713Bankruptcy.Com's Blog

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The bankruptcy training course and exam will take place this year in San Antonio, Texas on September 23-24, 2008. This training course is the only certification recognized by the court and it is issued by the ABJA – The Association of Bankruptcy Judicial Assistants.

As a virtual bankruptcy assistant, you are encouraged to attend this course and take the exam. Visit http://abja.org/ for more information and to sign up. After passing the exam, you can pay $30.00 to join the organization which will help to put you in touch with other bankruptcy professionals.

One company who was trained by 713Training.Com’s materials and passed the ABJA training course and exam is Yordanska Fraser at http://www.713petitions.com/ If you go to http://www.713petitions.com/about.html you will see Yordanska’s reference to her certification as a Certified Bankruptcy Assistant. I would like to see all of you obtain this certification because it carries a lot of weight in the legal community.

While the AVBA Exam, developed by 713Training.Com, is also an excellent test to pass that helps to achieve status of your skills, it is not certified by the court.

If you should decide to obtain your certification as a Certified Bankruptcy Assistant in San Antonio this year, please let me know. I plan to attend and I would like to meet you in person. To contact me personally, fill out the online form at http://www.713training.com/contact.html

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

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Many times, when you are conducting a client intake interview for a debtor filing bankruptcy, the client may feel humiliated because they are unable to pay their bills. But the truth is, most people could pay their bills if the banking system were not corrupt and greedy in adding service charges and other fraudulent fees that line the pockets of the rich. Since bankruptcy is often considered to be a last resort for most people, they feel like they are doing something bad and evil. It is your job to help relieve this tension for the clients in order to make the experience easier to live through. This will make the entire bankruptcy smoother for all parties involved.

Therefore, in order to help you understand the truth about the banking industry, and to help you see why the banking industry are the bad and evil people, I encourage you to watch the following professionally produced videos I found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy-fD78zyvI

There are five (5) total videos with the following titles:

1. How the Cartels are Robbing the Public
2. How Money is Created
3. Warning About the NOW
4. Ron Paul on Federal Reserve, Banking and the Economy
5. What is the US Dollar Worth?

Once you understand how the banking system works, you will be in a better position to help debtors feel less humiliated. They also will be able to embrace the bankruptcy law and give it the respect it deserves.

Victoria Ring, Certified Paralegal
713Training.Com, LLC
http://www.713training.com

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What is a Foreclosure Mediator? A person who negotiates with the mortgage company to help the homeowner stay in their home. There are a number of ways to accomplish this which are detailed in the book in easy-to-understand language.

The Foreclosure Mediation Training Guide presents a no-nonsense approach to teaching you how to set up a legitimate and honest Foreclosure Mediation service at home. With foreclosures soaring to record highs in almost all of the 50 states, you can be assured of never running out of work. Plus, you can receive an average fee of $2,000 per mediation (your fee normally is determined by the amount you are negotiating.)

Additionally, bankruptcy attorneys are always looking for professional and well-trained Foreclosure Mediators – which is another avenue stream for income. Statistical surveys of bankruptcy attorneys showed that 65% of all bankruptcy clients are in some phase of foreclosure.

So you can easily see how working as a Foreclosure Mediator will provide you with a steady stream of work as well as the potential to earn a very high income. And the best part is that this business can be set-up for less than $100.

The Foreclosure Mediation Training Guide provides you with everything you need to set up your business. You will learn all the basics, plus get templates of sample forms, sample agreements, sample cover letters as well as marketing letters.

Order direct from the author with your major credit card at http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=67
or get the ebook version for immediate download at
http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=9
Also available on Amazon under ISBN: 0978878213 or author “Victoria Ring”

References:

American Center for Contract Resolution Institute
http://www.accri.org/

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Because the world of business changes every day, it is essential for you to keep in contact with your target market of customers. This way, you can modify and adjust your business services to meet market demands as well as knowing where work needs to be done and the type of work involved.

One way to accomplish this is an overlooked avenue that many virtual bankruptcy assistants do not think about: the job boards. You may be saying: “But Victoria, I am not looking for 9-5 employment. I am looking for work I can do at home. Why would I look for work on a job board?” Because you first need to know where the work is and what work needs to be performed. The best way to know this is through the job boards.

When an attorney needs a bankruptcy assistant, what do they do? They advertise in the paper and on the internet job boards. When you find an attorney seeking to hire a bankruptcy assistant you can still approach him or her with your virtual assistant services. This approach has worked well for me in the past. By monitoring job boards like Monster I have been able to:

1. Provide temporary help to the attorney while they are interviewing and looking for the right employee to fill the position. This way, they are not pressured to hire immediately simply because the work is piling up.

2. Assist in sorting through employment applications, checking references, verifying previous employment and pre-interviewing applicants to save the attorney time.

3. Convincing the attorney he or she does not need to hire a full-time employee, but use my virtual services exclusively.

4. And sometimes, if the job is in my area, I have applied for the job and worked in the office to advance my skills and knowledge of debtor bankruptcy. This is the best training you can get.

Set Up a Job Alert

On almost all the job boards you can set up a Job Alert. You type in key words, like: bankruptcy, paralegal, legal assistant and select the areas to monitor. Then, when an attorney posts the need for a bankruptcy paralegal or legal assistant in the area I have selected, I get an automatic email from the job board. It’s a very convenient way for me to keep in touch with my target market.

Below is a list of job boards that I monitor. I am sure you can find many more, but at least my list will help you get started. You also may want to put together a resume and post to the job board also. On the “Job Objective” line of your resume, say something like: “To work virtually for a debtor bankruptcy attorney on a flat fee basis, saving the law firm $1,000s of dollars per year.” This way, if you submit your resume for a position, you are telling the attorney upfront that you are seeking work as a virtual assistant, not a full-time, salaried employee.

Job Boards I Monitor for Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant Jobs

http://www.monster.com
http://www.lawjobs.com/
http://www.ihirelegal.com/
http://lawguru.legalstaff.com/
http://jobs.lawinfo.com/
http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=bankruptcy&l=&rq=1

Also remember that I have put together a job board of a variety of work-at-home virtual assistant jobs. You can access it on my website at:

http://www.713training.com/links/index.html#jobs

I wish you the best of success in growing your virtual bankruptcy assistant business. Talk to you later.

Victoria Ring
Certified Paralegal and Bankruptcy Specialist
http://www.713training.com

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I started working for a Chapter 13 attorney for the first time today. I sent the attorney a set of personalized 713Training.Com Client Intake Forms but he already had 2 clients who had filled out his law firm’s intake forms before receiving mine.

The paralegal called and asked me: “Can I send you the client intake forms we used instead of the ones you supplied us for these 2 clients?” I responded: “As long as all the information from my client intake forms is provided on your client intake forms, that will be fine.” The paralegal immediately replied: “Yes, everything is the same.”

I should have known better. From past experience, I knew the paralegal had not sat down and compared page to page with my 713Training.Com Client Intake Forms. She only wanted to get the workload off her shoulders and simply responded to me in a positive manner. Unfortunately, this approach didn’t work with me. But for some of you working as virtual bankruptcy assistants, you would rather not say anything and accept a situation like this. So I decided to write this quick article to help you stand up and do the right thing.

Why is Detail so Extremely Important in Client Intake Forms?

As stressed throughout all my training materials, it is extremely important to get detail from the clients and make sure this information is spelled out on the Client Intake Forms. Why? Here are just a couple of reasons:

1. Under the new bankruptcy law, an attorney can be fined for not providing complete information on the bankruptcy petition. Therefore, if the client leaves any information blank on the Client Intake Forms, it is impossible to prove whether the question does not apply to the client or if the client missed the question. So, if a question on the Client Intake Forms does not apply to the client, the client must write “not applicable” or “NA” on the line to indicate they have read the question but it does not apply to them. If the Trustee later finds out the client should have answered the question and did not do so in an attempt to conceal assets, the attorney will be protected because he or she has evidence they asked the client but the client responded with “not applicable.”

2. Secure assets need to provide exact money figures because even a few pennies can make the difference in a Means Test. For example, clients have a tendency to record mortgage payments in round numbers, such as $1,000.00 per month. However, I have seen in some situations when the exact amount should have been $1,020.62 (for example) and it made a difference between the clients qualifying for a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 in the Means Test. It doesn’t happen all the time, but this is one good reason why it is important to get EXACT figures for secure assets. (Note: Exact figures are not this critical for unsecure assets, but why not make it a habit for all debts and then you don’t have to worry about it.)

Suggestion

If you do not have a set of free 713Training.Com Client Intake Forms for debtor bankruptcy clients, download a set now at http://www.713training.com/intake_forms/

When your attorney (or their paralegal) sends you a set of client intake forms to prepare a bankruptcy petition, compare the information they sent you with the information required on the 713Training.Com Client Intake Forms. If the information is scanty or there is a lot of pages containing no information, contact the attorney or the paralegal right away and offer the following suggestions before you begin input into your bankruptcy software:

1. You can transfer the information to the 713Training.Com Client Intake Forms, fax them back and have the paralegal call the client to obtain all the missing information. (I would suggest you charge $50 or more to do this.)

2. Have the paralegal contact the clients and have them fill out the 713Training.Com Client Intake Forms because they did not provide all the detail needed from the other forms.

3. Ask the paralegal or attorney if you can call the client and do a complete client intake interview over the phone. Fill out the 713Training.Com Client Intake Forms for the clients. (I would suggest you charge an extra $100 or more to do this since it will take from 1-2 hours of your time.)

Summary

It is important for you, as a virtual bankruptcy assistant, to adhere to strict and disciplined principles to ensure our professional remains dependable. If you decide to “cut corners” and provide less than substandard services, it will only take one attorney to be fined $1,000s of dollars because of your neglect, and it will give our entire profession a “bad” reputation.

Do not be afraid to take a stand and demand absolute perfection in the level of detail you need BEFORE you begin input of any bankruptcy petition. It will pay off “big time” in the long run for you, the law firm and the attorney you are working for.

Written by Victoria Ring
Certified Paralegal and CEO, 713Training.Com, LLC
D-U-N-S Number: 011172411

Get Your 2006 Archived Bankruptcy Training Teleconferences
Format: MP3
Download and place on CD-Rom so you can listen to them on your computer or your newer car stereo. Excellent training for Virtual Assistants.

I am going to be removing the 2006 Bankruptcy Teleconferences from the secured member area within the next 30 days. In order to give you an opportunity to get these important and informative training audios, I have set up a 10-DAY TRIAL membership at https://www.713training.com/administrator/signup.php

Simply go to https://www.713training.com/administrator/signup.php and sign up for a 10-DAY TRIAL membership. Your credit card will NOT be charged again. The ONE TIME FEE is only $8.99.

Once you are a member you will not only have access to all the 2006 Bankruptcy Teleconferences but you also will have access to a host of other benefits including:

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Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Spend only $8.99 and get $100′s of dollars in benefits immediately. No obligation. Hopefully, once you see all the benefits we offer members you will decide to join our organization as a full member.

Thank you for your consideration.
https://www.713training.com/administrator/signup.php

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

Note: See the “Special Offer at Bottom ” SAVE $100.00

QUESTION:

Hello Victoria

I attended a Borrower Outreach Day yesterday which included the Department of HUD and lenders meeting with homeowners one-on-one to offer advice regarding home foreclosures.

I attended this meeting, hoping to meet with lenders, tell them a little about myself and to inquire as to how they handle foreclosure mediation and to find out who I would contact in their loss mitigation department to offer my services of foreclosure mediation. (Mind you I am only halfway through my bankruptcy petition training and have read your book on Foreclosure Mediation twice). I may be a little ahead of myself as far as knowledge and training goes. I am still learning and practicing.

I met a lady who operates a financial development center that assists people with financial counseling, offers workshops, etc. I mentioned my training in drafting bankruptcy petitions and my interest in foreclosure mediation. She told me that she has trustees that process and file petitions for her clients and that the trustees charge her $900.00 per petition. She is interested in obtaining this service for less. She stated that if I could provide the service for less – that she has plenty to keep me busy, and encouraged me to contact her office.

I don’t think that this prospect would be legal for me to perform. Is there another way that I could provide this service, perhaps by contacting her trustees and offering my services at a reduced cost. Is there a way for me to work with this counseling agency whereby their cost for the bankruptcy process could be reduced? I need your advice. (Yvonne)

ANSWER:

If this lady is not an attorney, it would be considered unauthorized practice of law to prepare petitions for her. But you could talk with several attorneys in your area, tell them about the problem and ask if they would be willing to have you refer business to them. (This is where it would be helpful to have a network in your area of attorneys and paralegals.) Of course, you would want the attorneys to use your services for the bankruptcy petition preparation.

The problem with contacting the Trustee’s and offering your services is that they are already making $900 per petition. I doubt they would want to give up $300 or $400 to you when they don’t know you or your level of expertise.

QUESTION:

Victoria: Do you plan to do any more seminars this year? I know you have been sick and almost died in the hospital just recently. How are you feeling? (Pam)

ANSWER:

Pam: Thanks for asking. I have almost fully recovered. There is still some infection in my body and as soon as it clears out, I will be ready to “rock and roll” again. As far as the seminars: You bet! I can’t wait to get back out there training again. But as you may have read in previous articles, during my hospitalization, Gloria Joyce and Angie Boyd broke into my home and stole over $15,000 in money and assets. They also stole the money from the 713Training business account and merchant account. When I came home from the hospital, I had a total of $68 to start with again. It will take a few months to build up money in the business to be able to travel again, so I plan to offer seminars in the Columbus, Ohio area first. I will take the money from those seminars and hopefully start traveling to other cities in late summer or early fall.

In the meantime, the three people who signed up for the training seminars in January will be compensated by one-on-one training. I feel so bad for these people and I want to give them much more than their money’s worth. No one even contacted them when I was admitted to the emergency room and went into a coma. Since it was no fault of their own, I will make sure they are compensated fully.

COMMENT:

Thanks Victoria! We do appreciate all the helpful hints you have given so that we can get our business lives up and moving. We are seeing quite a few notary signings, and have you to thank for all the advice you have given on that. The Lord has been good to us, always, but especially as we make this transition from full time school jobs to retirement and part-time other work. And Victoria, I can’t tell you how nice it is to be associated with someone who gives God the glory for all that has come, and shares the message of salvation to all. Your mission has touched so many, and you may never know how many people come to know our Lord as their savior through your work.

If you get to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, please let us know. I would love to have lunch or dinner with you! (Kathy)

REPLY:

Thank you Kathy for your email. People like you are what keep me going. Even during my recent illness and hospital stay, I have had 100s of people send me emails and get-well cards telling me that they are praying for me. It is nice to know there are a lot of Christians out there who love the Lord. In Noah’s day, he and his family were the only ones on the planet that loved God. Can you imagine that? We are so blessed to have a world filled with good Christians and lovers of Jesus Christ. We should thank God daily for this privilege.

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