Every year, changes and additions are made to the way bankruptcy cases are handled, dictated by a set of rules stated in the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.  These changes are devised by an advisory committee consisting of individuals like bankruptcy attorneys and federal judges.  In some cases, changes are also made to the official forms used when filing for bankruptcy.  In fact, this year the majority of them will be revised, renumbered and reformatted starting on December 1st.

These new forms are part of a modernization effort that started back in 2008.  The intent is to improve the forms and the interface between them and current technology.  Some of the new features or additions to these forms include a separate case opening form for individuals and a new form for non-individual debtors.  The individual debtor form will also be used for married debtors while business entities would be the only ones using the non-individual form.  This particular form reflects the way a business manages its financial records.

There is some concern that these new easier to use forms would lead to a potential increase in pro se filings, but there are warnings within these forms designed to deter such filings.  They do however remain a potential issue.  A pro se filing describes a bankruptcy filing without an attorney.

This bankruptcy update is provided to you by Fort Lauderdale bankruptcy attorney Bigge & Rodriguez, P.A.  If you need a Fort Lauderdale bankruptcy lawyer or have questions about Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy, call 954.400.7322 to speak with us.  We also specialize in foreclosure defense.