In many cases, the simple truth is that the more experienced attorney will do a better job, which means getting you the most benefit from filing and avoiding the mistakes that someone less experienced is bound to make.

Don't take chances. Here are some of the questions to ask in order to find the best available bankruptcy lawyer:

1. Do you practice bankruptcy law full-time?
   
   You want a full-time lawyer, who spends all his time getting better at representing people in bankruptcy. You want a lawyer who knows the Bankruptcy Code and the local rules....inside and out, who has a good, established working relationship with the local Trustee and knows his or her preferences, who has a good reputation before the local Bankruptcy Judge, who knows which way the local Bankruptcy Judge tends to lean on certain key issues, and who enjoys the respect of the local creditor lawyers.
   
   What you don't want is the lawyer jack-of-all-trades....who does a little of everything...including bankruptcy. Think about it. He or she may be great at handling a real estate closing, drafting a will or and taking care of a speeding ticket...but the fact is....if a lawyer does anything other than bankruptcy..... he or she is obviously not spending all his or her time learning and staying sharp on bankruptcy law. There is a reason that lawyers limit their law practices to one area of law or another....and you want the lawyer that does nothing but bankruptcy law for a living. For instance....
   
   What about the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt?
   
   The answer is "Yes".
   In fact....all 4 of our lawyers do nothing but bankruptcy law.
   
    

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2. How many years have you done bankruptcy full-time?
   
   You have to be careful here. Lots of lawyers advertise years and years of experience. But the question should be "How many of those years did you spend doing nothing but bankruptcy law?" Generally....the more years....the better. For example, full time for 10 years is way better than full time for a month or even a year.
   
   What about John T. Orcutt?
   
   John Orcutt has actively practiced bankruptcy law since 1985. John Orcutt has limited his practice to bankruptcy law since 1997.
   
    

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3. How many bankruptcy cases have you filed?
   
   You want the best lawyer available. In most cases....the more cases a lawyer has filed....the more experience the lawyer brings to the table.....and the more expertise the lawyer brings to the table....the better the result, benefit and protection you and your family will get.
   
   What about the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt?
   
   We file between 220 and 350 cases per month. We have filed over 20,000 cases since 1985.
   
    

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4. How many Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases have you filed?
   
   This is a very telling question. Lots of lawyers file a few Chapter 7 cases. Some even practice bankruptcy full-time......but only do Chapter 7 cases. In most cases.....Chapter 7 is much easier and less complicated than Chapter 13. In my experience.....the best, most experienced lawyers handle lots of both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases.

   What about the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt? We have filed thousands of Chapter 13 cases. We estimate that we have filed over 10,000 Chapter 13 cases in all.
   

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5. Do you attend all the Federal, State and local bankruptcy seminars?
   
   Bar Associations and Bankruptcy Courts put on seminars every year. For instance, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, there are at least 3 different major seminars available to bankruptcy lawyers: The National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys seminar, the North Carolina Bar Association Bankruptcy Section seminar, and the Eastern Bankruptcy Institute seminar.
   
   What about the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt?
   
   All 4 lawyers attend all major seminars each year on a regular basis....barring emergencies or scheduling conflicts.
   

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6. Are you a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA)?
   
   This is the one national association for consumer bankruptcy attorneys. Not all good bankruptcy attorneys are a member, but membership in this organization is generally a good indication of a strong commitment to providing the very best in bankruptcy services to the public.
   
   What about the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt?
   
   All 4 of our lawyers are members of NACBA. John Orcutt has been a member for at least 8 years.
   

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7. How good is the lawyer's reputation?
   
   You want a lawyer with a record of success who has earned and enjoys the respect of his or her colleagues, including bankruptcy attorneys, the Trustees and the local Bankruptcy Judges.
   
   But which of these people should I contact? Ask the Chapter 13 Trustee: Perhaps the best indication of whether a lawyer is one of the best is to call and ask the local Chapter 13 Trustee or someone on this Trustee's staff. The local Chapter 13 Trustee and the Trustee's staff know who the good bankruptcy lawyers are. The Chapter 13 Trustee deals with these lawyers on a regular....day to day.... basis. When you call one of these Trustees....you probably won't get to talk to the Trustee....but that's o.k. Just talk to someone on his or her staff. If the Trustee's staff is hesitant to recommend a lawyer....at least ask this. Which lawyers filed the most Chapter 13 cases....and then try to slip in this question: "Of the record....if you had to file bankruptcy....who would you use?" I suspect that most of the time, they will give you the name of one or more lawyers.....but one thing is for sure. They won't give you the name of a lawyer they know....who is clearly not a good bankruptcy lawyer.
   
   How do I find out who the Chapter 13 Trustee's in my area are?
   
   If you live in the Eastern two-thirds of North Carolina...these are the Chapter 13 Trustees:

Elsewhere...The trick is to find out the name and telephone number of the local Chapter 13 Trustee. To get his or her name, you can call your local United States Bankruptcy Court and ask them. You can find the telephone number for your local U.S. Bankruptcy Court by looking under the listings for the United States government in your local telephone book. An easier way to find out the name of the Chapter 13 Trustee is to check out your local Bankruptcy Court's website. This can be found by going to http://www.uscourts.gov/links.html . Generally, the Court's website will contain a list of the names and telephone numbers of all Chapter 13 Trustees. For instance, in the Eastern (Raleigh and east) and Middle (Durham and north and south of Durham) Districts of North Carolina, the websites are located at http://www.nceb.uscourts.gov/ and http://www.ncmb.uscourts.gov/, respectively.