Q: “Why Do you Want All these Forms Filed Out for our Bankruptcy Consultation?”
A: “Because you and I should not play Texas hold’em.”
I’ve never played Texas hold’em. But I’ve seen it on TV. Maybe you have, too.
Each players has their own cards–then the cards dealt in the middle face down are turned over as the game goes on. Each player bets on his own cards, and what the hidden cards might be.
Don’t play Texas hold’em with your bankruptcy lawyer
A bankruptcy consultation–any lawyer consultation–can end up like Texas hold’em. The client comes in, and says, “I didn’t bring any paperwork; I just want to ask one or two questions.”
Some cards are face up; some face down, and nobody has the full picture..
That’s what happens when there’s a bankruptcy consultation with partial information.
You don’t want “exciting” when you meet with your lawyer.
Texas hold’em makes for an exciting game, but you don’t want “exciting” from your lawyer. You want calm, and maybe even boring.
That’s why I ask people to fill in my 37(!) page form and bring it with you for your bankruptcy consultation.
When we talk, I want all the cards face up.
When we talk, I want all the cards face up. I want to tell you (it’s not always possible) exactly how I’ll handle your case and exactly how it will work. When we’ve finished, I put it in writing.
Neither one of us want surprises. The last thing you want is for your lawyer to say “why didn’t you tell me about ….” And the last thing a lawyer wants to hear is, “because you didn’t ask….”
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