713Bankruptcy.Com's Blog

Place: Orlando, Florida
Date: July 13-14, 2007
Full Program Outline: http://www.713training.com/seminars/
Order: http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=45

Make your plans now to attend the TWO-DAY training seminar for virtual bankruptcy assistants. In 2-days you will learn all the basic skills needed to draft bankruptcy petitions and work for attorneys.

If you have been attending our bankruptcy teleconferences, you are aware that the skill of preparing well-detailed bankruptcy petitions is in high demand by attorneys nationwide. One of the reasons for this lack of knowledge is due to the fact that these skills are not taught in any law school or paralegal course. In the past, the only place to obtain this knowledge was either being trained by a paralegal (who had lived through all the hard knocks), or to make mistakes until you learn the skill. (Unfortunately, this causes tragedy for many people filing bankruptcy and they ultimately are the ones who suffer from the lack of your knowledge.)

But if you are going to work as a virtual bankruptcy assistant you must receive training before you work for attorneys. Therefore, 713Training.Com has been working diligently for over 4 years to teach these skills to others. We have trained hundreds of attorneys, paralegals, law clerks and virtual assistants. Many of these have started their own companies and others have become so successful, they hired contracts of their own to help them with the workload. Now it is time for YOU to take your business to the next level and join them.

TRAINING MATERIALS APPROVED BY NALS AND NFPA

The training materials used for the 2-day seminar are approved for 7 CLE credits by NALS (National Association for Legal Professionals) and 12 CLE credits by NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations.) The certification letters will be inside your seminars materials.

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

July 13, 2007

9:00 to 9:30 – Registration and Distribution of Workshop Materials
9:30 to 10:45 – Seminar, Part 1

TOPIC: General Overview of a bankruptcy petition and how to use the forms effectively with the Client Intake Forms.

10:45 to 11:00 – Break
11:00 to 12:00 – Review and Quiz

6 Chances to Win Free Prizes

After every session of the seminar, participants are issued a Write-On Board to write their answers to ten questions. Each question appears on a PowerPoint slide and attendees will write their answer on the Write-On Board. Each question has a different monetary value ($1, $5 or $10) depending on the difficulty level of the question.

Every time a correct answer is provided, the participant will be given play money in the amount of $1, $5 of $10. The player with the highest amount of money at the end of the two-day seminar will receive the grand prize.

12:00 to 1:00 – Lunch

1:00 to 2:30 – Seminar, Part 2

TOPIC: Intense training on Voluntary Petition, Schedules A, B and C. Includes live demonstration using Best Case bankruptcy software as we work through the Schedules. The section on Schedule C contains an overview of legal ethics.

2:30 to 3:00 – Break and Networking
3:00 to 5:00 – Workshop Exercise

TOPIC: You learn more by doing. This section of the seminar contains hands-on training in drafting a Voluntary Petition, Schedules A, B and C. Includes review after completion of exercise.

July 14, 2007

9:00 to 9:30 – Registration and Distribution of Workshop Materials
9:30 to 10:45 – Seminar, Part 3

TOPIC: Intense training on Schedules D, E, F, G and H. Includes live demonstration using Best Case bankruptcy software as we work through the Schedules.

10:45 to 11:00 – Break
11:00 to 12:00 – Review

TOPIC: Question and Answer Session to review previously covered materials.

12:00 to 1:00 – Lunch (Free. Served onsite.)
1:00 to 2:30 – Seminar, Part 4

TOPIC: Intense training on Schedules I, J, Means Test and remaining Forms and Schedules. Includes live demonstration using Best Case bankruptcy software as we work through the Schedules. The section on Schedule C contains an overview of legal ethics.

2:30 to 3:00 – Break and Networking
3:00 to 5:00 – Workshop Exercise

TOPIC: You learn more by doing. In this segment you will draft an entire bankruptcy petition from supplied Client Intake Forms and receive hands-on training from instructors.

FREE MARKETING CD

All attendees at the seminar will receive a free 2-hour training CD entitled: How to Market Your Virtual Services to Attorneys. (Reg: $89.99)

SIGN UP NOW

http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=45

Angie Boyd
Executive Director and Instructor
713Training.Com
1601 West Fifth Ave, Suite 123
Columbus, OH 43212
Phone: 614-875-4496
Fax: 614-355-0184

The information contained in this article is solely intended to increase the skills of paralegals and other legal staff who are employed virtually or non-virtually by bankruptcy attorneys. This information is NOT taught in any law school or paralegal training course.

Training in drafting bankruptcy petitions for bankruptcy legal professionals

Bankruptcy Petition Drafting Tip 3

Angie Boyd and I were talking on the phone yesterday and she said to me: “I am so stressed and frustrated. I am working on a rush bankruptcy petition that must be filed today. I cannot get in touch with the client or the attorney to get the paycheck stubs so I can complete Schedule I and the Means Test. The debtors might lose their home and I am in more of a panic than they are.”

I said: “First of all, this attorney should not have taken this case if the people waited until the last minute to file bankruptcy. Therefore, the responsibility is really the fault of the debtor for their neglect and the attorney’s for accepting a last minute rush job. So I suggest you do not feel sorry for them. If you have done your job 110%, all you can do is wait on the paycheck stubs.”

As we continued to talk it became evident that Angie would need to change her policy when working for new bankruptcy attorneys. She would not start a bankruptcy petition until she had received (a) The Client Intake Forms and (b) 6 months of paycheck stubs.

Additionally, Angie will begin providing the following list to new attorneys she works for. This list outlines their responsibilities so that both Angie and the attorney can effectively work together in streamlining and improving the quality of the entire bankruptcy process. When this goal is achieved, the attorney will notice a positive difference in his or her law firm workload and Angie will have less headaches and stress.

List of Attorney Responsibilities:

I suggest that before you start working with your attorney for the first time, you provide them with the following list of their responsibilities. Be sure to explain that these guidelines will benefit their law firm and save them time and money.

1. Attorney will ensure that debtor(s) have completed the mandatory Credit Counseling Requirement.

2. Attorney will have client(s) complete Client Intake Forms. When Client Intake Forms are returned to the Attorney by client(s), Attorney must review the Client Intake Forms to ensure all information has been properly completed. By scanning through the Client Intake Forms first, it will allow the attorney to catch large sections of missing information that the Virtual Assistant needs for the petition.

3. Attorney is responsible for gathering the following documents BEFORE the 341 Meeting so they will be prepared in court. If they are prepared in court, the bankruptcy process will go very smooth and save the attorney a lot of time and frustration. The following items are required by the Trustee at the 341 Meeting:

** 6 months of paycheck stubs from debtor(s)
** Copies of titles to all motor vehicles
** Recorded Mortgage and Deed for all real property
** Copies of any lawsuits filed within the past two (2) years.
** Copies of all life insurance policies owned by debtor(s)
** Federal income tax returns for past two (2) years
** Separation agreements or decrees of dissolution or divorce within the past on (1) year
** All documents relating to retirement accounts.
** Security agreements, financing statements and personal property leases.
** Stock certificates, bonds, credit union and passbook savings accounts and statements evidencing investments or savings.
** Evidence of value of real estate (i.e. appraisal dated no later than one (1) year prior to filing bankruptcy.)
** Documents verifying debtor(s) interest in any future property.

Shop for training products at http://www.713training.com/shop

The information contained in this article is solely intended to increase the skills of paralegals and other legal staff who are employed virtually or non-virtually by bankruptcy attorneys. This information is NOT taught in any law school or paralegal training course.

WARNING: This information is not to be used by non-attorneys to prepare bankruptcy petitions for the general public. The information is solely intended to train legal professionals working under the direction of licensed bankruptcy attorneys.

Bankruptcy Petition Drafting Tip 2

1. If the county courthouse where the debtor(s) are filing bankruptcy is online, you will need to run a Lien Search for every piece of real estate the debtor(s) own. The lienholder information will also tell you if there are any foreclosures or judgment liens on the property which will need to be added to the debt sheets and/or asset pages.

2. If the debtor(s) are behind in their mortgage payments be sure to alert the attorney at once. If the debtor(s) are filing a Chapter 7 they may be required to catch up all the back payments before their bankruptcy can be discharged. If the debtor(s) are filing a Chapter 13, the back payments (also known as “arrears”) will need to be included inside the Chapter 13 plan so they can be paid in full.

3. To determine how many months are left to pay off a secure debt, divide the regular monthly payment by the total balance still owed. For example: $45,000 is the total balance owed. The monthly payment is $1,200. Therefore, $45,000 divided by $1,200 = 37.5. Round up the number to 38 and this is number of months you enter into your bankruptcy software on Schedule A under the FORM 22 MEANS TEST tab.

4. Be sure to check the Appraisal Date for any piece of real estate. If the property has not been appraised within the last 12 months you should alert your attorney at once. Your attorney may order the debtor(s) to get an appraisal or the attorney may direct you to call a real estate agent and get the appraisal. In the meantime, make a note on your Attorney Cover Sheet to let the attorney know the amount will need to be changed to a more current market value when it is obtained from the appraiser.

5. Make sure you notice the Type of real estate the property is. Do not assume real estate is the home the debtor(s) reside in. For example, if the real estate is rental property, that property normally generates a rental income for the debtor(s). This information MUST be included as additional income under Item #1 of the Statement of Affairs as well as on Schedule I of the bankruptcy petition.

6. If the debtor(s) own a mobile home, make sure you find out if the mobile home has had the wheels removed or not. If so, the mobile home should be listed as real property on Schedule A. If not, the mobile home is recorded in the same manner as other Motor Vehicles on Schedule B.

7. On the Date Incurred line within your bankruptcy software make sure you include the Monthly Payment and the total amount of monthly Arrearages. This information will ultimately appear on Schedule D when the bankruptcy petition is completed.

Here is an example: 10/2003, Mnthly Pymt = $960.55, Arrears: 2 months

Including this information for every secure debt will enable you to have the information available when completing the Means Test as well as if the debtor(s) become a Chapter 13. Additionally, including the monthly payment and arrearage information will also enable the debt to be easily cross-referenced and identified. For example, a mortgage payment of $960.55 will also appear under the monthly expenses of Schedule J as well as under Item 3(a) of the Statement of Affairs if the debtor(s) have made payments within the last three (3) months.

AUTHOR BIO:

Victoria Ring is a Certified Paralegal and Bankruptcy Specialist. She has developed an entire line of training products and holds several seminars per year in drafting bankruptcy petitions. Her training materials have been approved by NFPA for 11 CLE credits. Additionally, Victoria Ring provides speaking and in-house training services for bankruptcy law firms. Visit her website at http://www.713training.com

The new buzz word is virtual. From virtual games, virtual seminars, virtual phones and virtual everything else, the word is becoming a part of our everyday language. Now virtual has extended to service providers. There are millions of virtual assistants who work for doctors, lawyers, small and large business owners every day. In fact, the latest buzz is virtual bankruptcy assistants who are trained professionals specifically working for debtor bankruptcy attorneys. Below are 29 advantages for attorneys hiring a virtual bankruptcy assistant.

1. With the changes in the new bankruptcy law, the bankruptcy petition is no longer considered a data entry job. Instead, the bankruptcy petition is now at the heart of any bankruptcy practice. Therefore, drafting a well-detailed petition is a high-level skill that now requires professional training that VBAs have.

2. Some attorneys consider virtual bankruptcy assistants (VBAs) to be violators of UPL and refuse to entertain the idea of utilizing their services. But that trend is rapidly changing. Attorneys are now learning that professional legal VBAs are an integral part of a law firm practice.

3. Some attorneys turn away bankruptcy cases every day due to the changes in the new bankruptcy law. With a trained virtual bankruptcy assistant, the process is minimized for the attorney and the law firm profits are increased.

4. Most VBAs have many years of experience and love what they do. The only difference is that VBAs work from home instead of physically in the law firm.

5. VBAs take care of the everyday tasks which allow the attorney more time to grow and expand his/her practice.

6. If you have an internet connection, it doesn’t matter where your VBA is located. All communication is electronic. You now have the freedom to choose from thousands of VBAs and not be limited to your area alone.

7. Expand your law firm services for the elderly and handicapped that have difficulty traveling to your office. Send a VBA to conduct the client intake interview in the clients home at the clients convenience.

8. VBAs are normally available 24/7 and easy to contact by cell phone. In fact, most VBAs stay available for their attorneys after hours and on weekends since they know everything cannot be accomplished between 9:00 and 5:00.

9. Keep your money in your hand. You don’t pay a VBA until after the work has been completed to your satisfaction. Hiring employees does not provide this luxury.

10. Unlike employees, attorneys do not pay their VBA for time they spend daydreaming or being non-productive. VBAs charge their attorney clients either a flat fee for a particular job or an hourly fee based upon accurate reporting from time-tracker software installed on their computer.

11. Utilizing VBAs, debtor bankruptcy attorneys can increase their currently hourly fee by 400%. (See the book: How to Increase Profits for Your Law Firm, ISBN: 0976159198)

12. Even if your VBA goes on vacation, your workflow is not interrupted. Most VBAs have a network of other professionals who can assist during their absence.

13. VBAs normally have several attorney clients they serve. They often earn a higher income compared to working as an employee which is why the majority of VBAs are highly professional, organized and knowledgeable. The VBA and attorney both benefit financially. It’s a WIN/WIN situation.

14. The average VBA prefers working from home so they can spend more time with their family and less time commuting to and from an office. This makes the field attractive for thousands of professionally skilled women and men who provide high quality services to their attorney clients every day.

15. Because VBAs work from their home office with fewer interruptions, they usually have more time to provide attorneys with a higher level of detail that saves law firms thousands of dollars as well as mistakes that grow into huge problems!

16. Idea: One attorney filmed a 5-minute commercial about his law firm with his digital camera. He then sent the video on DVD to his VBA who edited it, added a professional introduction and placed it on his law firm website. The video has been one of the major keys in increasing the client base for the attorney.

17. If you hire a VBA who is located in your area, they often provide free pick up and delivery to your office. Some VBAs assist their attorney clients at court also.

18. A VBA never leaves your side. They are as close as your office or laptop computer, regardless of where you are located in the world! This doesn’t happen when you hire employees to work inside the office 9:00 to 5:00.

19. Now you and your staff can prevent “desk overload.” VBAs aide in the reduction of workload for your paralegals and other law office personnel.

20. Forward your calls to a VBA and get more work done with fewer interruptions.

21. Some VBAs provide you with the option of calling into a telephone number, recording your dictation and the VBA retrieves the audio for transcribing. Completed documents are returned to you in MS Word format so you can tweak them before filing.

22. Unlike a salaried employee, if you are not happy with the work a VBA provides, you don’t pay the invoice. This will immediately reduce problems for law firms who seem to have internal employee issues.

23. VBAs are paid like any other vendor. They never share fees and work under the sole discretion of the attorney just like your office staff.

24. Hiring VBAs helps to eliminate office gossip that is common with salaried employees and costs your law firm money.

25. VBAs are notorious for keeping backups of their client’s work on CD-Rom. After the job is complete, you can request the CD-Rom be mailed to you or keep in the VBAs office as a back-up in case your computers fail.

26. Most paralegals are amazed with how VBAs relieve their heavy workload. In fact, VBAs are not taking the place of paralegals and your other office staff; they are providing an excellent support base for the entire law firm.

27. VBAs can be located in any state and still have access to electronic court records to conduct criminal record searches to ensure there are no additional debts the client has not revealed. They also can be located in any state to draft a bankruptcy petition since the Federal Forms and Schedules are the same in every state.

28. Save the high cost of investing into software programs. VBAs have already made the investment and can export files in PDF format for cross-platform review.

29. When salaried employees are sick or on vacation, the law firm normally still pays them. But when a VBA is ill or on vacation, you don’t pay anything. VBAs are only paid once the work is completed to the attorney’s satisfaction.

Testimonials from attorneys who utilize VBAs:

1. When I passed the bar exam and started my law practice, I was $100,000+ in debt with student loans. Utilizing VBAs has saved me thousands of dollars in office equipment and the costs of hiring and training new employees.

2. After hiring two VBAs I now have time to plan the direction I want my law practice to grow into and implement my ideas with better care.

3. VBAs like Geoff Gratz of Monkey Productions installed a remote connection on our computers whereby technical computer support is provided 24 hours a day, He doesn’t need to come to our office in Colorado which is 2,000 miles away. (Ref: Monkey Productions, 614-668-5037).

4. Unbelievable! Within 90 days after hiring a VBA, my law firm profits increased from $7,000 per month to $12,000 per month.

5. I expanded my personal injury law firm to offer bankruptcy services. The VBA I hired does the majority of the intake work and client intake interview because she is so knowlegable in bankruptcy. This has given me a lot more free time and my law firm profits increase 250% in only four months.

6. Since I hired two VBAs and moved to my own home office, I now only need to put on a suit and tie when I go to court.

To locate virtual bankruptcy assistants, visit http://www.713training.com/directory/

To receive more bankruptcy petition drafting tips subscribe to the free Bankruptcy Training News at http://www.713training.com/subscribe.html

AUTHOR BIO:

Victoria Ring is a Certified Paralegal and Bankruptcy Specialist. She has developed an entire line of training products and holds several seminars per year in drafting bankruptcy petitions. Her training materials have been approved by NALS for 7 CLE credits. Additionally, Victoria Ring provides speaking and in-house training services for bankruptcy law firms. Visit her website at http://www.713training.com

Blog Pinback References:

Legal Services UK Blog » Lacking capacity for Lasting Power of Attorn..
Kentucky Attorney General’s Race – Louisville Personal Injury Lawyer
EU Law Blog: Legal Professional (Attorney-Client) Privilege and In-house Co..
Why “If I Did It” Should Never Have Been Written | Colloquium
Expert,services,legal,attorney,witness,litigation,research,p (Safe at Home)
Expert,services,legal,attorney,witness,litigation,research,p (Culture)
Why “If I Did It” Should Never Have Been Written | Colloquium
Texas Civil Rights Project » Archive » Job Opening: Staff At..
Karel’s Legal Blog » Blog Archive » MICROSOFT’S FATE..
Legal Pad: Gruel to be Kind: Soft View of Ed Jew Indictment
Karel’s Legal Blog » Blog Archive » MICROSOFT’S FATE..
Legal Pad: Gruel to be Kind: Soft View of Ed Jew Indictment
Dallas Morning News « Friends of Justice
» Episode 57 Privileged Presidents
Texas Attorney Files Response To Lawsuit Against God « TheScroogeRepo..
More profit, less care, in nursing homes, as corporations restructure to in..
RealAnswers / How do I break a real estate contract with no close date?
Divorce–How the Legal System Works Against You
Inside Long Island Politics – Spin Cycle: Eliot’s Only-Lawyers-Need-Apply C..
IRS loses challenge to prove tax liability « Dove Love’s Weblog
The Day the Media and Other Vultures Lost Millions of Dollars « THE F..
Legal Profession Blog: Unearned Fee Ordered Returned
Britney Charged with Hit-and-Run – BritneySpears.org
App Zone! » Blog Archive » 301 Legal Forms, Letters & Ag..
Software Integrity » Blog Archive » Legal implications of co..
Blawg Review # 126 » Small Business Trends | small business experts
Like Anna Karina’s Sweater: NYFF Review: I Just Didn’t Do It
Like Anna Karina’s Sweater: NYFF Review: I Just Didn’t Do It
f/k/a . . . » the saiban-in jury system is coming to a reluctant Japa..
If it’s NOT on Paper, Don’t Think for a Minute that it’s Part of the Deal! ..
martie jotes » Blog Archive » 5 Best Practices for Controlli..
atlante jotes » Blog Archive » Representing Yourself in Lega..
The Las Vegas Saga of O.J. Simpson: the players – BloggingVegas.com

Over the past two weeks I have been working on the development of our first Marketing Seminar for notary signing agents and virtual bankruptcy assistants that was held June 2, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.

What attendees learned at the Marketing Seminar

** The three secrets to identify and find your perfect target market.
** The pros and cons of direct mail advertising.
** The pros and cons of cold calling.
** The pros and cons of advertising in targeted publications.
** How to think “outside the box” and expand upon the services you currently provide.
** Two things you must know in order to succeed in business.
** A GUARANTEED method of asking the right questions to potential clients that make them say “yes” instead of “no” every time!
** How to determine the correct price for your services.
** The pros and cons of high and low pricing structures.
** and much, much more.

Plus: Interactive Training

I incorporated interactive training sessions into the Marketing Seminar which aides in student learning. In one activity, Angie Boyd (the instructor) posed as the potential customer. Attendees approached Angie and attempted to sell them their services. Angie critiqued and provided constructive marketing tips to help build their marketing skills.

Another activity was writing a sales letter. Angie began this segment by providing an example of a good and bad sales letter. She then provided marketing insight into how the bad sales letter should be improved. After this training, attendees developed their own sales letter and handed it in. Angie reviewed the sales letters and critiqued each one.

Exclusive Video for Seminar Attendees Only

In addition to all this material, I developed a brand new video that walks attendees through the basic concepts and development of a web site. This video is not for sale and is only provided to seminar attendees. It was shown in its entirety at the Marketing Seminar.

To view current seminars being offered in your area, visit:
http://www.713training.com/seminars/index.html

Victoria Ring, CEO
713Training.Com
http://www.713training.com