1. Experience and Results
Our attorneys are experienced bankruptcy attorneys with commendable records in getting debtors relief from creditors.
Our confirmation rate for Chapter 13 filings is well above the district average because of our experience, skilled lawyering, and diligence.
Our Chapter 7 success rate is 100% for our clients that actually follow through the process and appear at court.
We ALWAYS inform you of any risks ahead of time and let you make a decision based on the information we provide. And our attorneys focus solely on bankruptcy law. We are bankruptcy attorneys through and through. Many firms now are criminal or estate planning based, but dabble in bankruptcy to make a few extra dollars. Choose wisely a firm that understands all the nuances and intricacies of bankruptcy.
If it were easy enough for just any attorney to jump into, you would probably be able to do the bankruptcy yourself. Remember, attorneys are normal people who have studied the law. We are not gifted with natural understanding of the law (there are far too many laws for any one person to know them all). Our real talent as attorneys lies in our experience. We at Ardelean & Dunne, PLLC have that experience to get you relief under the bankruptcy code.
2. Attorney Access and Availability
We have multiple, experienced bankruptcy attorneys and provide you with access to calling the attorneys for advice. All attorneys in our firm are expected to handle every case. So, we can provide you with answers much sooner than other firms.
You will not have to wait days or weeks to hear back from us. We give answers right away.
3. Speed of Legal Services
Because our attorneys are expected to work on every case we take on, we have great results in turning around cases very quickly and getting them filed. While it is true that we need you to provide certain documents to us before filing, once these are provided, along with agreed upon fees and/or fronted court costs, we can have your case filed within a matter of a day or two. We get cases filed quickly to better serve you.
4. Real Attorneys
Our attorneys are real attorneys, licensed by the State of Michigan.
Many bankruptcy filers will be offered the option of going to non-attorneys for cheap rates. These petition preparers are not licensed by any legal body. They cannot give you legal advice. All they are legally allowed to do is type what you tell them to type on your petition. The United States Department of Justice has recently had to crack down on many of these “preparers” for taking advantage of bankruptcy filers. The DOJ keeps a running list of these “banned” or “flagged” petition preparers and stresses that filers not use their services.
Likewise, many attorneys now flooding Michigan’s bankruptcy market are not licensed in Michigan. The bankruptcy court has granted them access to case filing because they are licensed attorneys in some state. Our attorneys ARE licensed in Michigan and we strongly encourage you to find Michigan licensed attorneys. Legal issues surrounding bankruptcy often flow into Michigan law and you need someone who knows and understand our State’s laws to protect your property and rights.
5. Ethical Case Retention
If bankruptcy is not your best option we will tell you upfront. We do not take money from people we knowingly cannot help. We offer free consultations. If we feel that we cannot help you based off of the information provided, we will tell you so.
Many attorneys will file these cases to get fees. We do not do this. We are not desperate. If you come in and we cannot help you, we will do what we can to help, and give you as much information as we can. We do not see you as a walking dollar sign. We see you as an individual in need of relief. And if you are pleased with our service, whether you retain us or not, we would appreciate you passing word along to others in need of relief.
6. Transparency and Information
In your free consultation, we will advise you on how we can help you and disclose any possible risks with you filing bankruptcy. Again, we are fully licensed Michigan attorneys, trained to spot issues in Michigan and Federal law. We will tell you what we can and cannot do. After you hire us, we make sure to give you a detailed outline of the process from that date on. If you have questions about bankruptcy or dealing with your creditors, we are available to advise you from there.
7. Creditors Pay Our Chapter 13 Fees
We typically file Chapter 13 reorganizations for no money down. This means that our fees come from the repayment plan we file for you. The court pays our fee from what the creditors would have received anyway. Most times, this does not affect your monthly plan payment or the length of the Chapter 13 Plan. So, you get great legal representation, a quickly filed Chapter 13, and your creditors pay our fees. All around, you win!
8. No Hidden Chapter 7 Fees
In your free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys, we will give you a flat fee quote for Chapter 7 fees (for Chapter 13 fee explanation, see number 8). This will cover all the routine work we do on your Chapter 7 bankruptcy case.
Unlike many firms, we do not bill extra for speaking with your mortgage lender, completing and signing reaffirmation agreements for you to keep your financed vehicles, contacting creditors to retrieve property wrongfully taken from you, or contacting court, creditors, or your payroll department to stop garnishments. (As a matter of disclosure, we do charge extra for unexpected and rare occurrences which are detailed exhaustively in our contract.)
9. Competitive Chapter 7 Fees
With regards to firms focusing strictly on bankruptcy, we offer very competitive fees. We are able to do this because we take advantage of technology to streamline our operation and save on costs. We pass the savings along to our clients. A simple in-office consultation could have you saving as much as $300-$500 on your Chapter 7 fees.
10. Payment Plans for Chapter 7 Fees Available
We understand that most of our Chapter 7 clients are not flush with money, so we offer the chance to pay our fees over time. A great many of other firms do not offer this option. They want all their money on the first day they meet with you or will tell you to take a hike. We will work with you and start you on a payment plan so you can get legal representation and bankruptcy relief sooner than later.