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Look for three things: a California-licensed attorney in good standing with the State Bar, someone who files Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases regularly in the Riverside Division where Fontana cases are heard, and a written flat fee before you commit. The consultation should be free — if it is not, keep looking.
Check the State Bar first. It takes two minutes.
Search the attorney by name on the State Bar of California website. It is free and public, and it shows license status, the year they were admitted, and any public record of discipline. Do this before the first phone call, not after.
Local court experience is not a marketing line
Bankruptcy is federal law, but it is administered district by district and trustee by trustee. Fontana cases go to the Riverside Division of the Central District of California. Trustees there have their own document preferences and their own way of running a 341 meeting. An attorney who appears in front of them every week knows what will be asked before you walk in. That is the difference between a smooth case and a continued one.
The fee conversation
Chapter 7 should be a flat fee, quoted in writing, and normally paid before filing. Chapter 13 fees are usually part up front and part through the court-approved plan. Ask what is excluded as well as included — amendments, creditor challenges, motions to lift the stay. Two quotes can look different purely because one includes the credit counseling course and the other does not.
Ask who actually shows up
At some firms the attorney you meet is not the attorney at your 341 meeting. There is nothing wrong with paralegal support doing preparation work, but you should know before you sign who will be standing next to you. Ask directly.
Straight answers beat reassuring ones
A good first consultation includes bad news if there is any. Child and spousal support are not dischargeable. Most recent taxes survive. Student loans survive without a separate showing. If you transferred property to a relative in the last few years, the trustee can look at it. An attorney who tells you all of this up front is doing the job. One who says everything will be fine before seeing your paperwork is selling.
Questions that reveal the most
- Based on my income and household size, do I pass the California means test?
- Which of my assets are protected, and under which set of California exemptions?
- Is there anything in my situation that makes this case unusual?
- If I am being garnished, when does that stop?
- How many cases like mine did you file last year?
What to bring so the meeting is useful
Six months of pay stubs, your last two tax returns, a rough list of who you owe and roughly how much, any court papers or recorded notices, and statements for anything you own outright. With that, an attorney can usually tell you in a single meeting which chapter fits and what happens next.
Free consultation in Fontana
Hedtke Law Firm has been representing Inland Empire families in bankruptcy for 16 years, with roughly 3,000 cases filed. The first consultation is free and there is no obligation.
Hedtke Law Firm — Fontana
7426 Cherry Ave, Suite 210-312, Fontana, CA 92336
Call (909) 457-0054
Serving Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Bloomington and Jurupa Valley. See also: what bankruptcy costs in California, Chapter 7, Chapter 13, and stopping wage garnishment.
General information about California bankruptcy procedure, not legal advice for your specific circumstances.
