If you are a consumer who is considering a do-it-yourself bankruptcy filing, I strongly recommend that you consider hiring a qualified attorney.
If you are a legal professional looking for clarification of specific items on a form, check the Instructions: Bankruptcy Forms for Individuals on the United States Courts website.
The official bankruptcy forms are available on the United States Courts website. Check the website for the Bankruptcy Court in your jurisdiction for any local forms.
Consumer debts are defined in the U.S. Bankruptcy code as debts “incurred by an individual primarily for a personal, family, or household purpose.” This helps to differentiate from debts incurred by organizations, such as corporations, trusts, non-profits, small businesses, etc.
Form-based questionnaires, whether hard-copy or online, follow the flow of the official bankruptcy forms. This is usually done to make it easier for petition preparers to locate and enter or edit forms on the documents. I don’t believe it is best for clients, because some information on the official forms is duplicated in different schedules and forms.
As an example, a client answers information about their current residence, then at another point answers questions about a home loan or rental lease, then later answer questions about where they lived for the previous 3 years.
Our subject-based interview worksheets follow a more natural approach. All questions and document requests for subjects are together – making it an easier process for the client.
I originally built my website in 2007 and added my Due Diligence blog (WordPress) a few years later. Now, in 2020, my site and blog needed a major makeover. I reached out to my nephew for help. When he was young, I taught him how to build his own desktop PC. Today he is a computer programmer and web designer. He recommended Avada because he said it was so versatile and also mentioned that if I used Avada he would be able to help me. That was the clincher – I have always done all my own website work but, these days, am happy for the help!
Yes. I purchase licenses from sites like Dreamstime.com for some of the images and illustrations used on my site. I also get help from one of my nephews for some of the images of the site. Those images belong to me and may not be used without permission.
Between states, the biggest (but not only) difference is the exemptions. These are determined by state legislatures. For districts, there are local rules that can include things like how to file the case, what gets filed when, how and who sends notices, etc.
Yes. Bankruptcy is federal law and is very well-suited to having a remote or virtual paralegal work for attorneys in multiple states and court districts.
Most bankruptcy attorneys who contact me about paralegal services will ask if I have experience in their district. I always preface my answer with a reminder that even if I have not worked on cases in their district, it is the local rules and procedures that I will need to review. And, quite honestly, given the number of districts I do have experience with, I sometimes have insights into tips and solutions of what works in other districts that they might not have previously considered.