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of Contents
Total Pages: 302, Size: 7.5 x 9.5 ISBN: 0-9761591-1-2 Chapter
1
Chapter
2
Performing Your Job as a Bankruptcy Forms Processor
The Client Intake Interview
Drafting the Bankruptcy Petition
Marketing Chapter 13 Services to Bankruptcy Attorneys
Drafting the Chapter 13 Plan
Other Tips and Techniques for Bankruptcy Forms Processors
Marketing and Growing Your Bankruptcy Forms Processing Service
Bankruptcy Web Site Resource Links
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 Attention
Business Owners! How to Start a Bankruptcy Forms Processing
Service is the only book of it's kind available on the market today.
It is written by Victoria Ring, the original owner of The
Lawyer Assistant, who was one of the first paralegals to establish
an online service for debtor bankruptcy attorneys nationwide. In her book
she explains (in great detail) how she built her company so you can duplicate
her efforts and build a successful business of your own in a very short
period of time, often within days after reading the book.
How does it all work? You are probably already familiar with the preparation of tax forms. Normally you complete a worksheet detailing your income and expenses for the year. Next, you take this information to your local tax office. The tax preparer takes the information from your worksheet and enters it into a software program. The software program does most of the work. The skill comes into play when the tax preparer knows where to place the information from your worksheet into the proper area on the federal tax forms in order to provide you with the largest return. The process is similar with bankruptcy forms processing. After you get through the "learning curve" of knowing where to place information into the proper areas of the federal forms, you will have learned a new skill that will bring you a fantastic income for many years to come. No experience needed! How to Start a Bankruptcy Forms Processing Service also provides you with step-by-step training for drafting a Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition so you can do a professional job for the attorneys you work for. You can train yourself like Andy Matyac (Phone: 740-225-2633) or schedule a consultation by phone or onsite with Victoria Ring. This is a benefit in itself because most authors do not make themselves available to their readers like Victoria does. How much money can you earn? According to the American Bankruptcy Institute there is an average of 6,100 bankruptcy petitions filed every day in the United States. (Source: American Bankruptcy Institute.) Many of these are consumer filings which are normally handled by smaller law firms. (The larger bankruptcy law firms normally handle creditor filings.) The smaller law firms operate on a tighter budget and many of them employ freelance forms processors to draft bankruptcy petitions. The field is growing fast since electronic filing is now required by most bankruptcy courts in the United States. Click here to read a book excerpt to see exactly how a bankruptcy forms processing business is structured. You can earn from $250 to $400 per bankruptcy petition you draft because most bankruptcy attorneys charge upwards of $1,200 for a Chapter 7 and $2,000 for a Chapter 13. Because you will be doing most of the actual labor drafting the bankruptcy petition, attorneys are more than happy to pay $250 to $400 for each one you process if you do a detailed and professional job. But to give you a better idea of the type of money you can earn, if you only had 3 attorneys that you freelance for, and each one of those attorneys gave you 5 petitions per week, you would be processing 15 petitions. 15 x $250 = $3,750 per week or $15,000 per month. Imagine what would happen if you had more than 3 attorneys? You will need to hire outside help just to keep up with the workload! Do I need to be a paralegal to be a bankruptcy forms processor? You do NOT need to obtain a paralegal certificate to become a bankruptcy forms processor. In fact, the information in How to Start a Bankruptcy Forms Processing Service is NOT taught in any law school or paralegal program. It is only taught at expensive paralegal seminars and on-the-job training. But Victoria provides all this information in her book from the materials she developed for the bankruptcy training seminars she spoke at from 2001 to 2003. Can I only work for attorneys in my area? Forms processors draft bankruptcy petition forms for attorneys either locally or nationwide. It doesn't matter if you live in Yellow Springs, Ohio – you can still draft bankruptcy petitions forms for attorneys in California, Texas or any other state. There are no jurisdictional limits like there are for the notary public. Thanks to electronic court filing capabilities and PDF document conversion, you can prepare bankruptcy petitions from the information filled out by the debtors on the Client Intake Forms (also included FREE in the book.) You send the draft in PDF format to the attorney and when it is approved, you electronically file it with the bankruptcy court (if the attorney has this capability in his or her state). Is this legal for me to do in my state? You may have heard many cases involving the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) regarding people who prepare bankruptcy petitions for the general public. The information in How to Start a Bankruptcy Forms Processing Service is NOT designed to be used for the general public. Instead, you work directly for attorneys -- not the general public. Your name does not appear on the bankruptcy petition as a non-attorney preparer. Therefore, you are immune from any possibility of committing UPL. Do I need to purchase anything else to get started in this business? Other than purchasing the book, if you
have a computer, internet connection, laser printer and fax machine, the
only other purchase you need to make is the bankruptcy software. In the
book, How to Start a Bankruptcy Forms Processing Service, you are
provided with a list of all the different software programs (ranging in
price from $179 to $900) that you can download as a free trial from the
internet. Pick the one you like and you are ready to start earning money.
What will you learn in this book? How to Start a Bankruptcy Forms Processing Service is structured in the following format to help you start, operate and market your bankruptcy forms processing service: Chapter
1
From the initial concept to making your dream job a reality, this chapter provides a wide range of ideas for starting your business. From structuring your client base to saving money on office supplies to establishing good office procedures, this chapter lays the initial groundwork for your business to grow and prosper. Additionally, some of the office procedures used in the day-to-day operation of The Lawyer Assistant are also provided to help you structure your business for maximum efficiency.
Beginning with a short history lesson on how bankruptcy law first developed, this chapter covers the essential information you need for understanding the bankruptcy basics so you can build a solid foundation for your business to grow on. A list of bankruptcy terms are also provided to help you communicate with the attorneys you are working for. The chapter ends with an overview of the bankruptcy filing process as well as information on drafting a skeleton petition in an emergency situation, how to serve creditors, The 341 Meeting and other basic facts you need to know working as a bankruptcy forms processor. Chapter
3
An entire chapter is dedicated to the subject of the client intake interview. This is a very important part in the bankruptcy process. How you and/or the attorney conducts the initial client intake interview will set the mood for the entire bankruptcy case. As a forms processor it is important for you to derive the most information from the client and use this information for recognizing potential problems for the attorney. Working with clients in an attempt to get all the information about their assets and liabilities is not often an easy task. The many tips and techniques in this chapter can also be used for personal or telephone client intake interviews. Chapter
4
From the Voluntary Petition to the Creditors Matrix, this chapter walks you through all the federal Schedules and Forms normally found in a bankruptcy petition. You will learn tips, techniques and examples of how each form was prepared by the author under attorney supervision. Also included are tips for locating potential problems as you draft the bankruptcy petition and how to recognize potential unrevealed assets and liabilities. These skills will help you to be a better value for the attorney you are working for. A sprinkling of other tips and techniques passed on to the author by experienced bankruptcy attorneys she worked for are also included throughout the chapter. Chapter
5
This chapter begins by helping you to understand the benefits for attorneys when they add a Chapter 13 practice to their existing Chapter 7 practice. A variety of disadvantages are covered and a solution is provided for each one. Armed with this knowledge you can market this concept to attorneys who currently have a Chapter 7 only practice and increase the profits for your forms processing service. Chapter
6
This chapter contains the step-by-step guidelines for drafting a Chapter 13 plan. Knowing how to draft a Chapter 13 plan will set your business apart from the rest. The information in this chapter is almost impossible to find when a bankruptcy forms processor is interested in upgrading his or her skills, so it will be a great benefit for you without paying hundreds of dollars to attend a seminar. Chapter
7
This chapter begins with an overview of some of the common pleadings you may encounter working in the debtor bankruptcy arena. You start by downloading all the free pleading templates from The Lawyer Assistant website and signing up with PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). Next the author shares the tips and techniques she learned drafting pleadings for attorneys and how the different pleadings were utilized in the law firms she was employed by. The chapter also provides information on foreclosure procedures and the author shares the information she learned working for a short period of time in the creditor bankruptcy arena. This chapter ends with information on advancing your career and information on paralegal regulations so you can be aware of possible changes within the paralegal profession. Chapter
8
In this chapter the author reveals all the steps she used to build her company, The Lawyer Assistant. Examples of the actual classified ad the author used, the cover letter, company brochure and press release are also provided as well as links to the resources the author utilized to build her company. Additional marketing methods are also explored including magazine advertising and links to the legal-related magazines the author advertised in and that pulled the best response for her business. Chapter
9
This entire chapter is dedicated to providing you with the best bankruptcy website references available. Links to locating attorneys, marketing your bankruptcy forms processing service business, legal software, publications, chat boards and advancing your education in the debtor bankruptcy arena are provided. The author suggests you bookmark all these website references. She personally used these websites in the building and operation of her own business and is convinced they will help you also. FREE BONUS Beginning of Page 225, the author provides you with a complete set of Client Intake Forms she developed. These forms are also available as an electronic download from The Lawyer Assistant website at http://www.lawyerassistant.com.
This final chapter provides a personal message from the author in an effort to provide you with final suggestions for helping your business grow and prosper.
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Summary