Bankruptcy has long-term financial and legal consequences. It is also extremely difficult to navigate bankruptcy laws and procedural rules. The court therefore strongly encourages debtors to attempt to obtain the assistance of an attorney (see Find an Attorney, Sometimes Available for Free).
Individual debtors contemplating filing a bankruptcy should read this page and the following pages:
- WARNING TO ALL DEBTORS -- Credit Counseling Requirement
- If You Decide to Proceed Without an Attorney ("Pro Se")
- WARNING TO ALL DEBTORS -- If You Are Thinking of Filing a Bankruptcy Petition
Debtors must comply with many requirements, such as the prepetition credit counseling requirement (see Notice to All Debtors Before Filing a Case). Materials are available at the Clerk’s Office and under Statutes, Rules, Adminsitrative Orders which detail the filing requirements. Many but not all of these filing requirements must be filed using the most recent revision of the relevant Official Form.