Mark S. Buckley, Attorney at Law

I charge a flat fee for every bankruptcy case. It is different for each case depending on whether it is a single vs. joint filing, the amount of debt involved, the client's income, and several other factors. I promise to be fair, there are no surprise bills and I offer payment plans. Besides the attorney fee, the client is responsible to pay the court filing fee (presently $ 335 as of 2019), the two education requirements, and the expense for downloading bankruptcy specific credit reports.

I will pre-qualify you over the phone before setting an appointment to meet in your home or at my Providence office on Westminster Street (plenty of free parking). I provide you with a list of documents to bring (pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, bills, credit reports, law suit documents, etc) and we determine if a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, payment plan, or debt-settlement negotiation will be the best path. Many of my clients own a house and a car and can easily protect them so long as they remain current on their monthly mortgage and car loan payments. Altogether, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy process takes about 90 days from the date of filing your case until the date the matter is closed and debts are discharged.

I received my Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law in Boston. Bankruptcy is a pretty technical and precise area of law that should be handled carefully by an attorney who is devoted to practicing bankruptcy law. I have practiced bankruptcy law for over 28 years, have filed more than 3,000 cases and every case I have filed has been successful with no surprises. I have an undergraduate degree in business and am the only bankruptcy lawyer in the state who has the credential of being a Certified Financial Planner professional. I take financial education, budget preparation and credit rebuilding to a very deep, but practical level. I will NOT simply "fill out the bankruptcy forms" without imparting many practical tips to restore overall financial health.

I began doing Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1991. I enjoyed helping clients reverse their financial hardships so they could get a fresh start and remove the stress of unpayable debt. I am good at listening and determining the best debt relief option for each client. Sometimes payment plans or debt-settlement is worth considering, but for many others, filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy accomplishes the greatest result at the lowest cost.

I have worked with senior citizens living on a fixed income, young married couples struggling with the costs of daycare and home ownership, middle-aged clients who lost their job and were unable to manage on unemployment benefits, and others dealing with massive medical debt due to a serious illness and lack of good health insurance. My clients typically have more than $ 10,000 in debt including credit cards, utility bills, car repossessions, payday loans, medical bills and unsecured personal loans.

Beware of bankruptcy "mills", lawyers who meet with you for 20 minutes then sit you with a secretary to do most of the real work, and lawyers who are general practitioners who take non-bankruptcy cases. Hire the best bankruptcy lawyer you can afford; one who is respected by the bankruptcy trustees and who handles matters professionally and promptly. Unfortunately, I get many calls from bankruptcy filers who regretted the "cheap" bankruptcy lawyer they hired. They had no idea how important it was to hire a professional that could get them great results at a fair price, with the least amount of stress. You should have a conversation with any lawyer over the phone before you ever set an appointment with them. You can quickly determine whether you will be a respected client, or just another number.