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The Vancouver WA bankruptcy lawyers, Portland Oregon bankruptcy attorneys, Oregon City bankruptcy lawyers, and Hillsboro bankruptcy attorneys of the Baxter & Baxter, LLP, represent individuals in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Our mission of committed and zealous consumer advocacy is unrivaled, and our track record of excellence and professionalism is recognized nationwide.

Call (360) 574-5239 to speak with a Vancouver WA bankruptcy attorney today!

More Information about Bankruptcy

• Chapter 7
• Chapter 13
• Common Myths about Filing for Bankruptcy in Oregon and Washington
• Frequently Asked Questions about Filing for Bankruptcy in Oregon and Washington
• Why Should You Hire a Bankruptcy Attorney?
• Eliminating Second Mortgages through Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
• The Process of Filing for Bankruptcy in Oregon and Washington
• Things to Avoid before Filing Bankruptcy
• Stopping Home Foreclosure through Bankruptcy
• Typical Filing Fees to File for Bankruptcy in Oregon and Washington
• Filing for Bankruptcy: A Fresh Start
• How to Dispute False Credit Reports after Bankruptcy

“We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for relief under the Bankruptcy Code.”

Today, I am writing about Oregon City criminal defense attorney, Ben Kim. I recently had the excellent opportunity to serve on a jury in a DUII case in Clackamas County. Ben represented the defendant in a two day jury trial. Jury service was an illuminating experience for me, but getting to watch a skilled and experienced lawyer engaged in his craft was particularly educational for me. Ben’s best attributes in the trial were that he was imminently at ease with the jury, and built a nice rapport with the jurors. He also broke through lawyer stereotypes of untempered braggadocio, and instead came across as sincere and genuine.

Ben is a former prosecutor who now has a private criminal defense firm in Oregon City. From his website, he “joined the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy District Attorney and worked as Prosecutor for over ten years handling a wide array of crimes, from Driving While Intoxicated to Murder. Eventually, Mr. Kim was selected to become a member of the Hardcore Gang Unit, a small group of Prosecutors who exclusively handled gang related homicide cases.”

Ben exclusively handles criminal defense cases involving DUII, Domestic Violence, Assault, Robbery, Burglary, Theft, Murder, and Aggravated Murder. I talked to Ben after the trial and told him that if I was ever pulled over in Clackamas County, I would know who to call!

You can contact Ben at:

Benjamin Kim
Attorney at Law
294 Warner Milne Rd
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 344-6251
www.benkimlaw.com

Best regards,
Justin Baxter
Baxter & Baxter, LLP

Filing bankruptcy can be one of the most difficult choices a person makes. Often you have been struggling to meet your financial obligations. Something happens and the house of cards comes tumbling down, leaving you faced with a proposition that seems like failure. It is difficult and frustrating. You go to see an attorney and realize that even though you have no money to pay your bills, the attorney wants over a thousand dollars or more to represent you.

You discover there may be an alternative. You could pay someone much less to prepare your petition for you. You think Why not? Your case isn’t complicated, at least you don’t think it is. You pay a few hundred dollars and file your case. You may be okay. More likely, after things go very wrong you will realize that you should have hired an attorney.

Bankruptcy is more complicated than it appears on the surface. People who have seen or attended a bankruptcy hearing testify that the meetings are often over quickly. What is not apparent from the meeting is that most of the complicated work is done before the meeting takes place. The hearing should go smoothly if everything was done right ahead of time.
Having sat through countless hearings while representing debtors in the bankruptcy cases, I can assure you that bankruptcy is often more complicated than it looks, especially since the changes that took place in the bankruptcy laws in 2005.

Bankruptcy is more than what bills you owe. People often do not realize that all of their belongings are assets that may or may not be exempt. You may fail to disclose an item that could have been protected, only to lose it because of the lack of disclosure. The actions taken in the years and months leading up to bankruptcy can have consequences, and can cause unintended ramifications for friends and family members.

Every consumer bankruptcy case is assigned to a trustee. That person is responsible for ensuring the interests of your creditors are protected. When you hire a bankruptcy attorney, this person is there to represent you. Your attorney can help you to determine which debts you can discharge or pay off. Your attorney will help you protect assets that are not exempt, and will help you to do so legally. Your attorney will make sure you list every asset and that every asset that can be is protected. Your attorney will help you ensure that bankruptcy is what it is intended to be: a fresh start.

When you pay an attorney, you are paying that person to ensure you file everything you are supposed to file, turn over all the paperwork you are required to turn over, help you maximize your assets and minimize your losses, and to represent you against your creditors. In short, you are paying for the best fresh start you can muster.

What can a petition preparer do? Legally, all a petition preparer can do is fill in the blanks on your bankruptcy documents. If you choose to pay someone hundreds of dollars for this service you are, in effect, paying hundreds of dollars for data entry service.

If a petition preparer does more than enter information into your petition, that person is breaking the law. Both federal bankruptcy laws and state rules governing the practice of law forbid anyone except a licensed attorney from giving you advice.

Why? To protect you, the consumer. If an attorney messes up your case, there are protections in place to help you. Attorneys in Oregon,Washington, and many other states are required to carry malpractice insurance. They can also be sanctioned by their bars for failure to adhere to a basic code of conduct.

There are no systems in place to help you if a document preparer messes up your petition or gives you erroneous advice. You may be able to file a complaint claiming they practiced law without a license, and while the person may face fines or sanctions, you will not get anything to cover your losses.

Hiring an attorney to represent you during your bankruptcy can be expensive. After suffering through financial difficulties and falling behind on your financial obligations, handing over a large sum of money to an attorney can seem like a real hardship. But bankruptcy is not an area to shortchange yourself. Filing bankruptcy is your opportunity to make a fresh start. Make it the best start it can be by hiring a good attorney to represent, protect, and advise you. Think of it as your first investment in a new financial future.

Lara Gardner is a consumer bankruptcy attorney for the consumer protection law firm of Baxter & Baxter, LLP. Click here to learn more about Lara.