As an attorney who negotiates and settles debt every day, it pains me to see people who could have used my services, rather than file for bankruptcy. For example, this person writes in about restoring her credit after a bankruptcy.
https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-montalk-20120513,0,4706879.column
The sad part is that she filed for bankruptcy over $24,500. According to the statements made by her in the article, it appears that she was able to afford some type of payments and still emerged with paying on her car loan. Had she sought the services of a debt settlement attorney instead of filing for bankruptcy, she could have saved herself from having to file for bankruptcy. A good debt settlement attorney could have settled her claims for $14,000 or less, including fees. Thus, this person essentially ended up filing for bankruptcy over $14,000.
She now has a public record of having filed for bankruptcy which also goes on her credit report. According to this article, she can expect the bankruptcy filing to affect her credit score for 7 to 10 years! Instead, she could have contacted a debt settlement attorney to help her negotiate down her medical bills, thus allowing her to get her life back on track much more quickly and instead of creating a large blemish on her otherwise perfect credit score. If someone is contemplating bankruptcy, they should always contemplate debt settlement as an alternative option.