One of the attorneys in my Indiana bankruptcy law office was chatting with me the other day. She told me that almost all her bankruptcy clients express the same sentiment at some point in their initial bankruptcy meeting: “I never thought I’d be sitting here.” Funny, that’s exactly what all my clients say!

So why are these people visiting a bankruptcy attorney’s office? My colleague pointed out that the reasons are as numerous as the files on her desk. The reasons include losing a job in a corporate downsizing. It might be a business failure caused by unforeseen circumstances. It could have been a sudden medical emergency or a divorce. Sometimes, it’s a big mortgage increase caused by rising real estate taxes or a change in an adjustable rate mortgage. The most heartbreaking case, my colleague finds, is the loss of a child after a long, expensive illness.

You know what my fellow attorney said to me? “No one can work in this field of bankruptcy law without thinking every day, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

I couldn’t have said it any better.

If you have to file bankruptcy to restore your financial health, don’t let embarrassment or moral scruples cause you to delay taking action. You never thought you’d be here, but here you are. And you aren’t alone, by any means. This is the place to start making a new start.