You Can File BK Yourself

[Angelika]

For members that may not know, this is doable. Are you good at solving puzzles?

Two years ago when I needed bankruptcy protection -- Chapter 13 -- I didn't have the $2,500 attorney retainer fee. Go figure. You're flat broke, barely surviving and an attorney won't touch your filing without big bux up front. Crazy!!

I went to a first free consultation with a BK lawyer and picked her brain on what I needed to do to file myself. Her directions were really simple and she gave me some initial paperwork to get started. Everything is online and accessible.

So I went online for my state's bankruptcy filing guidelines for Chap 13. Everything you need to know is there to do it yourself. It really comes down to making a bunch of copies of all your financial information based on the BK checklist and numerous forms.

Each state has the 13 or 17 forms that require your information with attached copies of your financials. An attorney would give you this same set of Forms to send home with you so you would be doing the work anyway.

Make a second set copy for you, drive both to the court's clerk's office. File one with your 1st filing fee payment and have them stamp your copy for yourself. I set up a payment plan for the filing fee in 4 payments and listed myself for hearing notices. You do have to pay attention to these -- there are no phone calls.

The BK Trustee will send a notice in the mail if anything is missing. The process doesn't start until they have it all and your case can be dismissed if they don't get it in a certain time frame. Trustee will provide their phone number. I appealed to my Trustee that I had no money for representation and she, although she's not supposed to, explained next steps and guidance.

All it cost me were photocopies, the filing fee and my time attending 3 or 4 hearings. It was all under $300 and soon enough I was on a payment plan.

There are no more medical bankruptcies but my IRS bill was cut in half and it got my car payment people to accept my payment schedule and stop repossession threats.

Of course, once I became a 99er there went the payment plan!! But I did do it all by myself and encourage any of you that need the protection, to not feel like there is some mystery or high price attorney that can only do this. It's just paperwork. And its actually a lot like gathering a bunch of stuff for itemized taxes.

If anyone wants help breaking down the process from your state's bankruptcy website, drop me a PM. I can help with getting you at least on the path to some kind of relief.

Other info: http://www.filetoday.com/ans3.htm

[Guest]

I did my Chap 7 last year myself. Got the filing fee waived by the BK Court and got the credit counseling fees waived, also. Didnt cost me a dime and it was discharged with no problem. Ask for fee waivers and check your local BK requirements. I had no money to pay an attorney, so I learned how to do it myself.

[mrgolf]

I admire someone that can do it themselves. I still had the $1200 to pay the attorney when I filed.

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