I'll give you an example. I browsed one of the main ""expert advice"" websites for bankruptcy information the other day because I was curious about what others had to say. I came across an article discussing the effect of bankruptcy on claims. Along with reasonably factual information, the article stated: if you have a judicial lien on your property, you cannot typically eliminate it through bankruptcy. While sometimes judicial liens cannot be avoided (removed), they can be avoided if they compromise the debtor's property exemption. Most consumer debtors will be able to avoid judicial judgments, as the majority of consumers do not own non-exempt property.
Now, I was aware of this because I am a bankruptcy lawyer. However, the majority of people who search for bankruptcy information online have no prior experience with bankruptcy and therefore have no way of knowing if the information provided is inaccurate. If they had relied on this information, they might have decided not to file for bankruptcy, believing that it would not assist them in removing a judicial lien. Or, if they filed for bankruptcy without an attorney, they may have paid a judgment that they were not required to pay under the applicable law.
After reading the article, I was curious to learn more about the author, so I spent a few minutes conducting research. Evidently, the author was neither an attorney nor a bankruptcy attorney. In fact, a significant portion of the advice found on the Internet is not written by individuals with specialized qualifications in the subject area. Frequently, the advice-giver is simply relaying information gleaned from online research. Or, the advice-giver may have personal experience with the topic (e.g., because he or she has applied for bankruptcy) and is providing information based on that experience without being aware that the information is incorrect.
This does not mean, however, that online advice providers are not attempting to provide accurate information, and in many subject areas, online advice can be sufficiently accurate. When it comes to something as complex as legal information, however, the source of the information is significantly more significant. You should be extremely skeptical of any information not provided by an attorney. In addition, because the laws involved are frequently extremely nuanced and require careful analysis, you should generally be very cautious with information that is not supplied by a lawyer who specializes in the particular area of law (e.g., bankruptcy).
Therefore, does this imply that it is secure to rely on information obtained from a bankruptcy attorney's website? Regrettably, no. Nowadays, the content of many attorneys' websites is not written by the attorney who owns the website, or by any attorney at all. Typically, the marketing company that develops or administers the website also provides the website's content. This is true even for attorney blogs, where the blog posts are frequently delivered by the marketing company, which may have obtained them from a third party.
Now, purchasing website content is a legitimate practice (although I personally dislike the practice of purchasing blog content due to the increased likelihood of misrepresenting the information as coming directly from the lawyer). Nonetheless, as a consumer, you should exercise caution and not rely solely on information found on a lawyer's website. It also implies that you should not choose a lawyer based on the information you discover on his or her website, as it may not accurately reflect the lawyer's knowledge or skill.
You are probably wondering, ""What should I do if I cannot rely on any information I find on the Internet?"""" Do some online research to gain a fundamental understanding of bankruptcy. It is more likely to be accurate the more sources you consult and the more consistent the information in those sources. However, after conducting investigation, you should consult with an attorney. In fact, interact with multiple individuals. And ask them all the queries you found online during your research. This is the best method to obtain accurate, situation-specific bankruptcy information. And, if you decide to hire an attorney, this is the only method to determine who will be the best fit.""
" - https://www.affordablecebu.com/
