The usual answer to the question, “What is the upside to filing bankruptcy without a lawyer?” is it may save the consumer some money. The follow up question to that is “Would that be true if the case gets dismissed because of missed out details in the forms or forgotten meetings?” Would not refilling cost more, not only in terms of money spent, but also in terms of effort?

Most of them are listed in the Yellow Pages under “Attorneys” and some advertise their firm or services in newspapers. The consumer, if he/she is spending for legal advice anyway, must choose an experienced lawyer and not a general practitioner.

There are court-required forms that have no official templates which a BPP cannot draft but a bankruptcy lawyer can. If the case is simple or is without any complications, the consumer can represent himself/herself in court, but how about if issues arise in the middle of the proceedings, and the trustee, as well as the creditors whom the consumer are up against, have lawyer representations? Wouldn’t the consumer be out maneuvered? Going at it alone may have its advantages but is the consumer really prepared to risk the case for those advantages?