Portland, Ore. --
March 31, 2008 -- In the March 28, 2008, issue of the
Portland Business Journal, Bill Mehlhaf, a shareholder with the firm, was quoted as an expert on what businesses should do when considering bankruptcy.
In "Choose a bankruptcy lawyer as carefully as an eye surgeon," reporter Sean Meyers wrote about the importance of finding a talented bankruptcy attorney quickly.
"Don't let your fingers do the walking when hiring a bankruptcy attorney, said Bill Mehlhaf of Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf, PC in Portland.
'Get the names of two or three lawyers from your lawyer or another lawyer you trust,' he said. 'Quite often, the best lawyers don't advertise in, for example, The Yellow Pages.'
Similarly, attorney referral services typically rotate eligible names on a pre-set formula and are not necessarily indicators of performance, he said.
Shop for a bankruptcy attorney as carefully as you would an eye surgeon for your daughter, Mehlhaf said. 'Price is not the primary consideration.'
And avoid 'fill-in-the-blank' attorneys when considering bankruptcy, he said.
'You need someone who can think outside the box, someone who can provide you with options, because bankruptcy is not always the best alternative.'
Be proactive, he added.
'Think about your situation, and write down a list of questions to ask the attorney -- and there are no dumb questions. If you don't make a list, you're sure to forget to ask something that was important.'
Bankruptcy cases are almost always argued before judges, not juries, so it's especially critical to get information on the attorney's reputation not only with judges, but with other lawyers, Mehlhaf said."
To read the full article, visit the
Portland Business Journal's Web site at
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/03/31/smallb2.html.
Contact:
Jill Stewart
Marketing Director
503-295-3085
