When shopping for a bankruptcy service, you may come across paralegal services who advertise $200 document preparation services. You need to know what the difference between an attorney represented service and a paralegal document preparation service is. First of all, document preparation services do not need to be done by certified paralegals only. Sometimes, it is simply a typist that knows how to prepare the bankruptcy legal documents which you take to court on your own and file without representation. Document preparation services can also be done by some law offices by attorneys if you cannot afford the full representation.
If you are interested in a document preparation service, you should at least know what to expect if you cannot afford a full service bankruptcy attorney. The most important factor, foremost, is that a paralegal does not have a license at risk to perform the task of bankruptcy document preparation. An attorney or law office has a legal BAR license at risk if there is any questionable activity. A document preparation service will not represent you in court, and they are not obligated to provide additional support after providing the documents you need. It is simply preparing the documents for you, allowing you to take the bankruptcy documents and file them on our own in court. If a paralegal charges too much for their services, the bankruptcy court can request that the bankruptcy filer’s funds be refunded to the filer/client. Doc prep services can have limits on what they charge. For example, in our local district, a paralegal is limited to charging $200 maximum for bankruptcy document preparation. In contrast, an attorney or law office that represents you in a bankruptcy does have an obligation to fully support you through the whole bankruptcy process and has a license with the local BAR Association at risk if the attorney does not do their job as agreed upon. This is why an attorney costs much more than a document preparation service.
There is one additional alternative that you can ask your local bankruptcy attorney to do for you. If you would like to use an attorney, but cannot afford the full service price, see if your local attorney will do bankruptcy document preparation for you without representing you through the full bankruptcy negotiation. Some law offices will do the document preparation at a much lower price than a fully represented bankruptcy. With this type of service, you know that an experienced attorney is preparing your documents. The attorney is using his/her expertise and insights to create your documents instead of a paralegal. Paralegals have limited time and interaction with bankruptcy trustees and may not be as familiar with the process as a local attorney who has spent years and years in front of the bankruptcy court and its staff. Check with your local bankruptcy attorney offices to see if they can provide this service to you when exploring your options.
Bankrutpcy Law Professionals provides full representation bankruptcy services and document preparation services. We have office locations and bankruptcy attorneys in Riverside and Orange County. To contact Bankruptcy Law Professionals for a consultation, contact us at (855) 257-7671.
