My days as a Sacramento bankruptcy attorney pretty much consist of acting as a counselor/priest/psychologist, as well as, acting the part of bankruptcy lawyer.
I talk to people about their situation, I listen to their stories and then I take as much time as I can to explain to these good, decent people that they are not “bad people” for filing for bankruptcy. They are good people that fell on bad times, along with everyone else. I explain that everyone is one layoff or medical bill away from being in the exact same situation. And then I speak to them about their options. A Sacramento bankruptcy lawyer has to explain the differences between Chapter 11, Chapter 13, and Chapter 7. It’s my job to look at their situation and make recommendations—only recommendations. The ultimate decision is up to my client. I never push anyone into anything. You may be a better candidate for Chapter 7, but want to go with Chapter 13 because of your feelings regarding debt repayment. Sure, I may grab my handy Bible to talk to people about debt forgiveness from time to time, but I won’t preach. You know what you want to do. It’s my job to support it and make it happen. Many Sacramento bankruptcy attorneys (unfortunately) run their offices like mills. Whichever path is most efficient is the one that is taken. I realize that Chapter 13 takes longer to process and is more complicated than Chapter 7 in some ways, but I’m certainly not going to advise someone who wants to stay in their home and keep their vehicles that they should walk away from it all just so that I can drop the case file in one pile versus the other pile. No way.