Pro Se Filer - my experience so far

[reener]

I will tell you that I am a previous legal secretary and most recently a tax professional for the last 8 years before I render my experience here, so I would say, I am probably better equipped than the average joe to deal with forms and numbers.

I paid a bankruptcy petition firm $199 for them to fill out and oversee the petition preparation process. It would have been fine except 1. I had the net income and disposable income all wrong and 2. they made grevious errors, like leaving items off the 22c that would have been rejected if anyone had noticed when I went to file.

I file on Monday. On late Friday afternoon, I got a message from the petition preparer that the errors I HAD FOUND & NOTED were something they were looking into but it was technical and maybe they might be able to redo my docs soon BUT if I needed to file quickly (LOL!), maybe I could just write in the corrections I had asked them to make. Of course, they don't prepare docs on the weekend.

And also, they never responded to the question why their firm name does not appear anywhere as the petititon preparer or that they gave assistance and for how much.

In Waco division, there is a special form for pro se filers that must be filled out with that exact info: did anyone charge you to help you file your petition...

Anyway, the link that the Ivory Angel gave out to BestBank demo was a life saver because it lets you do the calculations, gives you the IRS figures you need and just generally lets you see what your petition should look like.

I was reading the lawyers bankruptcy blog that many filers will now have to go it alone because they cannot afford the attorneys fees.

Remember, this is my second filing, so I least have an idea of how it is supposed to go, and I have my filing from before to reference.

I don't recommend filing without an attorney, if you can afford it pay them and you can sleep at nite, but the bestbank demo is worth buying and I will tell you the bankruptcy petititon prepare NOT TO USE under any circumstances if you pm me.

I will give you an update on Monday, the date I am filing.

Wish me luck!

[lrprn]

Thanks for sharing your pro se filing experience, reener.

Filing bankruptcy pro se (without a lawyer) is always a risk, although in some cases that risk can be small. When the case is a very straightforward one (no assets, no business involved, nothing out of the ordinary), a dedicated debtor willing to do the tough homework to learn what to do, read the Nolo, Dummies, and Sitarz bankruptcy books, has a sympathetic court clerk, legal aid, or other "insider" help, etc. can successfully file on their own. We have members here who have done it and done it very well.

However, if your case is outside the basics in any way, then filing pro se can become a nightmare, and in the worst case, can cost you dearly.

If you don't have the money to pay a lawyer, then stop paying your non-secured credit cards and loans and save up that money to pay a lawyer. If you don't have much non-secured debt, then before filing take a hard look at your post-bk finances to see bankruptcy is really going to help you. You may have to give up assets in your bankruptcy to make it financially afterwards.

We all hope that your filing goes well, reener. Keep us posted about what happens with your case, ok? Good luck!

[familyof7]

I filed pro se I had no insider help no on with sympathy I was on my own. I had to hand write the forms. I was able to have the filing fee waived. I am 23 yrs old I have 5 children been married for 10 yrs on oct 23. I went to 9th grade. I did take may sat made a 1370 on it yeah I am proud of that lol.. I did go back to school for nursing until I fell sick with lupus and had 2 kids that have life threatning diseases. So needless to say I have ALOT of stress and little education. But I made it through discharged and closed on time. I am blessed beyond imagination and that is why I made it through in my opinion. I feel that if I can do it and make it out anyone can if they pray and ask for guidance and protection. You should be fine! I am rooting for you