About six months ago, I was drowning in debt and didnt know what to do. I began looking for ways to get out of my situation, but just about everywhere I turned seemed to lead to a dead end. It seemed the only option I had left was bankruptcy.
I knew nothing about it though, So in an effort to gain ...knowledge on the situation, I began looking for a bankruptcy lawyer to discuss my problem. To my surprise, there were thousands of Lawyers in the NY area who specialized in bankruptcy. What surprised me even more though l, was in this pool of thousands, everywhere I looked I saw the same name at the top of the list; Barbie Dawn Lieber.
I said to myself, how can any lawyer have this many wonderful reviews? It's impossible!! With my situation becoming more dyre though, I decided I needed to find out for myself.
The next morning, I reached out to Barbie's office to schedule an appointment. I had expected to get a receptionist who would tell she was busy and that I could have an appointment in a month or so. I mean, a lawyer with that many great reviews, she surely must be busy. To my surprise though, Barbie herself answered my call. She also told me she was available to meet that afternoon. I said, how can this be? and I started thinking back to my initial thoughts from the day before regarding her reviews.
With my skepticism of Barbie growing, I headed off that afternoon to meet her at her office. Within a few minutes of my arriving at her office, Barbie, very pleasantly, came to great me. We sat down and began talking through my situation. After only a few minutes of talking, I realized how completely wrong my preconceived notions of her were. Barbie was knowledgeable, thorough in the questions she asked and completely professional. She walked me through the chapter 13 bankruptcy process (filing, 341 meeting, confirmation hearing, etc.) and showed me how it could be a beneficial solution to my problem.
Although It seemed like a good idea for me, I didn't want to commit right then and there. We left off that I would get back in touch with her in a few days and plan a course of action.
After a day of deliberation, I decided to file for chapter 13 with Barbie as my lawyer. I called her and asked her to begin preparing the paperwork and within a few days I was filed.
For those who don't know, about 2 months after filing comes the 341 meeting. I had been in contact with Barbie the whole time since I had filed, but she scheduled a call with me the night before the meeting to walk me through what to expect one last time.
At the 341 meeting, I arrived early as instructed by Barbie, so I could see how other meetings were conducted. To my amazement, I could not believe how ill prepared other attorneys and their clients were. They were unable to answer simple questions or provide the relevant info the trustee was asking for. After about four hours of watching case by case be a comedy of errors, it was finally my turn. Barbie and I walked up to the front of the room and sat before the trustee to begin the meeting. Thanks to our preparation, the process which lasted about 20-30 minutes for most lasted less than 5 minutes. I couldn't believe it.
With the 341 meeting now being behind me. All that was left was my confirmation hearing. This is where the judge confirms your bankruptcy plan and sets you off on the path of financial reorganization. At the hearing, much like the 341 meeting, I watched as case after case got dismissed or adjourned to a later date because the lawyer or client wasn't prepared. This was not the case with Barbie's client though. Aside from myself, Barbie had three clients that day up for their attempt at confirmation and every single case she had was confirmed. Much like the time she spent with me, she prepared all of her clients in the same manner and led all of their cases to success.
I can't thank Barbie enough for all she has done! She is an absolutely wonderful attorney!