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Jul 2014Bankruptcy consultation shouldn’t be like “Texas Hold’em”
Posted by Robert Weed / in Virginia Bankruptcy /
Q: Â “Why Do you Want All these Forms Filed Out for our Bankruptcy Consultation?”
A: Â “Because you and I should not play Texas hold’em.”
I’ve never played Texas hold’em. Â But I’ve seen it on TV. Â 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. Â Each player bets on his own cards, and what the hidden cards might be.
A bankruptcy consultation–any lawyer consultation–can end up like Texas hold’em. Â 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. Â 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. Â I want to tell you (it’s not always possible) exactly how I’ll handle your case and exactly how it will work. Â When we’ve finished, I put it in writing.
Neither one of us want surprises. Â The last thing you want is for your lawyer to say “why didn’t you tell me about ….” Â And the last thing a lawyer wants to hear is, “because you didn’t ask….”