Life is so amazingly humbling. One minute you are feasting on life, good relationships, good money, and all seems like it is clear blue skies ahead. And then suddenly, the sky turns black, and your life seems to be on a never ending bumpy path filled with stressed relationships, debts, and heartache. It can happen fast. It usually does.
For one Minnesota couple the journey was not that rosy from the start. We will keep their names confidential, of course, but it started out shortly after (fictional names) Greg and Lisa’s wedding over 22 years ago.
IT STARTED WITH LIGHT GAMBLING
Lisa always enjoyed going to the casino near her hometown to play few slot machines. Greg would go with sometimes but he really could take or leave it. Lisa never went overboard too much but she would probably admit she could spend $200.00 to $400.00 at the casino fairly easily. But before Greg and Lisa had kids, a home with a mortgage, and the other added stressors of life, spending this kind of money once in a while didn’t seem to be a problem for the couple.There was always the one time wins of a several hundred dollars that kept the allure of gambling alive for Lisa. Then, Greg and Lisa had children, three of them to be exact, and they bought a home, and had a mortgage, you know, the American dream!
Lisa can remember it started with Greg losing his job at a major company in Minnesota. He was unemployed for 4 months, but it felt like eternity. Greg and Lisa had no savings to fall back on and what little they did have was quickly gone too. Greg received unemployment but it was a small fraction of what the couple was used to receiving. Oh sure, it would buy some groceries etc but pay their lofty mortgage and other bills it would not.
So, the bills started piling up and the phone started to ring. Creditors wanted their money and they wanted it now. Greg and Lisa had already incurred a substantial credit card debt load but with Greg’s job, making the payments was relatively easy. Now that his job was gone, making these payments became an instant nightmare.
THEN IT PROGRESSED TO HEAVY GAMBLING
It seemed like the right thing to do. Lisa had won money before, lot’s of money, maybe she could go and pull a rabbit out of her hat again! Greg knew Lisa was gambling he just had no idea how much. He knew she had a gambling problem but what was he to say, he felt guilty for not working, for not bringing money into the house. So, in a way, Greg and Lisa both lied to each other, and both of them knew it, but they just didn’t talk about it.
Lisa was using the credit cards to gamble and Greg and Lisa were using the credit cards to pay bills and bridge the gap until the next job. By now, Lisa’s was gambling was heavy and desperate.
THE JOB CAME, BUT IT CAME TOO LATE
And then, in the midst of despair, it happened. As is so often the case, the glimmer of lite happened when it seemed like there was no hope. Greg was offered a job at nearly the same pay scale as before! The celebration was short lived when both Greg and Lisa assessed the damage that had been done in the meantime with debt. Their credit cards and outstanding medical bills totaled $65,000.00 with minimum payments due of $2,500.00 per month- and that was just to pay mainly interest and a very small portion of interest.
WE NEED A MN BANKRUPTCY Attorney AND WE NEED ONE NOW!
Both Greg and Lisa realized they needed to call and meet with a MN Bankruptcy Attorney immediately. They did not want Greg going back to work only to have his wages garnished or his employer finding out how financially bad off they were.
So where did they go to find a MN Bankruptcy Lawyer? Where most people do- they went on google and did a search for MN Bankruptcy Attorneys in central Minnesota. What popped up was some paid advertisements. They clicked on the site that claims to be Minnesota’s largest bankruptcy law firm and figured how can they go wrong with the firm that claims to be Minnesota’s biggest bankruptcy law firm? (A few different firms claim to be Minnesota’s largest bankruptcy law firm).
Greg called the law firm and set up an appointment to meet with a lawyer from this law firm to discuss their situation and whether it made sense for them to file bankruptcy or not. The law firm is based out of the twin cities but has an office in St Cloud, so they set up a free bankruptcy consultation to meet with a MN Bankruptcy Lawyer in St Cloud, Minnesota.
THE MEETING SPACE WAS AWKWARD FOR A LAW FIRM
So, Greg and Lisa went to their appointment in St. Cloud, Minnesota. They found the office meeting location to be grouped together with other offices. They were not sure if this was the law firm’s space or someone else’s space the law firm uses. They found the space to be awkward and sort of weird.
THE LAWYER WAS YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED
After getting the nerve up to meet with a MN Bankruptcy Attorney, Greg and Lisa were looking forward to getting a lot of their questions answered so they could decide if filing a bankruptcy made sense for them.Instead, they met with a really young lawyer who admitted he did not know the answer to a lot of their questions, but he could find out and get back to them. When they said sure, get back to us, the lawyer never did. Instead, Greg and Lisa were told it would take up to three days for them to get a call back from the lawyer they met with.
THE LAWYER WAS COLD AND DIDN’T SEEM LIKE HE CARED
Lisa told Greg after the meeting that she wanted to get a second opinion from another lawyer. She said she felt the meeting with the young lawyer was cold and she felt like the lawyer didn’t care. Greg felt the same way.
It felt like the whole time they met with the lawyer all the lawyer wanted to know was are you going to sign up or not? Without their questions answered and feeling like the meeting was rather cold, they definitely were not going to sign up.
So, the couple set out to find another MN Bankruptcy Lawyer to meet with. This time they focused on reviews. They figured, if they read reviews from others who used the law firm’s services what better way to make a decision about who to meet with.
They googled “St. Cloud Minnesota Bankruptcy lawyer” and found another firm with numerous reviews from prior customer/clients. The reviews were positive and informative. Greg and Lisa called them and set up an appointment.
I FELT COMFORTED THE MOMENT I CALLED THE LAW FIRM
Lisa made the phone call to set up the appointment. She could tell the person answering the phone was happy and liked her job. She was cheerful and really helpful to me. We set up an appointment with the law firm.
After setting up the appointment, Lisa felt a sense of confidence she had not felt before. She felt like she was at home.
THE GREETING AND THE LOUNGE
When they walked in the front door, the receptionist rose out her chair and greeted Greg and Lisa. Now this was how a person should be greeted they thought! We were asked if we would like beverages and then escorted to the client lounge. The whole thing felt like first class if you ask me, Greg said.Enjoying a cold beverage, they waited for the lawyer to come and greet them personally. Meanwhile, soothing music played in the background. Both Greg and Lisa had a positive feeling about this experience.
THE LAWYER, STAFF, AND THE PROCESS
Greg and Lisa heard a quiet knock on the door and the door opened. The lawyer greeted himself and welcomed them to the law firm. He invited them to his office and closed the door for privacy.
Greg said the lawyer did something he did not expect any MN Bankruptcy Lawyer to do. The lawyer patiently waited as Greg and Lisa gave the lawyer their story- and the lawyer did so without interrupting them which Greg thought was very unusual. Most of the time, when he met with lawyers, he always felt this “rush” to be done and finish so the lawyer could move on with another client.
Not this time. The lawyer was amazingly patient the whole time. After listening to our story he thanked us for the background and then introduced the firm and who they were and what they do and why. It was very informative.
The lawyer asked Greg and Lisa a lot of questions and once he got the background information clearly laid out the choices available to Greg and Lisa. They both agreed this was the first time someone had taken the time to lay the choices out for them in a way they clearly understood what their choices were so they could make a decision on what to do.
Unlike their first meeting with a lawyer that was very antiseptic and cold, this meeting was warm and inviting and really kind of fun. Both Greg and Lisa and the lawyer laughed a lot and even discussed non bankruptcy related things. The whole conversation was easy flowing and very comfortable for Greg and Lisa. So, they hired this firm to file a bankruptcy for them.
Lisa said the lawyer never made her feel guilty or ashamed for having a gambling problem- at all. Instead, both Lisa and Greg felt like the lawyer was a regular human being with faults of his own and had his own crosses to carry. The whole thing was very refreshing and not what they expected at all from a law firm.
Greg and Lisa have been discharged now and they have their lives back. Throughout the whole experience they were so thankful to have found a law firm that was so warm and inviting and so helpful and friendly. Both Greg and Lisa found the staff to be so kind and helpful every step of the way- the staff never got worn out when Lisa would call multiple times a day.
What Greg and Lisa felt at the first firm was cold and antiseptic. Their next experience was the direct opposite of that first experience.
THE LESSONS FROM GREG AND LISA’S STORY
1) Bad things happen to good people.
Minnesotans from all walks of life suffer drops in income and sometimes make bad financial decisions. Not only is this not very interesting it is indeed, the essence of being human. We all make mistakes.
2) Bankruptcy is a tool to get your life back sooner than later.
I ponder the question this way- is it better to have poor credit and be miserable for a really long time or is it better to
get your life back now and not be miserable for a really long time? We think the latter.
3) Your experience at different MN bankruptcy law firms in Minnesota will be like night and day-
literally.
At some firms, you will feel unfortunately the indifference of the staff and lawyers, you will feel what Greg and Lisa felt, the cold antiseptic meeting with a really young lawyer who is not able to answer all your questions anyway, in a location that is let’s face it, very awkward and unprofessional. And then to top it all off, you will do most of the work yourself. Sound good to you? It doesn’t sound good to us.
4) There are law firms whose staff and lawyers will speak to you as if they are looking
down upon you.
I know that is a really sad commentary but from what we hear from clients who have met with others, it is true. I would prefer to meet with someone who really understands the humility of being alive.
5) Be wary of MN Bankruptcy Attorneys, or any other professional, that tries to be the jack of all trades and the master of none.
I would never have a family doctor do heart surgery on a loved one and you should expect your bankruptcy lawyer should concentrate solely on bankruptcy.
