Although filing for bankruptcy is one of the major court actions that people can take without legal representation and a lot of it is just filling out forms, for anyone with something to lose it is a foolish proposition to file without the help of a bankruptcy attorney. The Bankruptcy Code is extremely complex and process is extremely bureaucratic in nature, meaning that the courts have little patience for mistakes. Further, since so many people try to deceive the bankruptcy courts (hiding assets, failing to list creditors, etc.) mistakes are generally assumed to be deliberate omissions that can have very serious consequences for your case.

In fact, the Bankruptcy Code is so complex and the courts so unforgiving of mistakes that bankruptcy law has become its own legal specialization. In general, merely being an attorney does not make one qualified to file a bankruptcy case. Further, a lot of the companies out there hawking bankruptcy representation are largely composed of non-experts and/or the ubiquitous “filing services” that are not legal representatives at all, though they sometimes try to portray themselves as such to dupe people into paying them to fill out forms. If you are considering filing for bankruptcy and you still have at least some income and assets – especially more complicated assets like real estate – then it is very much in your best interests to take the time to find a proper bankruptcy attorney to represent your case.

One of the more traditional ways of finding a proper bankruptcy attorney is to simply visit your local bankruptcy court, which in Phoenix is located at 230 N. First Ave, Suite 101 (1-866-553-0893; www.azb.uscourts.gov). Here you can get the opportunity to watch attorneys in action and find one that has a good relationship with the court. There are also a number of subsidiary bodies that work with the court and are staffed by respected bankruptcy attorneys, such as those invited to sit on the courts panels or the creditor/debtor committees. The information about these bodies and the associated attorneys can be obtained from the court’s clerk.

Another good way to find a proper bankruptcy attorney – or to check into the credentials of one you have already found – is to contact the national associations of bankruptcy attorneys. The National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA, www.nacba.com) and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI, www.abiworld.org) are two of the leading national level organizations that might be able to help. Closer to home, the State Bar of Arizona (www.myazbar.org) provides a comprehensive list of bankruptcy specialists via their “Board of Legal Specialization: Bankruptcy Law Certified Specialists”. Or, if you happen to be friends with a practicing attorney, he or she may be able to make a responsible recommendation for you, though you should not solicit recommendations from people that are not familiar with the legal process, even if they have gone through a bankruptcy.

Phoenix is the centre of the legal profession in Arizona and with a little shopping around it should not be too difficult to find a proper bankruptcy attorney in the area. Further, as the seat of the district’s bankruptcy court, it is very easy to visit and to see precisely what all is involved in filing for bankruptcy.