For many people the lure of lower costs associated with bankruptcy and/or tax debt relief is just too great to pass up. In reality, many of them have found out the hard way that not only have they paid for promised services that they never received but that the debt has not been settled. In the case of bankruptcy filings they find out that their all-important paperwork is not complete, and whatever shelter they were seeking to keep their home or vehicles is now beyond saving and they are now essentially homeless and without transportation.

As bankruptcy filings have increased seemingly exponentially over the last three years, many consumers are seeking bankruptcy advice from a new type of business that is capitalizing on people’s misfortune. These firms are essentially high-volume bankruptcy law practices and bankruptcy-petition preparers that may or may not understand the complex tax debt relief laws nor are providing comprehensive debt relief help.

Families are increasingly finding that their once adequate salaries have been reduced or eliminated as their employers have been forced to downsize or close their business. This is not to say that there are those firms out there who are offering quality bankruptcy and debt relief services and advice that meets the needs of clients who are not able to pay higher fees of individual attorneys. After all, these clients are for one reason or another having a difficult time paying their bills. For most, the loss of a job is the primary reason for their financial troubles. Coupled with the higher costs of living many people are forced to seek debt relief help and in many cases this includes bankruptcy advice.

Along with less than credible bankruptcy mills, people also have to deal with unethical attorneys who push clients with few assets into Chapter 13 repayment plans rather than the Chapter 7 liquidation plans that make more sense. The reason for this is pretty evident because filing a Chapter 13 is more complex and therefore garners more fees for the attorney and the repayment orders include that the attorney is listed as one of the first among all the creditors who get repaid.

One very sad case involved a man who was attempting to save his home by restructuring his debt through Chapter 13. He employed a bankruptcy company, now commonly called a ‘bankruptcy mill’ that was run by paralegals and had no attorney either working for or consulting with the employees of this company. The paralegal that was handling the case didn’t want to drive an hour away to the future hearing, so they advised their client to list his girlfriends house as his legal address.

Because his property wasn’t listed as his primary residence, the bankruptcy court seized his home to pay creditors. If the paralegal handling his case had managed this case properly and in essence not been ‘lazy’ this person would have not lost the equity in his property and would have been protected under the law.

Check with the local Better Business Bureau before signing any agreement or paying any money upfront. No matter what type of debt relief help that people are seeking, it is paramount in all cases of bankruptcy advice that people seek out reputable firms or individuals. These first and very important steps will make the difference between being able to start fresh or having the debt and bad credit follow you for years to come.

Author Bio: By Jenny Heart. If you need free bankruptcy advice or mortgage relief, get the help you need. Get debt relief help and tax debt relief assistance through national toll free hotlines.

Category: Finances
Keywords: bankruptcy advice, debt relief help, tax debt relief