Resources

Guides for the firms that file consumer cases.

Practical, no-fluff reference for bankruptcy attorneys and paralegals: the software, the intake workflow, and the forms.

Client intake & workflow

Intake forms, document collection, and the path from a signed client to a filed case.

The bankruptcy client intake form: what to collect and why

What a bankruptcy client intake form must collect, which Official Form each section feeds, and the omissions that surface at the 341 meeting.

6 min read

A bankruptcy intake form template you can adapt

A section-by-section bankruptcy intake form template for Chapter 7 and 13, with the fields to include and layout tips for packets clients fill in by hand.

6 min read

The bankruptcy document checklist: everything clients must bring

A category-by-category bankruptcy document checklist — identity, income, bank, debt, and property records — with the deadline each one has to meet.

6 min read

Designing a faster bankruptcy intake process

How to map, staff, and measure a consumer bankruptcy intake process — stage targets, handoff ownership, paper versus portal, and where cases stall.

6 min read

Why bankruptcy firms still use paper intake forms — and what the retyping costs

Why consumer bankruptcy firms still run paper intake, and what it costs to read and retype every handwritten field into petition software.

6 min read

The bankruptcy paralegal workflow, from intake to filing

A stage-by-stage look at bankruptcy paralegal duties: intake, document chasing, data entry, schedules, filing, 341 prep, and post-filing amendments.

6 min read

Common data-entry errors in bankruptcy petitions — and how to catch them

The transcription errors that show up most in Chapter 7 and 13 petitions, what each costs downstream, and the layered review that catches them.

6 min read

OCR for legal intake documents: what actually works in 2026

How OCR handles printed text versus handwriting, why a single pass is not trustworthy for legal data, and what to require from any intake-OCR tool.

6 min read

Petition prep reference

Field-level guides to the forms, schedules, and deadlines of a consumer case.

The Chapter 7 means test, explained

How the Chapter 7 means test works: current monthly income on Form 122A-1, the median comparison, Form 122A-2 deductions, and rebutting the presumption.

6 min read

Bankruptcy Schedules A/B through J, explained

A schedule-by-schedule guide to Official Forms 106A/B through 106J — what each one captures, how they interlock, common pitfalls, and how amendments work.

6 min read

Schedule C: claiming exemptions without mistakes

How Schedule C works: the federal §522(d) scheme versus state schemes, the domicile lookback, citing statutes correctly, and the 30-day objection window.

6 min read

Schedules I and J: income and expenses that hold up to scrutiny

Why Schedules I and J legitimately differ from the means test, what trustees look for, and how to build income and expense figures that survive review.

6 min read

The Statement of Financial Affairs (Form 107), explained

What Form 107 asks, why trustees read it first, the lookback periods that matter, and the omissions that most often cause problems in a consumer case.

6 min read

The creditor matrix: format rules and common rejections

What the creditor matrix is, how it must reconcile with the schedules, typical clerk formatting rules, and the errors that leave creditors unnoticed.

9 min read

Preparing clients for the 341 meeting of creditors

Timing, required ID and documents, the questions trustees actually ask, and how to prepare a debtor for the §341 meeting without over-coaching.

9 min read

The credit counseling requirement: certificates, timing, and traps

Section 109(h) in practice: the 180-day window, approved agencies, per-debtor certificates, the second course, and the timing mistakes that kill cases.

9 min read

Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13: framing the intake conversation

The structural differences between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, the eligibility gates, and the facts intake must capture so the attorney can decide.

9 min read

Emergency bankruptcy filings: the skeletal petition, step by step

What a skeletal bankruptcy petition must include, what the automatic stay stops at filing, the 14-day completion clock, and the 45-day dismissal trap.

8 min read

Reaffirmation agreements: process, deadlines, and judgment calls

How reaffirmation works under §524(c): the forms, the filing deadline, the undue-hardship presumption, the rescission right, and when not to reaffirm.

7 min read

The pre-filing petition review checklist

A five-pass review for consumer bankruptcy petitions: identity, internal math, cross-form consistency, completeness, and the filing package.

8 min read

Stop retyping intake forms.

Casewell reads the handwritten bankruptcy intake form and hands you a reviewed, ready-to-import Best Case file. Your filing workflow stays exactly as it is.

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