Legal Question in Bankruptcy in Virginia

My boyfriend had to file bankrupt after a divorce. We went online and looked up bankruptcy lawyers and found one. My boyfriend called them and talked to them and so I paid $548 over the phone with my debit card for his bankrupt to get started. They sent him paperwork and he printed them, filled them out and sent them back to them. They sent more paperwork and he filled those out and sent them back. After that we tried and tried to call them to see what was going on and couldn't get in touch with nobody. I left message after message and heard nothing back. I finally got in touch with one of the guys and he said he no longer works with that company because they were doing the same to a lot of other people. Taking their money and not dong their bankrupt so he said he would help us. He sent us more paperwork and we filled that out and sent it back to him. We moved at the end of last year and misplaced his number. I finally found a number for that company and it is no longer that company. We can't get in touch with anyone and I am very upset that we paid all that money and they ran with it. They were taking innocent peoples money. My boyfriend still has debt collectors calling for money and I want to know what we can do to get our money back from those scam artists and get is backruptcy taken care of. What can we do?


Asked on 8/12/10, 8:19 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Brandt The Law Firm of Robert S. Brandt

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but when it comes to shopping for a bankruptcy attorney, or any attorney for that matter, you should not treat it like you are purchasing something from Amazon.com. You need to meet face to face to feel the person out and hear what they have to say. Then, you can make a decision about hiring them. Most bankruptcy attorneys offer a free initial consultation. Take advantage of that. See if they are a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, another indicator that they are legitimate. And be sure to sign a Representation Agreement/Retainer upon hiring the attorney. As for the scam artist company, they are probably not even a law firm-check with the Virginia State Bar. Perhaps you can sue them in small claims court if the company still exists.

-Robert S. Brandt

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Answered on 8/18/10, 7:20 am


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