How Do I File Banktuptcy Without a Lawyer?

The US Bankruptcy Court recommends every petitioner be represented by a qualified attorney, but that doesn't mean you have to hire one. If you are willing to put in a few days of work preparing the petition and required schedules and other documentation, you can certainly do it on your own.

The first thing to do is attend pre-bankruptcy counseling. You can usually do it online for about $50, and it'll take an hour or two. Once you've completed that, you should begin putting your petition together. You will need a certificate showing that you completed the counseling, but you should begin the paperwork anyway. Even if you don't get the certificate in time, you can say you're expecting it on your bankruptcy petition.

Completing the required paperwork is fairly complicated and time consuming, but if you take your time and read up on the laws, you can complete it in about 8-12 hours, maybe less. Check out the link below for information on completing the required documentation.

Once you've completed the paperwork and filed your case, you will get a letter from the court with a date for your initial court appearance. This is called the meeting of the creditors, and in most cases should take only about half an hour. Again, see the links below for information about what to expect in this meeting.

At this point, as long as there are no special issues or circumstances in your case, the trustee, judge and yourself should be able to figure out the rest.

Good Luck.