Bankruptcy Training Given to Legal Services of Alabama in Montgomery

I had the privilege of giving a Continuing Legal Education seminar on bankruptcy to Montgomery’s Legal Services of Alabama.  Currently, there are no attorneys trained in handling bankruptcy cases in the Montgomery office. Some attorneys have a general idea of how bankruptcy works but were reluctant to take on any cases without current training.

A Look Inside the Bankruptcy Training

I was asked to take the ten attorneys through a bankruptcy from start to finish. I explained the documents needed to file a case and what red flags to look out for in advising a client about both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  We discussed new changes to the Bankruptcy rules, form changes and gave a practical approach of a review of a potential case.  Further, we discussed credit reports and what to watch out for post-bankruptcy.

Legal Services of Alabama serves low-income people by providing free civil legal aid and assistance. They have seven offices located in: Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Selma and Tuscaloosa, covering all 67 Alabama counties.  To qualify for help, you must meet the low-income criteria and have been sued by a collecting creditor.  To see if you qualify, please visit https://www.legalservicesalabama.org/online-application.html.

Hopefully, this training gave these attorneys a good foundation to readily advise potential Legal Services clients on how the bankruptcy process works and how it can provide a fresh start to a client.  It was refreshing to meet attorneys who genuinely want to help those in need obtain financial freedom.

If you are in financial trouble and you do not meet Legal Services of Alabama’s criteria, please contact one of our Bond & Botes offices for a free consultation to see if we can help you get a fresh start in 2018.