Top Reasons to Hire a Lawyer for Your Bankruptcy Case

Are you considering personal bankruptcy? Whether you are thinking about filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you might be wondering whether you can handle your case on your own. You might be thinking to yourself: I do not have much property at all, and I just want to file for a liquidation bankruptcy quickly in order to get it over with and to get a bankruptcy discharge. Or you might be thinking: I want to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, and I already have some ideas for a debt repayment plan. In such scenarios and in other cases, you might be asking yourself if you really need to hire a bankruptcy lawyer.

Bankruptcy law is extremely complicated. While it may be possible for some debtors to go through a bankruptcy case successfully without a lawyer, this is a complex area of the law, and you should really have an experienced Oak Park bankruptcy lawyer on your side. The following are some of the top reasons to hire a bankruptcy attorney for your bankruptcy case.

Bankruptcy Laws are Incredibly Complicated

Bankruptcy laws are incredibly complicated, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Code can be difficult to parse if you do not have experience handling bankruptcy cases.

Mistakes can be Construed as Fraud

If you fail to disclose information, or you do not give accurate information in your bankruptcy materials, such omissions or errors could be construed as fraud. In a worst-case scenario, such mistakes could result in criminal charges. Even if you do not face criminal consequences, your bankruptcy case can be delayed, and you may not be eligible for a discharge.

Determining Your Eligibility for Specific Types of Bankruptcy can be Difficult

Eligibility for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in particular can be quite complicated, and you will want to discuss your options with a bankruptcy lawyer.

You Could Misidentify Exempt Property

Like we mentioned above, misidentifying or misclassifying exempt property when it is not actually exempt could result in serious penalties, including the possibility of criminal charges in some cases. Yet even if you do not make a mistake that could be construed as fraud or worse in your bankruptcy case, you could end up failing to identify exempt property, and as such, you could end up having the property liquidated in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, or you could end up working that property into your repayment plan in a Chapter 13 case.

Debt is Stressful Enough, and You Should Not Take on More When a Lawyer can Help

When you are struggling to pay your bills, the various aspects of dealing with debt are stressful enough. Why add the stress of complex bankruptcy law onto the stress and anxiety of your consumer debt? An experienced Oak Park bankruptcy lawyer can help put an end to your financial struggles.

Contact a Bankruptcy Lawyer in Oak Park

If you are thinking about filing for consumer bankruptcy, you will want to have one of our dedicated Oak Park consumer bankruptcy attorneys on your side. At the Emerson Law Firm, we have years of experience representing consumers in a variety of bankruptcy and consumer protection cases, and we are here to help. You do not want to go through this complicated and difficult process on your own. Contact the Emerson Law Firm for more information about how we can assist with your bankruptcy case.


See Related Blog Posts:
How Will I Know if I Should File for Bankruptcy?
Three Things to Know About Tax Debt and Consumer Bankruptcy




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