The stress Ms. W was under was evident when she walked in. Her shoulders were bent. Her expression strained. Her hands were clenched tightly around her pocketbook straps. Ms. W sat at my conference table still clutching her purse, perching on the edge of her seat. That was understandable with all she’d been through. Her husband had passed away after an illness full of suffering and pain. He had run up huge credit card bills trying to compensate for his loss of income. He had racked up astronomical medical bills.

Now he was gone. And she was alone. And the creditors were calling. From her perspective, this problem was so big she could not believe any attorney would take her case for free.