When you open your refrigerator, how many perishable items do you see. The milk, cheese and meats are all stamped with expiration dates or “best before” warnings.
In order to stay healthy and avoid getting sick from what you eat, it is probably best to heed these warnings. The expiration dates are there for a reason.
When I open up my file cabinet, I see the same expiration dates on my client files. Files going stale as the days, weeks and months pass by.
I try to prevent this from happening in two ways..
Open Communication
I believe in full, open communication between myself and my clients. By keeping the lines of communication open and promoting active dialogue, information is constantly being passed.
A case won’t get stale if the information is constantly updated.
This is extremely important as I believe clients have responsibilities when they file bankruptcy and open communication is one of them. Share everything with your attorney, even if you do not think it is relevant.
Potential purchases, transfers or debt payments should all be discussed with your attorney before you go through with them, no matter how harmless they seem. These types of pre-filing transactions could have serious consequences when it comes to your bankruptcy case.
Not disclosing relevant information to your attorney could cause your case filing to suddenly expire.
Expiration Dates
It’s no secret. If you are filing for bankruptcy, you are having financial trouble. Paying your lawyer becomes an additional financial burden.
Surprisingly, most people who file bankruptcy are not broke and attorney fees can be quite affordable.
Most bankruptcy attorneys are more than willing to work out payment plans with their clients. I know I am. These payment plans should be finite, fast and have a defined expiration date.
Case filing becomes difficult and dangerous as the information goes stale. Besides strategic delays, the process should be quick and efficient.
When the decision is made to file bankruptcy, I feel that almost all other financial obligations should be pushed to the side.
Bankruptcy has the power to transform your financial future so do not let that opportunity expire.
Image courtesy of CarbonNYC (Flickr).