Bankruptcy Attorney

• The most obvious, and generally the most expensive, person you may want to talk to about bankruptcy is an experienced bankruptcy attorney. Bankruptcy attorneys can guide you through the entire bankruptcy process and can even represent you in that process. They can answer questions about the detailed legal effects of the different types of bankruptcy, and they can give you their judgment as to whether bankruptcy makes sense, which type of bankruptcy makes sense and the detailed effects that bankruptcy may have on your unique circumstances.
  
  

Financial Professionals

• Many financial consultants and other financial professionals have experience guiding their clients in bankruptcy, and in helping their clients avoid bankruptcy altogether. If money is getting tight and you think bankruptcy may be an option, then you may want to talk with a financial planner. A financial planner can give great information about whether bankruptcy makes sense from a financial perspective, and if so, what type of bankruptcy you can best afford.
  
  

Petition Preparers

• Bankruptcy petition preparers are bankruptcy consultants and consulting companies located all across the United States. These people are not licensed attorneys, so they cannot fully represent you in a bankruptcy proceeding. For example, they cannot attend court hearings on your behalf, and they cannot sign paperwork on your behalf. But they can help you fill out the right paperwork and they can answer your questions about the different options available under federal bankruptcy law. Their fee is typically much less than a financial planner's or a bankruptcy attorney's fee.
  
  

Credit Counselor

• Another great option for somebody to talk to about bankruptcy is a credit counselor approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. In fact, one of the requirements for filing bankruptcy is that you must present the bankruptcy court with a certificate of completion of credit counseling. Because you will have to obtain credit counseling before you file bankruptcy, it might make sense to meet with a credit counselor before you talk to anybody else. Most counseling sessions with an approved credit counselor last about an hour to an hour and a half and only cost about $50 to $100.