By Philip Tirone, 720 System Strategies

If you remember nothing else from this article, remember that you can build your bankruptcy practice through five things:

1. Teach your leads how to rebuild their life after bankruptcy. This gives them confidence to complete their case.
2. Offer free credit building resources. This shows leads and clients that you will support them even after they have finished paying you, which creates loyalty and referrals.
3. Be selective in partnering with marketing firms. The best marketing firms understand the psychology of debtors, help you find exclusive leads, and offer effective follow-up and intake support.
4. Communicate clearly during the case. Clients need transparency on timelines, trustee questions, and fees, which reduces stress and builds trust.
5. Create an aftercare system. Follow up with clients after discharge through credit education, check-ins, or invitations to financial workshops. This strengthens referrals and reviews.

Bankruptcy attorneys know that their role goes far beyond filling out petitions and preparing for hearings. For clients, choosing to declare bankruptcy is often the most overwhelming financial decision they will ever face. This means that attorneys have an opportunity to guide people through uncertainty and help them build a stable future, all while building a practice that grows stronger with each case.

Attorneys who think holistically tend to see better results. What does “think holistically” mean? It means that they consider the client’s experience before, during, and after filing. When leads feel supported throughout their experience, they are more likely to convert to clients, and they are more likely to refer friends and family to your firm. At the same time, firms that invest in their own systems and marketing see steadier, more predictable growth.

How to Support Leads Before Filing

Most debtors don’t arrive at your office casually. They’ve spent months, and sometimes years, fighting the idea that they might need to file for bankruptcy. By the time they call you, they’re carrying shame, stress, and myths that make bankruptcy seem like the end of the road.

Here are the three most common myths they believe before filing:

1. Bankruptcy ruins your credit forever.
2. They’ll never be able to buy a home or car again.
3. Bankruptcy means they’ve failed in life.
   
   

These beliefs are heavy. They stall decision-making and cause prospects to delay for months, even as their financial situation gets worse. This is why education and nurturing before filing is so important.

Attorneys who address these concerns upfront, on their websites, in videos, or during consultations, help clients shift perspective. Instead of seeing bankruptcy as the end, they see it as a reset. Instead of assuming they’ll never get credit again, they learn that recovery is possible in 12 to 24 months.

When you take time to replace myths with facts, prospects feel hope. And when prospects feel hope, they’re far more likely to move forward with their case.

How to Support Clients During Filing

Once a client decides to file, the way you communicate can make or break their experience. Bankruptcy is an emotional process. Clear, consistent communication reduces stress and builds trust.

Some practical strategies during this stage include:

• Setting expectations for each step. Explain the 341 meeting, trustee questions, and the timeline so clients aren’t caught off guard.
  Breaking down fees and timelines. Transparency around costs builds credibility and prevents tension later.
• Staying responsive. A quick reply to questions reassures clients that they’re not navigating this alone.
• Streamlining intake. Use technology or staff training to make sure documents are gathered efficiently, without overwhelming the client

Attorneys who communicate well during this stage set the stage for referrals. Clients remember how they felt during the hardest moments. If you make the process smoother, they’ll be grateful long after their discharge.

How One Attorney Build a Holistic Practice

In this video, see how one attorney transformed his practice by supporting clients before, during, and after filing—turning hesitant prospects into loyal advocates and creating steady growth for his firm.

How to Help Clients Rebuild After Bankruptcy

For many debtors, discharge doesn’t feel like the end. It feels like a question mark. They wonder:

• Will I ever be able to buy a car again?
• Can I get approved for a mortgage?
• How do I rebuild my credit after bankruptcy?

Attorneys who provide clear answers here stand out. By showing clients what comes next, you not only ease their anxiety but also build long-term goodwill. Sharing resources, like this guide on how to rebuild your life after bankruptcy , helps clients see that financial stability is possible sooner than they think.

Clients who feel supported through this stage are more likely to complete their case, more likely to take your advice seriously, and more likely to speak highly of you later.

How does this support your firm? When clients know there’s a clear path forward, they’re more likely to follow through with their case and more likely to recommend you to others.

What Resources Should You Provide?

This is an example of a great resource, one that busts bankruptcy myths. We embed videos like this into our four-year lead follow-up sequence.

How to Provide Free Credit Repair and Education After Bankruptcy

Most of your clients walk into your office believing they’ll be shut out of credit for seven to ten years until the bankruptcy falls off their report. That assumption weighs heavily on them, and it often fuels the shame and hesitation that make filing such a difficult decision.

The truth is that recovery can happen much faster than they think it can. With the right approach, your clients can see their scores rebound in as little as 12 to 24 months. When clients learn this, the relief is immediate. They go from imagining a decade of financial exile to realizing that they could be back on their feet in one to two years.

One of the most effective ways to guide them is by enrolling them in our free credit repair and education course, 7 Steps to a 720 Credit Score. This course teaches clients the exact behaviors that rebuild credit: opening the right accounts, keeping balances low, making payments on time, and using new credit strategically.

It’s important to clarify to clients that this is free credit education, not credit repair in the traditional sense. They don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to a credit repair company. They simply need a plan that helps them understand the patterns of behavior that naturally result in improved credit.

Attorneys who provide this type of resource are often surprised by the impact. Clients are thrilled when they realize they don’t have to wait a decade to get their financial lives back. That kind of relief turns into gratitude, loyalty, and referrals. In fact, many attorneys report that past clients become some of their strongest advocates because they can point to tangible improvements in their credit and financial lives.

How does this support your firm? By connecting clients with real recovery strategies, you show them that you care about them before, during, and after the bankruptcy. And in return, they become powerful advocates for your practice.

Will Bankruptcy Ruin Your Credit Forever?

Bankruptcy won’t ruin your credit. If a person is in a position where they need to declare bankruptcy, their credit is likely already poor. Bankruptcy puts an end to the bleeding. It stops the late payments and collections that will otherwise continue to erode their credit score.  

How to Strengthen Your Own Practice With Smarter Marketing

Just as clients need guidance after bankruptcy, attorneys need reliable systems to grow their firms. Too many firms rely on shared leads or high-priced ads that don’t account for the unique barriers debtors face. The result is wasted dollars and inconsistent caseloads.

A better approach is to work with specialists who understand consumer bankruptcy, debtor psychology, and long-term nurturing. Unlike general agencies that juggle personal injury one day and estate planning the next, the best marketing firm for consumer bankruptcy attorneys is built around the unique challenges of this practice area: fear, shame, and hesitation.

Here’s what to look for when evaluating options:

• Exclusive leads: Shared leads from directories or generic ad agencies leave you competing with three or four other firms for the same client. Exclusive leads give you a real chance to connect without that noise.
• Proven follow-up systems: Most debtors don’t hire an attorney the same day they raise their hand. They hesitate for weeks or even months. That’s why you need a system of emails, texts, and calls that keeps the conversation alive until the client is ready to move forward. A strong nurture process can turn a hesitant prospect into a paying client months down the line.
• Intake support that runs efficiently: Even the best leads go to waste if no one answers the phone or follows up quickly. A specialized firm provides intake technology and support so only qualified clients reach your desk. That saves time, reduces overhead, and makes every marketing dollar more effective.

How does this support your firm? When you combine exclusivity, consistent nurturing, and streamlined intake, you create a practice that grows steadily without the stress of wasted ad spend or missed opportunities. Firms that adopt these strategies lower their cost per client while increasing the number of cases filed each month.

Referrals and Reputation: Why Aftercare Matters

Most attorneys think of referrals as random gifts, but in truth, referrals are earned. Clients are most likely to recommend you when they feel cared for after the case is over. Offering resources like credit education, check-ins at key milestones, or even invitations to free webinars shows clients that your relationship didn’t end at discharge.

One attorney I spoke with makes it a practice to reach out to past clients 12 months after filing, asking how their credit has improved. That simple check-in has generated dozens of five-star reviews and referral cases. Why? Because clients felt remembered.

If you create an aftercare system, you stop leaving referrals to chance and start turning every client into a potential advocate.

Building a Future-Proof Practice

Bankruptcy filings rise and fall with the economy. Attorneys who build practices around short-term lead generation often find themselves scrambling when filings dip. Attorneys who focus on holistic support, before, during, and after filing, create a more stable base.

Why? Because those practices generate referrals, reviews, and loyal advocates who continue sending business regardless of the economy. When you combine that with smart marketing, exclusive leads, and long-term nurture, you create a practice that grows predictably even in leaner years.

###

Philip Tirone is the founder of 720 System Strategies, a company dedicated exclusively to helping consumer bankruptcy attorneys grow their practices with smarter, more efficient marketing and intake systems. With a background in direct marketing, persuasive copywriting, and data-driven strategy, Philip has developed tools that create stronger emotional connections with debtors, increase consultation bookings, and boost firm profitability without adding strain to staff.

Under his leadership, 720 System Strategies integrates automated technology into every stage of a bankruptcy practice, from lead generation to long-term client nurturing. This allows bankruptcy attorneys to focus on practicing law while their systems work in the background. His approach consistently helps firms increase filings, lower client acquisition costs, and build sustainable referral pipelines.

Attorneys who want practical strategies and marketing insights can subscribe to his YouTube channel, which is the #1 YouTube Channel for Bankruptcy Lawyers. 

• As of August 11th more rooms have been added to NACBA's room block at the Grand Hyatt Kaua'i! The new rate is $306 a night for a partial ocean view room and the resort fee has been waived. This is a terrific deal and a tremendous savings for NACBA members. Don't miss the chance to experience the beautiful island of Kaua'i and book your room today!

• COVID-19 UPDATE as of 8/11/2021: Hawaii Governor David Ige announced new statewide restrictions regarding the rise in COVID-19 cases that puts a limit on social events. Please note: this order does not apply to organized events like NACBA’s Members-Only Workshop. NACBA members attending our Members-Only Workshop that are vaccinated will be able to attend without any inconvenience. Unvaccinated members will have to test daily.

Be sure to visit NACBA's member workshop Hawaii events page to learn more and check out the workshop schedule and speakers. Also, don't forget to purchase your tickets for an exclusive, private luau to take place at the Grand Hyatt on Wednesday, December 1st.

Please email admin@nacba.com with any questions or concerns.