"Bankruptcy Legal Aid" Discussion

Upsolve Community Member
Our Learning Center is always a place you can go to learn more- and you can still ask questions in the Community here :) 

Upsolve Community Member
Here's some other free resources in your area: https://upsolve.org/al/legal-aid/

Upsolve Community Member
Upsolve's software is completely free to use! You can learn more about Upsolve and the resources available here in this article: https://upsolve.org/how-we-work/

Upsolve Community Member
You might also find this list of legal aid resources helpful, if you'd prefer to go that route https://upsolve.org/legalaidlocator/ 

Upsolve Community Member
Hi Jill, Here's a 10-Step Guide on how to prepare for bankruptcy and get a fresh start: https://upsolve.org/learn/how-to-file-bankruptcy/ Please continue to ask any questions. We are here to help.

Upsolve Community Member
Jill, TWO years ago at this time, I was asking the same question to the universe. I had never heard of Upsolve. I went to my local Legal Aid Society armed with all of my financials and my Nolo Press book stressed beyond mental boundaries. I was on a mission...

Upsolve Community Member
...and guess what? The Legal Aid Society in Long Beach doesn't handle bankruptcies! I was crushed. THIS was supposed to be the way I was going to get pro bono assistance and now it was back to square one and Google. This is the day I discovered Upsolve. 

Upsolve Community Member
...and I found that Upsolve's Learning Center was as good or BETTER than my Nolo Press book because when I GOT STARTED with the online Interview at Upsolve and had questions, I found that by entering darn near any question I had in the Learning Center's search box, my questions were answered. 

Upsolve Community Member
Jill, if I can do this, YOU can do this and, if you need an attorney to tackle an issue or two, OK. ---- the combo of pro se (representing yourself) OR Upsolve together with an hour or two of an attorney's time at their prevailing rate (or free if you can find it!) is a great option! That is what I do with my taxes: I use TurboTax to file myself but have a CPA "on-call" if I have any tough stuff!

Upsolve Community Member
Good luck and thanks for reading my long post. Happy New Year! :-)

Upsolve Community Member
Thank you Mark H. I appreciate all that you said! Happy New Year to

Upsolve Community Member
 you also! 

Upsolve Community Member
As a start for learning how Upsolve can help, check out the reviews at the top of the page <3 

Upsolve Community Member
https://my.upsolve.org/community/post/3118 one example of a user who filed with Upsolve and their story 

Upsolve Community Member
Upsolvers, hope a few others can chime in here with your experience too :) 

Upsolve Community Member
Kenneth, having come from the "dot com 1.0" world in the 90's and adopting several apps through the years, I couldn't believe my luck in finding Upsolve. It was really my last gasp before having to figure it all out on my own. Even the Legal Aid Society here in Long Beach doesn't touch bankruptcies! I have long been a fan of apps that saves me time and solves my problems. For example, I use Legalzoom for my Living Will, Advance Directives and other things, and TurboTax to prepare my taxes. So I knew I could do this! I used to be on the OTHER side benefitting others and now I was the one needing the assistance! Upsolve's Questionnaire is a cross between a marketing SURVEY and. a GUIDED TOUR of something. I was given an easy-to-follow roadmap from start (accessing upsolve.org) to finish: that BEAUTIFUL Blue Docket Case Number and the word "Discharged". I had a few questions, which should be the norm with something this important. I had just been through hell (I don't know anyone filing bankruptcy that hasn't), so I didn't want to screw things up. I checked my work and rechecked my work. And then I checked my work again. Driving to the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse and submitting my "package" to the clerk went by without and hitch and the 341 meeting, which was postponed. made me nervous like it does everybody else --- my theory on that is we are diligent people and we do NOT want to mess up the opportunity for a FRESH START. Everything went great at t the clerk window. I paid my $335 (why do I remember these numbers?) even though I badly needed that money but I knew it would be one of the greatest investments I'd ever made. Sorry for the long post, but I am still excited about my Upsolve experience.  I've been gushing about the organization since Spring of 2020 and don't intend to stop. Please let me know if you want any specifics on any step of the way. Good luck! :-) 

Upsolve Community Member
Hi Bobby! Here is an article from the Upsolve Learning Center that should help answer your question! https://upsolve.org/learn/how-to-file-chapter-13-bankruptcy/ I hope this helps! :-)

Upsolve Community Member
This might help, too! https://upsolve.org/learn/can-you-file-chapter-13-bankruptcy-online-yourself/ 

Upsolve Community Member
Generally speaking, Chapter 13 cases are much more complicated than Chapter 7 cases and have an extremely high rate of failure when filed without the assistance of an attorney. Regardless, you always have the right to represent yourself in any court proceeding, which is called representing yourself “pro se.”

Upsolve Community Member
The success rate of Chapter 13 cases filed without a lawyer is really really low. May I ask why you're considering https://upsolve.org/learn/chapter-7-versus-chapter-13-bankruptcy/? 

Upsolve Community Member
Bobby, if you're low income consider contacting your local legal aid office to see if they can help or if they can give you a referral for help. (Not all legal aid offices handle bankruptcies.) If you're not familiar with legal aid, the article https://upsolve.org/learn/nonprofit-legal-aid-explained/ is an excellent explainer. 

Upsolve Community Member
So glad you've had a good experience so far, Deborah! Keep us posted on what's next for you :)