In today's world, entrepreneurs are always searching for methods to streamline their operations so they can concentrate solely on the things that enable their company to expand. Like any other business owner, attorneys want to increase their productivity and profitability.
Business owners recognize that it takes people who can do the work that needs to be done to help their business grow, but hiring employees brings with it a host of other challenges, such as payroll, tax withholding, insurance and other benefits, employees getting sick or needing time off, and privacy concerns to name just a few.
Additionally, giving workers a place to work, tools, and benefits is quite expensive and adds significantly to the company's overhead.
So, what can a business do to simplify and cut out all of the employer red-tape and still get the people they need to operate and grow their business? The answer is to hire a Virtual Assistant (VA).
WHAT IS A VA?
Virtual assistants are professionals who provide their specialized services to companies that require them but do not want to hire full-time or part-time staff members and all of the associated "red tape."
The term "virtual" refers to the fact that the assistant works "virtually," or remotely, rather than at the business owner's location.
As with any business that delivers services to its business, the company that receives the VA services pays a certain sum of money for the services.
From fundamental services like taking calls that are directed to them on behalf of the company to specialized web services
This arrangement allows businesses utilizing the VA’s services to benefit from the services as if they had an additional employee, but without all of the overhead that goes with actually hiring a new employee.
The “Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant” (VBA)
Like virtual assistants, virtual bankruptcy assistants provide specialized services, which in this case, is highly specialized bankruptcy services for attorneys, working remotely, as opposed to in-person.
WHAT A VIRTUAL BANKRUPTCY ASSISTANT (VBA) DOES
The primary service that a VBA provides, is the drafting of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions., however, bankruptcy assistants can provide their attorney clients a wide range of additional services to meet the needs of their law firm.
Drafting bankruptcy petitions is the process of taking information from the debtor or debtors…the person or people who are filing bankruptcy, and entering that information into the bankruptcy petition that will be filed with the court, along with supporting data provided by the debtor or debtors and due diligence research conducted by the bankruptcy assistant.
Due Diligence Data Research
Bankruptcy assistants go to great lengths to gather supporting documentation for the bankruptcy petitions they draft.
Some of the types of research that bankruptcy assistants perform include:
- Searches for prior bankruptcy filing in publicly available databases such as PACER
- Real property value searches
- Vehicle (blue book) valuation
- Judgment searches
- Other general debtor searches
ELECTRONIC FILING OF BANKRUPTCY PETITIONS (ECF)
Although some attorneys would rather file their petitions with the court themselves, most would rather have it handled for them, which can be handled by a bankruptcy assistant.
EMERGENCY BANKRUPTCY FILINGS
Unfortunately, client emergencies don’t always happen between the normal business hours of 9am and 5pm, when law firm staff are typically in the office. Bankruptcy assistants however, are usually available after hours and on weekends to help with emergency situations. This would include emergency filings.
CLIENT 341 MEETING NOTIFICATION
Bankruptcy assistants can notify the clients of the attorneys they draft petitions for, regarding the date, time and location of the bankruptcy court's planned 341 Meeting, which will enable the debtor(s) attend. Debtors may find 341 meetings intimidating, but bankruptcy assistants can help prep them and set them at ease.
POST-FILING CLIENT DOCUMENT COLLECTION
Bankruptcy assistants can help with tasks that must be completed after the bankruptcy petition is filed, such as helping debtors schedule post-filing credit counseling, and collection the Personal Financial Management (PFM) that is given to them upon completion.
FILING BANKRUPTCY PETITION AMENDMENTS
At the 341 meeting, trustees may provide the attorney with some items that they would like to have amended in the bankruptcy petition. Bankruptcy assistants can make any amendments the attorney needs to make, and even file the amended form(s) for the attorney.
FILING MOTIONS AND PLEADINGS
When a motion or pleading needs to be filed, for a bankruptcy case, the bankruptcy assistant can take care of this for the attorney.
Disclaimer
713 Training representatives are not attorneys.
All information and training provided by 713 Training, regardless of the form it was provided, is for educational purposes only, is not legal advice, and is not intended to take the place of legal advice from a competent licensed attorney.
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713 Training encourages that you seek competent legal advice from a licensed attorney before applying information, regardless of the source.
Who We Are
713 Training is your premier one-stop solution for bankruptcy petition training, for drafting the most highly-detailed, accurate and professional Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions that trustees love!
We provide bankruptcy petition training to legal assistants, paralegals, virtual bankruptcy assistants (VBAs), bankruptcy petition preparers (BPPS), bankruptcy attorneys and law firms.
Contact Us today to discuss your goals, and how we can help you start or grow your legal career.
Ready to start earning income drafting bankruptcy petitions from home? See our online bankruptcy petition training courses at www.713training.com. You can also join our online community at www.navba.org.