing complicated about the bankruptcy process. We understand that it is a common practice to try to make bankruptcy seem more difficult, and frankly scarier, than it actually is. This helps to justify a fee. We believe that our fees are justified by the value of the service that we provide to our client, and does not require any further justification. As a result, it is our practice from the very first meeting to try to make the client feel more relaxed and comfortable with the bankruptcy process. If you are forthright and honest in your dealings with us and in your dealings with the Bankruptcy Court, and you give us all of the information that we ask for, we will walk you through this process simply and efficiently. We will handle the rest.