Do I need an attorney to file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in the state of Florida?
august 10th with Tedd asked:
I have the forms to complete. Can I file with the courts without an Attorney? Don’t want to pay for services that I can hopefully do myself.
I have the forms to complete. Can I file with the courts without an Attorney? Don’t want to pay for services that I can hopefully do myself.
You can always represent yourself. Be sure that you not only have the forms but understand them. You can hurt yourself tremendously by filling out the forms incorrectly.
It cost me 750.00 for my lawyer in Florida. You don’t need one but if you don’t contact everyone of your creditors and if you owe the IRS anything (that doesn’t go away in a bankruptcy) you may need one. If you don’t know all the legal loophole in the system you may need one. The problem is if you miss something or you don’t get the wording right you can be denied. My lawyer’s packet and all the notifing work done by her would have almost cost me more than a lawyer. If you are doing it yourself you have to do everything. Creditors have a certian grace period to dispute your claim if they do who will fight for you. You also have to take a course in money management it’s a 2 part course did you know that without a lawyer I would not have known. There is alot you need to know so if you are doing it yourself go on line and find everything you can. Unfortunatley it cost money to say you don’t have any.
You can always represent yourself in court unless the judge decides you do not have adequate knowledge of the legal system to properly represent yourself.
You can also retain an experienced lawyer to co-chair your case and guide you through the process and to make sure everything (including the paperwork) is in order.
All lawyers will tell you not to enter any court without legal representation.
If you are willing to help,some lawyers will reduce their fees if their staff workload is reduced.