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Finding an attorney who is a “real person” can be difficult. Many attorneys surround themselves almost exclusively with other attorneys and are accustomed to speaking in ivory tower legalese. You should be able to connect with your attorney on a personal level, and he or she should speak to you in plain language that you can understand. You will be working very closely with this person on issues that are very important to you. It is important that he or she be down-to-earth and someone that you connect with.
The most common complaint that clients have of their attorneys is that the attorney is unreachable, does not communicate with them regularly, or does not promptly return your calls. Your attorney should reach out to you about your case regularly and respond within 24 hours to calls and e-mails. An open line of communication between you and your attorney is essential to building trust.
Learn how we service your area through our Remote Location Approach.
Your attorney’s goal should not be to win at all costs. Rather, it should be to achieve a favorable outcome for you as efficiently as possible. It is important that your attorney set realistic expectations at the outset as to the costs you should expect, the concerns that the attorney has about the outcome of your case, and the length of time that you should expect your case to take.
Regardless of the nature of your case, we have an experienced attorney who will focus on your individual needs. Our team of attorneys works closely together, bringing each of their different fields of experience to bear in order to optimize our client care.
Kevin's firm handled setting up my will and trust recently. They took something that seemed intimidating and made it easy to understand. I've also referred a couple clients to Kevin - he's trustworthy, approachable and very fairly priced.
"I've used Kevin and his firm's services since 2011. He gave undivided attention to my cases, advised me on different options and..."
"Kevin was extremely professional, responsive and knowledgeable when I came to him for help. I would definitely recommend O'Flaherty Law!"
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Learn how we service your area with our Remote Location Approach.
The purpose of a consultation is to determine whether our firm is a good fit for your legal needs. Although we often discuss expected results and costs, our attorneys do not give legal advice unless and until you choose to retain us.
Schedule a ConsultationLearn More About The Firm5002 Main St., Ste. 201
Downers Grove, IL 60515
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I am personally committed to ensuring that each one of our clients receives the highest level of client service from our team. Our mission is to provide excellent legal work in a cost-effective manner while maintaining open lines of communication between our clients and their attorneys. Many of our clients are going through difficult times in their lives when they reach out to us. They should feel comfortable leaning on the experience and knowledge of our attorneys as their counselors and advocates. We are here to help!
When considering bankruptcy as an individual (as opposed to a corporation) you have three primary options: Debt Negotiation, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. Our Lisle Bankruptcy attorneys will assess your personal financial situation, educate you on your options, and help you determine which option is the best for you.
Hiring our Lisle bankruptcy attorneys to renegotiate your debt may be your best option if you have less than $15,000.00 in debt, or assets that you are afraid in losing in the bankruptcy (see our article about keeping property in bankruptcy). A good attorney can often convince your creditors to significantly reduce the amount of your debt and/or allow you to execute a payment plan whereby you pay back your debt over time. Typically, the longer the duration of the payment plan, the smaller the amount by which creditors will be willing to reduce your debt.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a great option if you have more than $15,000.00 in debt, you do not have assets in excess of the amounts that are exempt from collection in bankruptcy, and you are not making an excessively high income. In a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, your dischargable debt (basically everything but student loans and tax debt) will be wiped out, and you can usually keep your house and cars.
Chapter 13 bankruptcy is appropriate for individuals who are not qualified for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy due to their income level or who have assets in excess of the exemption amounts that they would be in jeopardy of losing in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Unlike a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your debts are not wiped out in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Rather a plan is approved by your creditors and the court to pay off the majority of the debt over the course of 3 to 5 years. Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a tool to buy you time to pay your creditors.
Most people who file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy are able to discharge their debts while keeping their house and their cars. Whether you are able to do so depends on how much equity you have in the property in question. When you file for bankruptcy an attorney, called a bankruptcy trustee, is appointed to review your case and assess whether you have assets that can be collected for the benefit of your creditors. However, certain amounts of particular types of assets are exempt from collection by the trustee. The following are the most important exemptions
If your equity in your house or vehicle is below these exemption amounts, you will be able to keep the assets after filing for bankruptcy. Even if you have slightly more equity than these exemption amounts, you will still likely be able to keep the asset. When deciding whether to collect an asset, the trustee must account for the costs associated with the transaction (like realtor fees and closing costs) as well as the trustee's own fees for his or her efforts in collecting the assets. If, when these costs are taken from the non-exempt value of the asset, there would not be much value left over to pay creditors, the trustee is unlikely to pursue the asset.
Shortly after our Lisle bankruptcy lawyers file you bankruptcy petition, we will appear with you at a meeting called the "First Meeting of Creditors." This name is misleading, as creditors almost never attend these meetings.
The First Meeting of Creditors is a brief meeting between the bankruptcy trustee (a lawyer appointed by the court to oversee your bankruptcy case), your attorney and yourself. The trustee will review your schedules and ask you a series of questions regarding your assets, liability, income and expenses. The meetings typically take about 10 minutes and are very low pressure.
The trustee will begin by asking a series of preliminary questions:
Once the record has been established, the trustee will ask a series of questions about your finances and your schedules. You can read a transcript of the bankruptcy trustee's usual questions here.
Usually, the meeting goes very smoothly. If all goes well, the trustee will enter a finding that you have no non-exempt assets available for collection on behalf of your creditors and recommending that your debts be discharged.
After this finding, your case will be closed after a brief period during which creditors can object to the discharge (which they almost never do).
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