Once you start doing your research on bankruptcy law, you’ll find a common theme. Bankruptcy law is extremely complicated. If you want to find more evidence of that fact, look no further than the book, Personal Bankruptcy for Dummies. Keep in mind that this quote came from a 2003 printing of the book.It says:
“An old adage says that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. Nowhere is that statement more true than in the area of bankruptcy law, and never was it truer than today. Bankruptcy law is incredibly complex, and many attorneys with successful general practices have difficulty keeping up to date.
Although the federal statute known as the Bankruptcy Code comprises only a single book (and a dry-as-dirt one at that), since 1978, the courts have produced 300 volumes of decisions interpreting the law. That pace continues at the rate of about 18 editions a year. Document preparers, paralegals, and even many lawyers simply lack the time to keep ahead of the avalanche of interpretations, so you absolutely must find a legal representative who’s up to snuff.”
Anyway, if you do the math you can see that there are now several more volumes that interpret the laws of bankruptcy. The interpretation of the laws will play an important part in the decisions you make regarding your bankruptcy, so you shouldn’t try and go at it alone. The questions you will have range from “When should you file?”, “What type of bankruptcy should you file?”, “What all will be included in your bankruptcy?”, and etc.
As you can see, there is a lot of information and interpretations out there to consider. Don’t take the advice of a so called expert. Make sure you are getting the advice and guidance from someone who dedicates their entire career to helping people bounce back from rough financial situations. If you are considering bankruptcy, do yourself a favor and contact a bankruptcy attorney.