Pro Se Vs. Hire a Lawyer

[OnTheRocks]

I shall get a lawyer. Too much I don't know...

Thanks for the advice.

[danaf]

I interviewed a bunch of attorneys and concurrently read over and over on this board about people being screwed by their attorneys. I wanted to trust one but my gut feeling about all of them was that I could not (trust them). So I filed pro-se. It wasn't an over-night process. I planned my bk over almost a year period. I studied and didn't file until until I was absolutely confident about my petition.

[leena]

I would say go with the attorney. They are particularly helpful in not only doing the extensive paperwork, but also in things like helping you figure out what you can claim for expenses, which can mean the difference between a 7 and a 13. Sounds like a no brainer, but nine times out of ten I think the Schedule J you would complete and what they would fill in look different.

They can also tell you what to bring to your 341 (I notice a lot of Pro Se filers talk about going to that with stuff they never needed or not bringing things they did need). Maybe most important of all, you can ask them questions if there is a problem.

They cost for sure, 1600 bucks is a lot of money for a simple case and that is standard in my district, but the relative peace of mind is worth it. I would personally be going nuts if I were just reading some of the posts on this forum and had no attorney to ask questions of. Don't get me wrong, the forum is great but some of the things you read here are a little scary. I saw a link here from an article by an attorney that made it sound like you were gonna be dismissed or put into a 13 if you did not have all your receipts of stuff purchased to compair to your schedule J. No where near true in this district, maybe in his...

I am pretty paperwork adept and have a big student loan to prove my level of education, but I think I am just to anxious about the process to file on my own so I needed an attorney for sure. Your mileage may vary and all of that... Best wishes either way!