Castle Law Office Blog | Missouri & Illinois Bankruptcy Legal Blog

You Won’t Believe Who is Saying ‘Don’t File by Yourself!

Nearly 1,200 state trial judges around the country were surveyed recently. The results serve as strong words of warning to the public. As many of us have noticed or experienced first-hand, the current economic crisis has led to increased foreclosures, mortgage crises, and many other debt-related issues. Well now, more and more people have taken to representing themselves not only in foreclosure matters and other mortgage-related issues, but also in domestic cases and other consumer issues. The survey results show that this just might be one service you should think twice about before cutting.

According to 62% of the judges surveyed, self-representation often means a poor outcome in a filing. This survey hits hard on an issue that I have been talking about for years: filing Missouri or Illinois bankruptcy on your own is no easy task.

Sure, maybe you can do it by yourself, but look at the evidence before setting out on your own.  In many cases, self-representation in bankruptcy can lead to a quick dismissal of your case or result in an undesirable outcome to say the least. The people mentioned in the survey probably didn’t save any money and certainly didn’t save any time by representing themselves. If you are struggling with this decision, make sure you fully research all of your options and think about what risks you are willing to take. You can start with a free copy of my Illinois and Missouri bankruptcy book, “Get Out of Debt: Secrets Your Creditors Don’t Want You to Know.”