Do I Need to Hire an Attorney to File Bankruptcy in Ohio?

The bankruptcy process is a complicated one that can have long lasting financial repercussions for those filing for bankruptcy relief. While there is no law requiring a person to have an attorney when they file for bankruptcy in Ohio, having an attorney has a number of important advantages for people to consider. An attorney can help a person to get the best deal possible when filing with the court for debt relief. In fact, it would be difficult for a non-attorney to navigate the bankruptcy process without legal representation.

The primary reason that a person who is filing bankruptcy should have a lawyer is the legal experience of the lawyer. Though there are many books and online sources of information on bankruptcy, there is no substitute for real experience in a local bankruptcy court. While the bankruptcy process should be uniform across the country, each court and each judge will have ways of doing things. An experienced bankruptcy attorney can help his or her client to properly file papers with the court to get the hearing scheduled quickly and the case heard in a timely manner. Failure to comply with legal requirements can result in delays or even result in the entire bankruptcy Ohio procedure being thrown out of court.

The knowledge of an experienced bankruptcy attorney is also an important reason to hire an attorney. For example, when the bankruptcy is filed with the court, creditors will file to collect money that they are due. However, many creditors will make claims that are either not enforceable or not for the proper amount. Creditor attorneys can use confusing language and documents that make it appear a debt is valid, when it is not. An experienced attorney can help to sort through the claims to make sure that they are all legitimate and that the amount is correct. Without an attorney, a person may agree to pay back more money that he or she was legally required to pay.

A bankruptcy Ohio attorney also helps his or her clients through the bankruptcy process by dealing with creditor interactions. A person who has an attorney in a bankruptcy proceeding can go about his or her normal life instead of being barraged by collection phone calls and threatening mail from creditors. The emotional relief of having an attorney to handle debt collectors is one of the many benefits of a bankruptcy attorney. When a person has a lawyer handling his or her bankruptcy, calls and mail from creditors can simply be referred to the lawyer.