Stressful Situation

[strummerfan]

I think you can find an attorney for much less than $2000, one poster IRCC found a "green" younger attorney that represented them for $750 which is a lot of money but money very well spent IMO. In previous posts I admit I filed Pro Se for sport I could have paid an attorney but choose to go naked and lawyer up if need be.

If I were you I would try to find pro bono (free legal services first) a law school in your area or the court clerk should be able to provide attorneys that are providing free services. The BK procedure is very complicated and simply put is not Pro Se friendly. Forums like this make it much easier but you have to immerse yourself in the bk rules and procedures to be fully prepared. I empathize with your situation but I caution you to at least seek some free advice from licensed attorneys after my own experience in my 341 I think that if I went the preparer route and did nothing else I would have had a much less than favorable outcome.

In the mean time don't sweat and read the posts on this forum they are invaluable, but also remember that a few weeks ago the forum went down for some reason and many people had little venue to ask questions for help.

I hope all goes well for you.

[free2breathe]

First, don't feel like a loser. You are just one among millions who have considered their options and decided to file. We've all ended up in a situation that we are ready to own up to and take the necessary steps to get our lives back in control. You will find very few people here who will treat you like a loser, for sure.

Pacer charges 8 cents for each page you view. You use your own name to log in, the registration process is quite simple really. People use it to follow up on their case, make sure paperwork is getting filed, see what the trustee's decisions are, etc. It is, of course, just an option for you. You don't have to use Pacer if you don't want to.

If you go to Texas bankruptcy court's site, click on the "Filing Resources" tab. I see that they have information for before you file, an entire petition package, information for Pro Se filers. It's a good place to start to familiarize yourself with the local rules etc.

The Nolo books will walk you through the steps for filling out the forms, etc. It's about $16 with a coupon for the Chapter 7 book.

I don't know about software to help you with the paperwork, though I'm sure it's out there. I just didn't look for any. I gathered all my information and went through the forms on my own. Maybe someone else here has information about the software out there.

Of course, the final decision about how or if to file is something only you can make. I won't say that filing Pro Se and filling out all your paperwork is easy, by any means, but it did seem to make sense for us. Time will tell if I'm right about doing it myself or not....I can only hope and pray for the best ;)

[Dinero]

Invaluable Information

Thanks for the invaluable information and moral support folks.

I make a lot of money when there is work, but this accursed recession has gone on longer than anyone expected and become more profound than anyone predicted and brought me to the precipice. Companies are laying people off and cutting the salaries of the ones they keep. It's not a pretty situation out there these days, but we need to stay positive through out this mess and find the way out.

Having a pack of hungry and merciless bill collectors hounding you everyday makes a stressful situation appear even more desperate.

I sure as hell did not want to declare bankruptcy and thought surely my creditors would understand and settle for at least a portion rather than nothing at all if they force me into bankruptcy. What benefit is it to them if I declare bankruptcy? Is it just being vindictive or is there some financial benefit to them?

My credit is already shot full of holes so maybe declaring bankruptcy is like shooting a lame horse and just getting a new one, but the problem is that this stigma stays on your credit record for 10 years! It will make renting a new apartment tougher and it will make leasing a new vehicle tougher too, but if I stand still the ravenous wolves will eat me alive!

[outsidetool]

Yes, I know that Pro Se is fully possible and many people do it with little problem. But I'd go with an attorney if at all feasible. At least consult with a few...mention your issue with being short on cash to retain. I had a similar issue a few years ago, and the atty "worked it out" with me. I'd note that if a $2000 atty fee, as you mentioned, might actually be enough to keep you from even having to file...then perhaps you are really NOT needing to at this time.

[tcreegan]

Hi dinero,

surely my creditors would understand and settle for at least a portion rather than nothing at all if they force me into bankruptcy. What benefit is it to them if I declare bankruptcy? Is it just being vindictive or is there some financial benefit to them?

My sentiments exactly, you have to apply my brother Eds law: Never attribute to malice anything adequately explained by incompetence.

If you go pro-se, you need to go to your courts website and find the LOBR...local bankruptcy rules. These are exactly what they sound like, things that your individual court does; how to format the creditors matrix, what order to have documents in, what caption to put on documents, no staples-paperclips only, that sort of stuff.

Good luck w/ your filing,

Tom in Colo