If you watch any amount of television, especially late at night, in the evening, or on weekends, then you have likely seen a bankruptcy attorney on TV advertising their legal services to the general public and making promises of personalized representation. For any bankruptcy lawyer on TV, marketing legal services through television advertising can be an effective form of marketing that really comes into your home or living room and connects with you on an emotional level. But does that necessarily mean that the bankruptcy attorney on TV will solve your debt problem, or will you be dealing with an impersonal bankruptcy mill?
How to Select a Bankruptcy Attorney Who Will Give Personalized Representation
Nobody wants to be represented by a giant statewide chain where you rarely speak with an lawyer and are treated like a number. They are too impersonal for most people. You undoubtedly have questions that need to be answered by an attorney and you’ll want an attorney whose accessible and gives personalized attention to your matter. The reason that you respond to a bankruptcy lawyer on TV whose advertisement you have seen multiple times is because they preach that they will give you personalized, effective representation. But how is that possible if they are representing hundreds of clients who responded to TV ads. Unfortunately, with a large statewide chain you likely won’t get much personal attention once you paid them money. You’ll just become a number. It’s just how big mill firms operate. This of it this way. If a television ad generates 100 cases per month for the attorney who advertises on television, how can one attorney counsel 100 clients in a month, which usually has about 20 business days. That would mean that every day the attorney would have to complete 5 bankruptcies. That is not realistic.
Check Reviews about the Attorney
So what can you do to protect yourself and ensure that you will be dealing with an attorney and receiving personalized attention from the attorney? Search for reviews on search engines such as Google, on the search engine’s local/maps pages. A bankruptcy lawyer on TV who is marketing their services will naturally tell you that the attorney will work closely with you and give you personalized representation and tell you all the things that you want to hear. But a past client who has retained the bankruptcy attorney on TV and experienced the type of representation that the law firm provides, will be able to give you a much more accurate and realistic picture of the type of legal representation that you can expect from the law firm. To find reviews written on Google by clients of a particular law firm or attorney, do a search on the Google maps pages and see what the firm’s clients are saying about their legal services.
Consider the Cost of TV Advertising
Also, you may want to consider whether you will be paying an exorbitant fee. After all, TV advertising costs money and that cost is additional overhead that the advertising attorney must be able to pay for. More overhead usually means higher attorney’s fees to pay for the higher overhead.
Set Up a Free Consultation With an Attorney
Most reputable bankruptcy attorneys on TV will offer you a free consultation with an attorney! When setting up your free attorney consultation, it is critical to ask whether your consultation will be with an attorney or a non-attorney. This is an easy way to weed out the bankruptcy mills. Many oversized mill firms will have you meet with a non-attorney who is really nothing more than a sales associate who works on commission bases and whose sole job is to get as much money from you as possible. Instead, only go in for a free consultation if the firm can assure you in advance that the consultation will be with a bankruptcy lawyer and not a non-lawyer.
