• Will I have to give up all my assets?
  
• Do I have to list all my debts?
  
• Will I lose my house even if I'm current?
  
• Will the trustee come to my house?
  
• Does my spouse have to file bankruptcy with me?
  
• Will bankruptcy stop wage garnishments?
  
• Are there debts that I cannot discharge?
  
• Is the IRS affected by my bankruptcy filing?
  
• Can I keep my car?
  
• Will I be allowed to file bankruptcy?
  
• How do I know which chapter to file?
  
• Can I discharge my student loans?
  
• What do I have to do to file bankruptcy?
  
• Can I put my assets in someone else's name before filing?
  
• Will I lose my retirement savings?
  
• Can I get credit after bankruptcy?
  
• What if I can't make the payments on my Chapter 13 plan?
  
• Does a previous bankruptcy prevent me from filing?
  
• Are there tax consequences to filing bankruptcy?
  
• Can I file bankruptcy without a lawyer

Can I file bankruptcy without
a lawyer?

Remember the old adage that "he who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer"?  There is some truth there.

The paralegal services and on line bankruptcy providers try to characterize filing bankruptcy as "just filling out forms". That's just as true as seeing tax preparation as "just filling out forms"; and the tax forms come with instructions written for the non professional. Bankruptcy forms don't.

The more assets you have to lose in a botched bankruptcy, the more it is worth your while to pay a lawyer to protect them in a bankruptcy proceeding.

What can go wrong when you represent yourself?

The bankruptcy amendments of 2005 have now studded the Bankruptcy Code with situations in which dismissal of cases is automatic and the relief available when you refile is strictly limited. The means test forms, new in October,2005, are difficult to get through and easy to bungle.

Congress was upfront that it wanted to discourage consumers from filing bankruptcy and made the process substantially more complex and the consequences of mistakes more costly.