Advice?

Hey there--

I started a business with a partner who convinced me to take out credit cards in the name of the business, telling me that I would not be responsible for any of the debt as they are business cards, and further telling me that he would personally pay them off. Needless to say, the debt is squarely in my name, and he is not paying anything. I was young and stupid and trusting, but the damage is already done, and now $30,000 is in collection (with Collect Corp.--I don't even answer the phone anymore), with another $45,000 on "hardship plans". I'm paying about $800/month just the keep the minimums in check, but I simply can't go on like this forever. I'm 25 years old and, from what I'm told, should try to avoid bankruptcy.

Any suggestions of what I should do? Many people tell me "Get a lawyer", but I don't even know the first place to look. I've seen two debt lawyers, one asking for $2,000 and telling me he will go to court and try to get the debt dismissed, and anothe lawyer asking for $7,500 up front and trying to settle on a reduced rate. Both options make me nervous.

And of course, when you're a settlement lawyer, of course you are going to recommend debt settlement.

And I am probably still tied to the company. How do I get my name removed from the LLC?

I'm really at a loss here--I don't know where to start or where to turn to. I feel like none of this debt really should be mine, and yet, here I am, getting calls every day, not sure what's going to happen. And the stress of it! I'm not sure how much more I can take. I don't want to keep living like this--a lot of times I just think that I should go bankrupt so I can just be done with this. But they say I should try to settle. How can I settle? Even if they cut the debt in half, I still don't have an extra $40,000 laying around...

Any advice is appreciated!

Thank you!