We know that there has been a leap in the average consumer debt in the United States by 11 percent over the last ten years to a phenomenal $134,643. It is, therefore, no surprise that numerous people are looking for monetary assistance or loans to effectively overcome their debt burden. When your credit card payments and loans seem overpowering, it is the right move to hire the services of a qualified and reputed debt settlement lawyer. A debt settlement lawyer could be successfully negotiating with your lenders to effectively lower the amount owed by you. If you are having an overwhelming unsecured debt, it is best to seek the professional assistance and guidance from a qualified and experienced debt settlement attorney. We know that unsecured debt is supposed to be a debt that does not necessitate any collateral or security in the form of home or other property.

According to https://www.debt.org/advice/lawyer/, a debt settlement lawyer has the requisite knowledge, skill, and credentials for assisting consumers who are struggling with overpowering debts to get out of this financial mess. He would be safeguarding his clients against all sorts of unfair credit and trade practices. A qualified debt settlement lawyer would be negotiating favorable deals with creditors, handling lawsuits from lenders and credit card companies and once it has been determined that a client’s financial condition is beyond repair, he may help you in filing for bankruptcy. So a qualified debt settlement lawyer would be helping you in getting rid of your overwhelming debts and boosting your overall financial condition. However, before hiring the debt settlement lawyer, you must remember not to pay any fees upfront. As per https://www.huffingtonpost.com, “The Federal Trade Commission has stepped in and made advance fee debt settlement illegal under the Telemarketing Sales Rules that apply to debt relief companies. But one perceived loophole was left open, that of the attorney model Debt Settlement Company. Under this model, attorneys were continuing to charge advance fees but feel they are exempt from the FTC rules.” Let us explore some of the essential traits of a debt settlement lawyer.

A Sound Understanding of Law

Your debt settlement attorney must possess sound legal knowledge and understanding of debt issues and associated laws. He must possess the right accreditations and certifications for advancing his career and specializing in debt settlement cases. When you ask him legal questions, he should be able to clear your doubts with confidence and conviction. If he seems confused or hesitates to answer your questions, you must consider looking for another debt settlement attorney.

Transparency Is the Key

A debt settlement lawyer must not leave his clients in the dark. A good debt settlement lawyer would be transparent about his negotiations and throughout the whole legal process. You are working together with your debt settlement lawyer for resolving all your financial problems and debt issues so it is important for you to clearly understand and know what exactly your lawyer is doing for helping you out of this overwhelming situation.

Ample Experience

Many people forget to examine the experience of a debt settlement lawyer before hiring him. You have to ensure that the lawyer you are about to hire must have the necessary knowledge and understanding associated with debt settlement and the legal aspects. The lawyer must know precisely what he is doing particularly when you are depending on a qualified debt lawyer to effectively alleviate all your financial issues. He must have adequate experience in this line of work and must know ways to effectively minimize your debts.  Plus, he must have solid experience in debt law in comparison to any other law.

He Must Maintain & Offer Meticulous Documentation

You must hire a debt settlement lawyer who has the habit of documenting everything. He must create and maintain a file in your name and he must allow you total access to that file within legal limits. While negotiating with your creditors, your attorney may need to provide some important information or data. He should be able to quickly find all relevant data and documents.

He Must Have an Impressive Record

You must examine his official website or look for reviews and recommendations. You may talk to others who have worked with your debt settlement lawyer before and find out how their experience was and what the outcome of the debt settlement process was. You must find out if the shortlisted lawyer you are planning to hire has a good track record, as far as, debt settlement cases are concerned. You may go through some of the debt settlement reviews online for learning more and for perfect debt solutions. You must look for positive customer reviews online or rely on positive word-of-mouth of your close relatives and friends.

He Should Be Approachable

You must examine how approachable your attorney is. It is a practical decision to meet him before hiring him. You must consider holding an actual conversation with him at first and see how forthcoming he is. He must be willing to communicate clearly with you. He should entertain your queries and must give you a patient hearing. The point of this entire meeting is to know if he is approachable enough. You would be sharing all your sensitive private information with your lawyer so you need to develop a connection with your lawyer so that you feel free and comfortable to disclose your secrets.

He Must Have the Right Certifications & Accreditations

You must ask your lawyer to which law school he went and when did his law firm open. If he comes up with prompt and reasonable answers to those two questions, you could go ahead and hire his services. However, if he falters, you must proceed with utmost caution. Find out exactly where his formal certification is actually mounted. All this information is necessary to be sure that you are handling fully-qualified and reliable debt settlement lawyer.

Conclusion

Seek the advice and assistance of a debt settlement lawyer so that he could help you effectively in resolving your debt issues and assist you in leading a happier and certainly more productive life. Always use an experienced debt settlement lawyer for effectively handling and negotiating with your creditors on your behalf.