Bankruptcy law software has become a common way for small business owners and other non-lawyers to spare themselves the expense of professional legal help with filing for bankruptcy. In addition, bankruptcy software for attorneys is increasingly used in the more complex court filings that must be done by a licensed legal professional.

Bankruptcy law software comes in all shapes and sizes, from the basic bankruptcy forms software to the more complex software for bankruptcy that takes you step by step through the process, and that is used by attorneys.

Which kind of bankruptcy filing software you need depends on the type and complexity of the bankruptcy you are filing. You should know that:

1. Software for bankruptcy can be cheap or it can be expensive. The more complex your bankruptcy is, the more likely you're going to need to shell out some extra cash for your software.

2. The more complex bankruptcy filing software often is paid for by subscription rather than by a one-time only fee, in order to accommodate updates to the software.

3. If you are a small business owner or individual filing for bankruptcy, you should not rely solely on bankruptcy software if your filing is complicated. Consider talking to an attorney.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read the bankruptcy software reviews

Bankruptcy software reviews can give you guidance as to the best products out there.

I recommend: A good source for bankruptcy software reviews is Law Technology News, which covers the law technology software industry. Another place to find a bankruptcy software review is Counsel.Net, which offers threads on various bankruptcy software products, in which actual attorneys rate the product.

Determine whether you can get by with a simple bankruptcy preparation software product

If your bankruptcy case is simple, there are many inexpensive bankruptcy filing software products that can fit your needs.

I recommend: If you are interested in filing for bankruptcy and your case is fairly straightforward, Standard Legal offers bankruptcy filing software that is comprehensive and easy to understand. Another software that is cheap and useful if you don't plan on using an attorney is put out by 1ClickBankruptcy. Both of these products are under $100.

For more complex cases, choose from nationally known bankruptcy form software providers

For more complex bankruptcy cases, it pays to look at bankruptcy software for attorneys distributed by reputable companies, even if the cost is more.

I recommend: Bestcase Solutions bankruptcy software is one of the most popular options for attorneys, both comprehensive and continuously updated. Ez-Filing bankruptcy software is another detailed product that many bankruptcy attorneys use. The two biggest providers of online legal resources, Westlaw and LexisNexis, also provide online bankruptcy software.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember that Chapter 7 bankruptcy software and Chapter 13 bankruptcy software are usually contained in the same product.
• •  Complex bankruptcy software used by attorneys can run anywhere from $500 to thousands of dollars a year for just one attorney, and includes a subscription fee for updating the product, which is a must.
• •  Bankruptcy software for non-attorneys is meant only for the most simple bankruptcy cases.