Do you work? If so, do you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)? Call them. They will be able to give you legal referrals to bankruptcy attorneys. This is a confidential service - EAPs do not report information back to your employer or to anyone except in certain cases such as potential harm to self or others, or legal subpoenas, etc.
Schedule with at least one attorney, preferably more than one. Think up ALL the questions you can about your situation. Is bankruptcy right for you, or another solution? If bankruptcy, which chapter will you qualify for? Will you be able to retain your house, car, possessions? What about any other questions specific to your situation (I had to ask, for example, about job duties I had that were impacted by bankruptcy)? etc. Gauge how the attorneys answer - if they are receptive, knowledgeable, willing to seek out answers they might not know right away, or whether they are closed off, wave you off when they don't know an answer, etc.
You might also look into a nonprofit credit counseling agency in your region - one that you can actually sit down with and do a credit counseling session with. They may or may not recommend a debt management program. When I did my credit counseling session prior to looking into BK, we reviewed DMPs and they outright told me that a DMP was not appropriate for my specific situation. However, it may be of assistance to you and they may have other good advice for you.
Begin reading up on bankruptcy on websites like this one, and NOLO's bankruptcy section (free, and written by attorneys to be accessible to lay people like us). It may raise a lot more questions for you, but that's exactly when you start writing them down and keeping a list to ask the attorney(s) at your free consultations.
If you have to go through 2-3 or even more attorney consults, don't fret. You need to find the right one, and you will need time to save up your attorney/filing fees anyway. Don't feel rushed. Don't sign anything the very first time you meet. Breathe and take the time you need. Best of luck.
