June 3, 2020 – With the ongoing pandemic’s impact on the economy, bankruptcy lawyers are seeing an uptick in calls from people who are worried about their finances, says James V. Block, an attorney at Krautkramer & Block LLC, Wausau, where his practice includes Chapters 7 and 13 bankruptcies.

“I've had many new phone calls from potential clients,” Block said.  “They're unemployed and unable to afford to pay their bills due to the pandemic. I expect especially this fall will we see a lot of new bankruptcy cases.”

Block was a recent panelist on the State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE webcast, The Basics of Filing Chapter 7 & Chapter 13 2020.

In times of economic downturns, lawyers may be exploring getting into a new practice area like bankruptcy.

“It's absolutely very feasible,” said Block. Many skills from other practice areas also apply to bankruptcy, such as negotiating settlements.

“Most attorneys should be able to handle certain Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases,” Block said.

And if a potential client has complicated bankruptcy issues, lawyers new to the area can seek a more experienced attorney for guidance.

Where to start?

Block recommends beginning with PINNACLE’s The Basics of Filing Chapter 7 & Chapter 13 2020 seminar as well as its successor, Beyond the Basics of Chapter 7 & Chapter 13 2020, which takes place live on June 19, 2020, and will be repeated on specific dates in June and July.

That’s where Block started several years ago, when he was new to the area. “They absolutely helped jumpstart my career in bankruptcy.” Attending these and other CLE sessions will help attorneys improve their competencies in this area, he said.

A next step is to take on simple cases. “Working your way up, you'll soon be able to handle complicated cases,” Block said.

Catch the webcast seminar on dates in June and early July 2020.