The first meeting with a bankruptcy prospect is the best and hardest work I do. It's probably the most important as well. I use it to figure out what the issues in the case are, what the client's goals are, and to convey what I will need from the client to produce a successful outcome. Everything thereafter is just detail. The information that's important Before I get to debt limits, income levels, and priority claims, I want to explore Chapter 5. I want to know about what the client owns (§541), what he's given away (§548), who he's paid recently (§547), and what he may appear to own but doesn't (§544). Where has he lived (§522) and what has he charged (§523). I've found that working down a checklist of such questions face to face often deadens the conversation, such that the client stops really thinking about what I'm asking. To deal with that, I developed a little yes/no questionnaire that I ask the client to complete before we sit … [Continue reading...]
