I'm SOL no matter which way I cut it

[LilStevens]

If I file Pro Se (I don't have a straightforward case) I'm doomed.
Can't get any Legal-Aid help, when you can only call one 26 minute block per month to get a slot and the number is always busy and the slots are filled so you have to try next month; and with a regular atty, their receptionist pre-screens asking your income, etc (I am below poverty line), so far, none call me or emailed me back (ok, one did to say, after the new BK laws of Oct. 07, they no longer handle BK). *I can't even afford someone to look over my form because I don't have the $300 since I paid rent and one other debt vs. the CC debts I stopped paying. I even tried looking up paralegals in Craigslist and didn't find even one for BK. **Worse, if you can get dismissed for errors in filling out the form and then you can't even apply again for is it eight years? It's like if you really have nada, there's no hope.

Is it me or are they starting to get even tougher and trap us into poverty?

[HHM]

In all states, there are attorney's that take cases pro bono.

Try contacting the State Bar Association. Most Bar associations have some sort of pro bono referral service.

Also to, as best as I can recall...the only complicating issue is you want to get your student loans discharged which will require an adversary proceeding. Look at it this way, if its really true that your only source of income is SSD, that money is exempt from any garnishment. So you can just stop paying your student loans and nothing will happen.

[BKOnce]

****

[ameliabedilia]

Are there law schools in your area? I know some courts have a deal with 3rd year students and they let them basically represent bk.
I know it's hard, but try to stay positive. All of us here are screwed in some way- otherwise we wouldn't be bankrupt

This too shall pass. I promise

[LilStevens]

Whatever

HHM & especially BKOnce, please stop making fun of my mental disability. Just like anyone else here that at some point has posted when in stress or vented, doesn't mean I "skipped a few doses of medication" etc. Please stop making assumptions or jokes just because I mentioned I am mentally disabled.
If you don't want to help me in a respectful way, please just refrain from reading my threads or answering them.

***And before you give me an answer saying just contact so-and-so like it's easy, I have done that. Maybe you don't understand the state of NY's Pro Bono?!

I spoke to a lawyer just an hour ago and was told in NY to get Pro Bono help for BK is going to be extremely difficult. And that's exactly what I'm facing.

BTW ameliabedilia, thank you. That's what's so frustrating, I also called the Law school in the area and it isn't done there. It's amazing that even on the Northern District of New York COurt Website, they don't offer any help to someone going Pro e, sicne I can't get legal help.

The Future of
Pro Bono in New York
from the
New York State Unified Court System’s
Pro Bono Convocations
By Hon. Judith S. Kaye

Executive Summary
The scope and complexity of New York’s law and court structure make the assistance of
a lawyer critical for obtaining civil justice. New York’s one million households living in poverty
cannot afford to hire a lawyer; moreover, the amount of free legal help available to them for their
civil legal needs is wholly insufficient.
A study of the New York State Bar Association reported that New York’s poor
households experience an average of 2.37 unmet civil legal needs annually – a total of
approximately 2.5 million legal problems for which no lawyer is available. Providing even a
minimal amount of legal help for each of these legal problems would require many millions of
hours of legal assistance.

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/report...ol2_report.pdf

[HHM]

No one is saying it is going to be easy...all we can do is give you some suggestions. I realize that pro-bono in BK is rare because of the nature of the BK law, but it is not non-existent. I know for a fact that finding a pro-bono attorney for BK is a long shot...but time is on your side if your willing to do the leg work.

I forget, if in your case, there is really any rush to file BK. Since your income is exempt, it's not like there is anything your creditors can do. Time is on your side.

I think JP said this in another post, and it does seem true...right now, you are your own worst enemy. Instead of quoting articles about how pro bono is insufficient (that is true of every state), actually go to the State Bar website and start looking around.

http://www.nysba.org/

http://www.lawhelp.org/ny/

Ultimately, you have to do this yourself...we can only try to offer suggestions and advice. I am not intentionally trying to be mean or insulting to your disability, but this is an Internet forum and your posts do come-off as obsessive and mostly negative.

[LilStevens]

Instead of quoting articles about how pro bono is insufficient (that is true of every state), actually go to the State Bar website and start looking around.

http://www.nysba.org/

http://www.lawhelp.org/ny/

Ultimately, you have to do this yourself...we can only try to offer suggestions and advice. I am not intentionally trying to be mean or insulting to your disability, but this is an Internet forum and your posts do come-off as obsessive and mostly negative.

HHM, I did not just quote an article. I have went to this website and others AND have made countless phone calls, so please stop with the assumptions. And stop judging whether I am obsessive or negative, this is about helping me with BK, not throwing little insults at me.

Once again, I don't want to go back and forth about this, if you don't want to help me in a respectful way, please just ignore my threads.

*There is no need to kick someone further down when they are already down HHM.


I AM NOT ASKING ANYONE TO DO THE WORK FOR ME, I HAVE JUST COME TO A POINT WHERE I AM READY TO FILE, BUT I CAN'T FIND ANY LEGAL-AID OR PRO BONO LAWYER TO HELP ME WITH MAINLY THE ADVERSARY PROCEEDING PART. I AM UPSET B/C I CAN'T SEEM TO MOVE FORWARD AND WISH THIS WAIT OFF MY BACK.
*On top of this, my mother had a stroke last night and my father said his chest keeps feeling tight, so please just back off if you can't be supportive HHM. I hope someday you are in this position and someone tells you are too negative and obsessive. Thanks for pointing that out to me, now if you want to be a big help, let me have the freedom to post here without your judgments of me. PLEASE JUST IGNORE MY THREAD THEN. I don't wish to disclose bad family news here, but I didn't expect to get the kind of answers you've been giving me either.

[HHM]

If you want some advice, here goes.

Don't be in a rush...there is absolutely no downside to waiting to file. If your ONLY income is SSD, that income is exempt, meaning it cannot be touched by creditors...they can get judgments against you from here to kingdom come, and they won't see a penny.

As I think was pointed out in another of your posts, you can hire an attorney and make payments (the catch is, you don't actually file BK until the attorney is paid in full), but if you really want to do an adversarial, the payment plan is probably not an option (too much money).

I don't recall if this was in one of your posts, but here is a summary of other options with student loans.

http://www.clarkcountylegal.com/services/consumer/consumer_loans_student.html

(keep in mind, student loans are a federal issue, so don't be concerned that the website is from NV).

With regards to the pro-bono, etc...that is going to take some serious leg work. Given the number of lawyers in New York, pro bono is not non-existent, you just have to keep looking. You may have to go with an attorney that is outside your immediate area.

[LilStevens]

Thank you

[aachudneymiles]

mmm LIL steven its ok, just if you can save up some money even if it takes months like other posters said you have time because creditor cant take your money... I am bipolar and most of the time I dont mention my condition because people start to have a certain view about you .. OH she such and such because she's bipolar or she's flipping out because she hasnt taken her meds. So I know how your feeling dont take anything to heart, we are all here to help (even if some are not sentive of others feelings) and I can feel your stress from over here, just take your mind off bk bk bk all day every day or you will stress OUT if you dont. Well dont give up my friend where there is a will there is a way. God Bless and God Luck

[B12]

Lil,

Those two responses that you took offense to were disgusting and I am sorry that any of us had to read them, especially you.

I am further sorry that you had to defend yourself and that the two posters did not realize their indiscretion and come up with an immediate apology.

Take Care Lil
B12

[LilStevens]

mmm LIL steven its ok, just if you can save up some money even if it takes months like other posters said you have time because creditor cant take your money... I am bipolar and most of the time I dont mention my condition because people start to have a certain view about you .. OH she such and such because she's bipolar or she's flipping out because she hasnt taken her meds. So I know how your feelings dont take anything to heart, we are all here to help (even if some are not sentive of others feelings) and I can feel your stress from over here, just take your mind off bk bk bk all day every day or you will stress OUT if you dont. Well dont give up my friend where there is a will there is a way. God Bless and God Luck

Aachudneymiiles, I just PMed you a thanks for the software you recommended, it helped.
Your post here really means a lot to me. I felt very alone like people don't understand what it's like to have the meds thing thrown in your face. The truth is I'm not on any meds because my psychiatrist said I don't handle them well, so it has been exceptionally rough. When they give me an SSRI for OCD, then it makes me hypomanic. When they give me a mood stabilizer for that it causes so much weight gain and I became zombie liek and unresponsive. Dr. and family all agreed although my mind puts me in mental hell, I am better off the meds. It is so bad, my shrink said I could move to Holland where Euthanasia is legal.
I don't know how to thank you.

P.S. Yeah, that's the problem, an obsessive mind, the neurons or whatever keep misfiring, it's like a sort of seizure. My mind just want stop obsessing on BK. I'm ready to be in court tomorrow before I lose my nerve and it hurts I legal-aid is swamped and private attorneys won't return my email/calls after their receptionists ask my income. NY is tough!

[LilStevens]

Lil,

Those two responses that you took offense to were disgusting and I am sorry that any of us had to read them, especially you.

I am further sorry that you had to defend yourself and that the two posters did not realize their indiscretion and come up with an immediate apology.

Take Care Lil
B12

Thank you B12. Well, I can't report the comment b/c one is a moderator and that's not allowed. I thought I was going nuts, because I felt the comment was kind of mean and insensitive but I know it wasn't intentional. It's hard for people who don't have one of those "unseen" illness' to relate until it happens to you or someone you love.

I ahve already asked another moderator to please cancel my account (I don't want to come on a board and cause trouble, especially when it's with a moderator) and I also asked to please delete all my threads, so I don't know if that's allowed. This was before I read these last two responses. *I can finally blow my nose and stop crying now. Thank you! These last two comments mean a lot!


***So hopefully you read this before it's gone...

[aachudneymiles]

Aachudneymiiles, I just PMed you a thanks for the software you recommended, it helped.
Your post here really means a lot to me. I felt very alone like people don't understand what it's like to have the meds thing thrown in your face. The truth is I'm not on any meds because my psychiatrist said I don't handle them well, so it has been exceptionally rough. When they give me an SSRI for OCD, then it makes me hypomanic. When they give me a mood stabilizer for that it causes so much weight gain and I became zombie liek and unresponsive. Dr. and family all agreed although my mind puts me in mental hell, I am better off the meds. It is so bad, my shrink said I could move to Holland where Euthanasia is legal.
I don't know how to thank you.

your soo welcome ... I am off meds too-I struggle with bad attention issues thats my only issue I can see for myself.. My husband says I have mood swings aswells. I was on a few meds.. some put me to sleep some made me feel like a ( not to be funny)crack head moving around all fast and could sit still, some depression. I think that some of the Meds have messed me up more or made me dependant on them.. but I will always be here if you need me... God Bless

[B12]

Do as you please, but if you run, you have not solved your problem. Life is tough sometimes. Try to not go from one extreme to the other.

You need BK help and this is the best place to find it. I must say, I was thinking that with all your problems, your posts seem very logical and thought out. Sure, you obsess at times, but there are many who obsess on this forum. Go look at some other threads.

I admire you for having the sound mindedness to know that the posts were probably unintentional. I also feel they were unintentional.

Stay here, move forward and get your questions answered.

P.S. It was not YOU that caused trouble, so stop taking this on yourself.