GET AN EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY... I had to file 7 . I looked for a bk only attorney. $700 - met 3 times including day before 341 so he could prep me. Here's what I noticed at the 341. DIY - trustee went over with a fine tooth comb and grilled the DIYers. Most ended up purgering themselves because of bad info on forms or left off obvious assets. - told them to go get attorney 341 meeting 3-5 minutes plus Attorneys that were not "familar" to the court.Bk too 3-4 minutes - with some grilling My attorney was familar to the trustee - had like 15 cases in one hour. 341 was done within 30 SECONDS. What to look for? 700 + cases, only practices bk law you will get numerous prices - don't go with cheapest, go with the lawyer that "feels" right.
I had the EXACT same experience. Do it yourselfers were at the mercy of the trustee (who was not merciful at all). Our 341 meeting didn't even last 30 seconds. In fact, the trustee never even addressed a question directly to us. He asked the required questions of his buddy (our attorney) in between pleasantries. I felt like we had the perfect attorney for the job. Not to mention the fact that our payment plan of $175/mo for 36 months was unheard of that day. Others (do it yourselfers) were paying 3-5 times more than that, for a longer period of time, on much much less total debt.
When I filed back in '98, it was the same way. I had an atty. that in good with the trustee, and the whole ordeal took maybe 30 seconds-1 minute. Others were getting grilled pretty hard by the same trustee, that was really pleasant to me. I think I paid a total of $700-$800, plus the filing fee. Didn't have to come up with everything at once either. Was a good atty. PolarisA3
