(Raised arm) I know! I know! I know! The Vocal Bankruptcy Attorney

A little bit of Q & A: a pet peeve

When it comes to literal pet peeves, I am peeved by dogs that bark without pause, spoil my lawn, and eat small children.  Pets that don't peeve me are the small- to medium-size cute and furries with proper manners. When it comes to the "figurative" pet-peeve, I'm peeved by a limited number of contributing bankruptcy attorneys in certain Q & A websites.  These are websites where where attorneys publish snappy- and less-snappy replies to commonly asked questions by either in propria persona bankruptcy-debtors or represented bankruptcy debtors with nonresponsive attorneys.  In this context we'll address bankruptcy attorneys, though the problem certainly spans the spectrum of legal specialities.

The Q & A sites are laudable and mutually beneficial: the bankruptcy-seeking public acquires knowledge and the contributing bankruptcy attorney wins exposure.  The problem lies in the latter's exploitation. Not all who profess expertise, who purport knowledge, who speak freely are truly proficient bankruptcy attorneys. A "legal expert" is not necessarily an expert. Bankruptcy is a particularly hazardous field of law; insofar as everything is specialized, it is especially so. 

With the recession, there's been increased demand for bankruptcy attorneys by consumers. Consequently, many attorneys not devoted to the field dabble in it.  The latest poll that I made up indicates there are 2.6 bankruptcy attorneys per capita in California.  Dilettantism is dangerous: I frequently cringe at erroneous input from practitioners.  They are quick to put out their names at the expense of checking facts. It is not only innaccurate answers that trouble, but incomplete ones. Exceptions exist and unintended reliance upon a narrowly-constructed answer can be fatal.

To the public seeking help in bankruptcy, I advise that online research is fine; yet, one should be wary from any information that purports to be definitive. One should avoid a bankruptcy attorney's facile,  conclusory and complacent input that is more obviously a plug than a help.   

As a bankruptcy attorney, I contribute to such sites, yet I do so judiciously.  If the question is phrased awkwardly or its proper answering merits more facts, I won't answer just to plug my name.  Be wary of essay answers; watch out for obsessive contribution-levels.  They are suspect.  From a practical standpoint, a bankruptcy attorney's free input must be limited.  Retained bankruptcy clients must be taken care of and not suffer less attention for the sake of self-promotion, or even for an idealized sense of promoting public knowledge.  A bankruptcy attorney's zealous advocacy and detail is owed first and foremost to the actual client.  Free time is at a premium and must be allocated to strictly-necessary avenues like posting thousands of baby pictures that all look the same on facebook.

Affiliations: another pet peeve

Now, the state bar rightly prohibits any form of advertising that's false.  Moreover, it rightly prohibits any form of advertising that is misleading.  Now, there are gray areas that if not misleading, at least contribute to hyperbole.  Consider logos and  professional associations. Joining professional memberships (various bar associations and the like that are not the actual State Bar) is extremely helpful: they provide the bankruptcy attorney with continuing legal education and access to exchange of developing information. I'm proud of my association with certain associations.  Yet, don't believe that an attorney with the longest laundry list of "bars" has achieved greater standing.  Ultimately, associations are paid-for opportunities; they are not acquired meritoriously. Similarly, periodicals and publications dispense superlatives of the like of SuperDuperAttorneys. Besides sounding stupendously goofy, such titles may be blatant advertising.  Certain paid-for accreditations amount to a  form of extorting the professional. 

Another sample of silliness is citation of one's admission to practice in a multiplicity of court venues.  It's redundant: membership in a single state bar permits one to operate across the state; certain paid applications may be required as formalities.   Ah, but we bankruptcy attorneys all self-promote; it's just a matter of degree and... copping to it.

Blitzkrieg Advertising: yet another pet peeve

Bigger isn't always better and that's often the truth with bankruptcy attorneys.  A mom and pop "shop" can take care of its clients and it draws referral business.  The behemoth that plasters a DBA on the side of a bus relies only upon dollars to draw an unsuspecting clientele.  With resources squandered on the bus, the client is thrown under the bus. 

San Diego Bankruptcy Attorney, Asaph Abrams
Offering free, no-obligation chapter 7 bankruptcy and chapter 13 bankruptcy consultations in San Diego. Visit us at http://www.bankonitsd.com/ or call 858-344-0500. E-mail admin@abramslawsd.com to set an appointment. Also representing Imperial County residents.