When it comes to a few different kinds of specific financial transactions, there are a number of legal considerations that you have to bring to mind. For a huge majority of your financial comings and goings, you can handle things on a personal level. But for the specific ones listed below, it may help to have a professional with a legal background nearby, or in some cases it may even be required.
These five situations where your personal situation might need a little extra skill in the mix include dealing with credit repair, doing your taxes, fighting traffic tickets, working with debt consolidation, and fighting against certain housing decisions.
Credit Repair
In most cases, working to repair your credit is something you should do on your own, with your own resources, and on your own timeline. However, in extreme cases, you may want to hire an attorney either as a form of protection, or as a form of legitimizing your actions in the event that some sort of court settlement may have to come in the future (in the case of certain kinds of bankruptcy, for instance.)
Getting Taxes Done
For individual tax returns, it’s usually not too bad to simply buy some tax return software and work your way through all of the questions on your own. However, there are a few cases where you’re going to want a legal professional involved – specifically when you have a business. Depending on your type of business license, your personal and professional funds may or may not be associated with each other legally, so having an accountant work their magic while keeping those numbers separate may be your best course of action.
Fighting Traffic Tickets
The worst thing about traffic tickets isn’t necessarily the original fee. That usually isn’t too bad unless you’re doing something particularly reckless. However, when you try to fight traffic tickets, it’s better to have some sort of attorney that can give you the best advice about how to go about it. Fees can go up, and licenses can even be revoked if you don’t approach the problem accordingly.
Debt Consolidation
Depending on your degree of debt, working with a debt consolidation company is either something that you can do personally and individually, or something that you want to have a legal representative for. When you get into the tens of thousands of dollars, that may call forsomeone with legal expertise to be on your side, so you don’t end up losing money or resources unnecessarily in the long run.
Housing Opportunities
There are cases when your credit score or other financial history may prevent you from moving into certain homes or apartments. There are ways to fight this in court, but again, it’s not something that you want to do without the power of a law firm behind you.