February 26th, 2010 by Reed Allmand 
In the most recent case of bankruptcy attorneys gone bad, attorney William Kaplan’s license was suspended for misconduct which once again brings to light the importance to retaining a competent bankruptcy attorney. This bankruptcy attorney’s license was suspended; but many have already been negatively impacted by his incompetence.
The Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline recommended an indefinite suspension based upon its findings that Kaplan neglected client matters, failed to maintain a record documenting his receipt of a client’s fee, failed to promptly comply with a reasonable client request for information, failed to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of the client’s legal matter, and failed to cooperate in a disciplinary proceeding.
The foundation of any successful bankruptcy proceeding is having a competent attorney by your side. Below are seven signs that your bankruptcy attorney is incompetent. If you notice any combination of these signs you may want to look for someone else.
- Your bankruptcy attorney fails to tell you what documents you need to provide them for the bankruptcy filing.
- You have provided your bankruptcy attorney with the documents; but he/she has failed to file them with the bankruptcy court.
- Your bankruptcy attorney fails to show at required meetings or fails to inform you of significant changes in your case.
- Your bankruptcy attorney behaves in a way that is harming your bankruptcy proceeding such as failing to list assets or debts you have already provided to them.
- Your bankruptcy attorney fails to challenge bogus creditor claims.
- Your bankruptcy attorney is not aware of current bankruptcy law. In other words, if you know more about bankruptcy laws than your attorney you may have serious problem on your hands.
- Your bankruptcy attorney fails to use exemptions to protect your assets. Exemptions are the lifeblood of all bankruptcy cases, if used properly you can protect most if not all of your most important assets.
About Reed Allmand
Allmand's vision is rooted in his own financially precarious childhood in Abilene "My father always had difficulty holding a job and supporting our family, so after my parents divorced when I was 12, my sister and I got jobs to help make ends meet," he recalls. "I remember what it felt like as a child to worry that our car would be repossessed or home foreclosed on."
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