713Bankruptcy.Com's Blog

I am so excited to tell you about the upcoming September and October Chapter 13 and Bankruptcy Marketing Seminars.  There is nothing else like them that exists and we have a host of testimonials to verify it.  I would like to invite you to one, two, or all four of them.  See below:

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Training Seminar
Place:  Denver, Colorado
Date: September 25, 2009
More Info:  http://www.713training.com/workshop/seminar_01.html

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Training Seminar
PLEASE REGISTER EARLY: LIMIT OF 25 ATTENDEES TO ALLOW FOR MAXIMUM INDIVIDUAL TRAINING
Place: Los Angeles, California
Date: October 30, 2009
More Info: http://www.713training.com/workshop/seminar_03.html

Bankruptcy Marketing Seminar
Place: Denver, Colorado
Date: September 26, 2009
More Info:  http://www.713training.com/workshop/seminar_02.html

Bankruptcy Marketing Seminar
Place: Los Angeles, California
Date: October 31, 2009
More Info:  http://www.713training.com/workshop/seminar_04.html

MONEY SAVING OFFER FOR DENVER SEMINAR

SAVE $550.00: Attorney Matthew Williamson will be speaking at the Denver Bankruptcy Marketing Seminar. This is the ONLY seminar priced at this “Introductory” rate.  If you sign up to attend for $350.00 you are immediately saving $350.00.  If you attend both the Chapter 13 Training Seminar and the Bankruptcy Marketing Seminar you will save an additional $150.00; providing you with an overall savings of $500.00 when you attend both seminars in Denver, Colorado.

To obtain your discount, select the Marketing Seminar on the PULL DOWN menu at:
http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=100

To save an additional $24.90, join the NAVBA before placing your order.  After joining, you will login and get your Discount Code.  The Discount Code is used during checkout for the immediate 10 Percent Discount.
Visit: http://navba.org/JoinNAVBA

MONEY SAVING OFFER FOR LOS ANGELES SEMINAR

SAVE $150.00: Sign up to attend both the Chapter 13 Training Seminar and the Bankruptcy Marketing Seminar.

To obtain your discount, select the Marketing Seminar on the PULL DOWN menu at:
http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=104

To save an additional $32.50, join the NAVBA before placing your order.  After joining, you will login and get your Discount Code.  The Discount Code is used during checkout for the immediate 10 Percent Discount.
Visit: http://navba.org/JoinNAVBA

CONTACT US:

If you have any questions before signing up to attend the seminar, please provide us with your contact information at:

http://www.713training.com/contact.html

and we will contact you as soon as possible.

To view photos of the recent Chapter 13 Seminar visit:

http://www.713training.com/workshop/los_angeles_2009/index.html

I understand that there is a great deal of confusion over which bankruptcy software program a law firm should buy and which one a virtual bankruptcy assistant should buy.  In order to help address these concerns, I am writing this article to help you.

From 1990 to about 2006, it did not matter if you were an attorney or a non-attorney; you could purchase just about any bankruptcy software program you wanted.  Back then, bankruptcy petition preparers were alive and well in almost every state.  In case you were not around back then, bankruptcy petition preparers were people who filled out the forms of the bankruptcy petition and worked directly with the debtor; no attorney was involved. They charged a really low fee and normally did a poor job.  Their inefficiency cost debtors and courts millions of dollars. In fact, many debtors lost homes and other assets due to the poor skills of bankruptcy petition preparers.  This is one reason I had for developing 713Training.Com.  I wanted to stop the madness and bring professional level skills to the law firms.

What eventually happened to bankruptcy petition preparers?  When the bankruptcy law changed in 2005, many bankruptcy petition preparers were out of business by 2006.  Under the new bankruptcy law, a Means Test had to be filed with the petition and the Means Test calculations could only be done by an attorney.  Bankruptcy petition preparers were often singled out by the court and fined large fees when they tried to prepare the Means Test or select exemptions on Schedule C.  In fact, one lady called and said she was fined $40,000 in the state of Oregon for unauthorized practice of law.  She then tried to file bankruptcy to get the debt discharged but the court demanded it be classified as a Schedule E Priority debt that had to be repaid 100%.

It was around this time that some of the bankruptcy software companies became more selective about who purchased their software.  And they had good cause to take these precautions.  However, where the problem comes in today, is when an independent virtual bankruptcy assistant, working under the direction of a bankruptcy attorney, is not permitted to purchase the software they need to legally work for their attorney.  For example, in many instances, attorneys may not purchase bankruptcy software but depend on their virtual bankruptcy assistant to prepare and file all their cases.  This means the virtual bankruptcy assistant is left to purchase his or her own software.  If the software companies will not sell to them, what are they supposed to do?

To confuse the matter even more, some bankruptcy software programs allow non-attorneys to purchase their software but they are prevented from electronically filing a bankruptcy petition.  The only way they can electronically file a petition for their attorney is to operate under the software license of the attorney.  But this can cause a problem if the virtual bankruptcy assistant is using EZFiling but the attorney is using Collier Top Form.

Still there are other variances with software companies: some will not even sell you a copy of their software unless you are a law firm or licensed attorney.  The non-attorney can download free versions of their software but the attorney is the one that must purchased the software license.  Then, the attorney can turn around and grant a free license to anyone who works for him or her.

Where Does the Madness End?

Personally, I think the software companies have developed an unnecessary mess.  Who cares who purchases their software?  They are in business to make a profit, right?  What is the big deal anyway?  To date, I have talked to people in charge at many different software companies and I have yet to get an answer to this specific question that makes any sense.

However, since I do not own these bankruptcy software companies and I do not have the power to tell them what to do, I have to suffer just like you do.  Here are three options you may want to consider:

1.   Frederick Rogovy is the software developer for New Hope Software.  New Hope Software is the only software company that provides special services to virtual bankruptcy assistants.  To view the features available to help virtual bankruptcy assistants who use New Hope Software, visit:
http://bankruptcysoftware.com/virtualassistantfeatures.shtml

However, as of this date, New Hope will not sell a copy of their software to a non-attorney. The attorney must make the purchase and then provide the virtual bankruptcy assistant with the registration information to unlock their non-attorney version.  (Unnecessary complication?  I think so.)

2.  If you are just getting started as a virtual bankruptcy assistant, you may not need to spend any money buying bankruptcy software right now.  You can continue using demo versions of the different software programs.  Then, when you start working for an attorney, use the software the attorney is using.

3.  Learn the old-fashioned way:  Download the Federal and Local Forms from the bankruptcy court website within your jurisdiction and fill them out.  When you download them, they are free and they come as a form-fillable PDF.  A link to all the US Bankruptcy Courts, local rules and forms, is at:
http://www.713attorney.com/links/forms.html
Also check out the other bankruptcy links at:
http://713attorney.com/links/

I realize this method will take the most time to prepare a bankruptcy petition, but there is no cost whatsoever in purchasing bankruptcy software.  Electronic filing will be done entirely through PACER.

Is 713Training.Com Still Planning to Develop a Bankruptcy Software?

Several months ago I had mentioned in an article that I was considering hiring a software developer to develop a software program specifically for virtual bankruptcy assistants.  However, after going through several bid proposals it would cost us upwards of $200,000.00 to fulfill this dream.  Therefore, I had to abandon the idea.  Unless I had the time to spend marketing to investors to obtain this large sum of money, I had to come up with a different plan.  But stay tuned; we are considering other ideas.

Summary

Although in my training materials, I use Best Case to train with, it is because this software has shown to reduce the learning curve and make training easier to comprehend.  However, just because students train with Best Case, after they learn the basic skills; they can use ANY software program they want.  I know one Certified VBA (Linda Rantz at www.rantz.biz) who uses all the bankruptcy software programs out there.  She said it is the only way she can be assured to be compatible with any attorney she works for.  Sounds good to me.

Victoria Ring
Certified Paralegal and CEO
http://www.713training.com
http://www.713attorney.com
http://www.713bankruptcy.com
http://www.navba.org

I have had a wonderful week doing eight (8) bankruptcy petition reviews.  One of the reviews I worked on involved a case that is a very typical in bankruptcy today and I thought I would share it with you.

What do you do when a debtor has very little income but he or she is 20 months behind on their mortgage?  Some attorneys do not take the case in the first place.  Other attorneys take the case but in order to save the home, change Schedule I and J so that a Chapter 7 debtor turns into a Chapter 13. Other attorneys will advise the client to surrender their home and get a fresh start in a Chapter 7.  As a paralegal, my job is not to tell you what to do, but rather, present you with the different options so you can make your own decision.

Case in Review

The debtor is a woman drawing $1,873.00 per month in a pension and $829.00 in social security income; giving her a total monthly income of $2,702.00 per month.  Her monthly mortgage payment is $4,225.00 and she is 20 months behind in her mortgage.

When this debtor first retained the attorney she said she wanted to surrender her home; so the attorney prepared a Chapter 7 (which the Means Test qualified her for.)  When the debtor came back to the office to sign her paperwork she changed her mind and decided to keep the home.  At this point, the attorney had several choices:

1.  The attorney could find out why the debtor changed her mind and offer positive reasons for the debtor to surrender her property.  This would keep the debtor in a Chapter 7 and no further work would need to be done.

2.  The attorney could lower the debtor’s expenses on Schedule J or increase the income on Schedule I (or both) so that the debtor qualifies for a Chapter 13 and can make the Plan payment.  But this would involve charging the client more money (which would be paid up front or inside the Plan); plus the attorney and staff would have many more hours of work that would need to be done before the petition could be filed.

3.  The attorney could order a recent appraisal; call the mortgage company and attempt to negotiate the debt down; and hopefully, get the arrearages eliminated or added to the back of the loan.  Many mortgage companies will consider these requests if they know they can avoid the debtor filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy (where they receive their money over a longer period of time.)  Or, if the mortgage company will not play ball properly, the attorney can file a Chapter 13 and propose a Plan with the arrearages stripped.  Utilizing this method will force the mortgage company to enter into litigation, which is something they do not enjoy either.

If the mortgage company and attorney reach an agreement, the attorney could then still file a Chapter 7 for the debtor because the only reason the debtor needs to file a Chapter 13 in the first place, is due to the arrearages on the house.  If the debtor had not been neglectful in allowing the debt to get this far behind, she would not be in this situation.  Besides, she cannot continue to afford paying $4,225 per month at her present income.  Getting the Chapter 13 Plan to balance in a scenario like this is a nightmare.

Lesson to Be Learned

The scenario described above is the reason the attorney sent me this particular petition for review.  She could not get the Chapter 13 Plan to balance.  Therefore, you need to remember that if you are working on a bankruptcy petition and the debtor is really close to the line between qualifying for a Chapter 7 and needing to file a Chapter 13, you are going to have problems when you try to balance out the Chapter 13 Plan.  This just goes to show you how precise it has become to prepare a bankruptcy petition.  The work that goes into each bankruptcy petition is not simply ‘filling in the blanks’ as some of the old-fashioned attorneys tend to believe.  Instead, the proper preparation of a bankruptcy petition is the foundation for the entire bankruptcy case.

Do You Need a Bankruptcy Petition Reviewed?

It does not matter what bankruptcy software program you use.  We can review a PDF of your petition but if changes need to be made, you will have to make them.  If you have Best Case or Bankruptcy 2009 we can pull in your actual case file and make changes for you during the review.  Bankruptcy petition review services are designed for both attorneys and virtual bankruptcy assistants.

To obtain information about other training products available to you, visit:
http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_list&c=11

The questions below are emailed to us from bankruptcy attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants and virtual bankruptcy assistants working under the direction of attorneys. The answers are provided by Victoria Ring, a non-attorney with 32 years of legal experience.

Question:

A client of mine pulled out money from a 401k and wants to pay her child’s college tuition.  $40,000.  Is this a preference if paid directly to the institution? Directly to the kid? Any way around it?

Answer:

Either way, the Trustee may allow or not allow the expenditure since it for the son’s college tuition.  If the debtor took the $40,000 and paid it on the debts he owes, there would be no problem.  But creditors have a hard time accepting the fact that they are owed money and they think they should be paid first.

Example: I owe you $200.  A friend of mine paid me $1,000 but instead of paying you back the $200 I owe you, I gave it to my son for groceries.  How would you feel?

Perhaps the debtor could take a portion of the $40,000 and use some of it to help her son and some of it to pay on her debts (the priority ones of course.)  This is just another angle to consider.

The problem began because the debtor cashed in his 401K. Many people do this before filing bankruptcy but it is the worst thing they could do. Under California exemption codes, the 401K was probably totally exempt.  It would have survived the bankruptcy and never touched by the creditors. Because the debtor ignored that and cashed in the 401K instead, he is obligated to use the money to pay his debts, rather than filing bankruptcy and using the money for whatever he chooses.

Question:

I received a response from the attorney that I interviewed with.  The reason I am sending it to you is because I don’t understand what he means by “fee sharing” and I also don’t understand how he came up with the figures he did.  I was really disappointed to get his email turning my work done.  I tried so hard but I guess not hard enough.  Anyhow, your input is really appreciated.

Answer:

This attorney must really be from the “old ages.”  Sharing fees simply means that the money paid by the debtor must solely be used for paying licensed attorneys for representation.   The attorney thinks that you are taking this fee and sharing it with him like an attorney would who is called in for legal advice on a case.  Call him back.  Explain to him that you are working for THE ATTORNEY, not the debtor. You are not representing anyone and you are not pretending to impersonate an attorney. The debtor pays the attorney. The attorney pays you.  Simple.  It is the same thing as if the attorney hired you to take a deposition, fix his or her copy machine or do some research to help him or her on a case.

The attorney is totally off base and it is up to you to educate him or move on.  If he still does not get it, FORGET ABOUT IT.  Do not stress about it.  Instead, find an attorney who at least lives in the 21st Century so you can at least be able to work together and not become the Computer Training Instructor.  It is not your fault that this attorney did not keep up with technology.  You would be taking on too much if you work with him, so be content in the fact that bad things often happen for good reasons.

Question:

First of all, thank you for the recent emails with specific information for completing petitions.  When I was recently contacted by attorneys from Salem, Massachusetts and Wichita, Kansas I was curious to learn how they found me (they couldn’t give me specifics). I use Google Analytics to track my website statistics and discovered that 48 people have linked to my website from NAVBA and 713training.com, and spent an average of 5 minutes 32 seconds on my site with a 0% bounce rate! Wow! I’m thrilled my membership is giving me those great results. (Bounce rate means the visitor left the site after viewing the first page only.)

By the way, both attorneys have committed to working with me. The Massachusetts attorney is adding bankruptcy to his practice. He had contacted several VBAs, but I was the only one who picked up the phone to talk to him (the others replied by email).

The Kansas attorney wants to increase his cases from 45-50 a year to 150-200 a year. He needs an assistant that can keep track of all the details so he can spend time marketing and traveling. We’ll be talking again in a few days to work out the details. And it didn’t hurt that I grew up in Kansas. . .

Thanks, Victoria! (’m still interested in working as your intern and hope you’ll have something for me soon.)

Reply:

Wow!!  I am SO HAPPY for you.  If you do not mind, I would like to publish your email in an upcoming newsletter. It will do well in encouraging others who are struggling with this business.

It is also good to know that the link to 713Training is benefiting you on the search engines.  This is one reason I recently switched over to Wild Apricot to run our NAVBA website.  They provide much better search engine optimization than Bummer Hosting could provide.  Your page rankings should escalate more now.

Increase your bankruptcy web site rankings and statistics, join the NAVBA:
http://navba.org/JoinNAVBA

Email from a LinkedIn Member

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am currently involved with the teaching CDs, and I am learning so much. Your teaching makes it so easy to learn. Also I live only 15 miles from a Federal court house so I plan to sit in on some bankruptcy cases and hopefully make some contacts there.

Note from Victoria Ring

Thanks everyone. Keep those questions coming so we can help to educate others and improve the skills of law firms nationwide.

Check out our training and marketing seminars at:
http://www.713training.com/workshop

The Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Training Seminar was held at the Hacienda Hotel in El Sugundo; a suburb of Los Angeles, California on August 14, 2009. This was the first bankruptcy seminar we have done in California and it was a great success.  A total of 44 were in attendance.

The First Order of Business

Cheri and Victoria began the seminar by meeting with the attendees and distributing the seminar training materials as well as name badges.  We were pleased to have more attorneys present at this seminar than previous seminars.  The group consisted of 65% attorneys and 35% non attorneys.

Check out the photos at:
http://www.713training.com/workshop/los_angeles_2009/

This excellent mix provided the VBAs in attendance with an excellent marketing angle.  Working side by side with attorneys throughout the day, the VBAs had a unique opportunity to personally get to know them and form a good work ethic.  In many cases, VBAs exchanged information with attorneys, who said they were going to hire VBAs.  Even the attorneys who already had an employed paralegal were interested in hiring VBAs for their Chapter 13 petitions and continue using their hired staff for Chapter 7s.  Most attorneys, once they weight the financial benefits, will hire VBAs for their Chapter 13s because it saves them a great deal of time and money.

When we saw this unique opportunity take place right before our eyes, Matthew Williamson (an attorney who specializes in marketing) suggested we hold a two day seminar.  The first day would be for Chapter 13 training and the second day would be for marketing.  I became very excited about this idea because it will do absolute wonders for VBAs who need to market to attorneys and attorneys will be able to grow their bankruptcy law practice.

When I returned from Denver I jumped in and get the ball rolling.  I have secured a meeting room at the Crystal Inn here in Denver, Colorado and Matthew and I plan to hold the seminar on September 25 and 26, 2009.  The Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Training Seminar will be held on September 25 and the Marketing Seminar on September 26.

New Marketing Seminars

There is no better method of learning about marketing than from someone (just like you) that has learned from the School of Hard Knocks and lived to tell about it.  Matthew Williamson is that kind of man.  He began his career as a paralegal back in the early 1990s. After 10 years or so, he attended law school and is now owns his own law firm.  Matthew learned from the ground up what worked and what didn’t work in marketing a law firm.  When you attend the seminar, Matthew will share all his insider tips and techniques with you.

Additionally, Victoria Ring will provide a session on marketing specifically for virtual bankruptcy assistants.  However, the information Victoria provides to non-attorneys will still be beneficial to attorneys.  As you will learn to understand, marketing is marketing.  If you learn the basic steps to marketing a law firm, you will be able to market anything.  In other words, the skills you learn in this Marketing Seminar will benefit in your business as well as personal life.

To find out more about the seminars, visit:
http://www.713training.com/workshop/

To sign up for the Marketing Seminar, visit:
http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=103

SAVE $150.00.  SIGN UP FOR BOTH SEMINARS
http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=100
Click on the drop down box to add the Marketing Seminar for only $200.00

Seminar Summary

Overall, we received an excellent response from the attorneys and non attorneys who attended the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Training Seminar.  It was wonderful to meet so many new attorneys as well as some of my old friends.  Sid Findley, Gary Ostad and Susan Guinn are all Certified VBAs who attended.  They have stayed with me throughout my career and I treasure their friendship dearly.   I also had the pleasure of meeting and working with two new attorneys to the field of bankruptcy: Darren Manibog and Dina Farhat.  Both have previous law experience and transitioning them to bankruptcy was not very difficult at all.

One of the benefits I provide to attendees at my seminars is two months of ongoing training and support after they return back to the office.  I need to do this in order to do my job properly.  Why? Because every bankruptcy petition is unique.  It would be impossible to cover every possible scenario in the seminar so the two months of ongoing support is necessary to implement and utilize the skills taught at the seminar.  After returning back to my office, I have already provided this support for 8 attorneys who attended.

There are so many positive benefits to attending our seminars that I guarantee it to be one of the best investments you will make in your career or law firm. I hope you can attend the next one.

Call 614-323-8131 if you have any questions about the seminars or visit:
http://www.713training.com/workshop

Prior to recessing, Senator Whitehouse (Democrat-Rhode Island) introduced S. 1624, designed to amend Title 11 of the Bankruptcy Code to provide protection for medical debt homeowners; to restore bankruptcy protections for individuals experiencing economic distress while serving as caregivers to ill, injured or disabled family members; and to exempt debtors whose financial problems were caused by serious medical problems from means testing.

Note: This is a Bill in the U.S. Congress originating in the Senate (“S.”). A bill must be passed by both the Senate and House and then be signed by the President before it becomes law. Bill numbers restart from 1 every two years. Each two year cycle is called a session of Congress. This bill was created in the 111th Congress, in 2009-2010.  The titles of Bills are written by the Bill’s sponsor and are a part of the legislation itself.

Comment by Victoria Ring (a non-attorney):

At this time, there is nothing to be alarmed at with the introduction of this Bill.  The Bill will still go through any number of changes before it is approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and sent to the President for signing.

The purpose of providing you with this information is so that you will have advance notice of what may be <coming down the pike>.  As we have discussed before, many bankruptcy courts are considering the Means Test to be more of a pain than what it is worth.  Even if someone fails the Means Test and qualifies for a Chapter 13, their current income may qualify them for a Chapter 7 (or vice versa.)  Because of this, many Trustees are going back to the old method of using Schedule I and J as the determining factor between a Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 and using the Means Test as the secondary authority rather than the primary authority for which it was originally intended.

The passing of this Bill would be the first step in the direction of eliminating the Means Test in the future. By excluding income and expenses from it (based upon certain criteria such as medical debt for homeowners,) the Means Test will definitely lose its effectiveness and be placed as a permanent secondary authority.

Remember, this is just my opinion and perspective. If you are interested in this topic, do your own research so you can form your own opinion.

Victoria Ring
Certified Paralegal
http://www.713training.com
http://www.713attorney.com

This morning an attorney contacted me about a problem he was having with getting his Chapter 13 Plan to balance.  I had him email me the petition so I could pull it into the software program and hopefully figure out what the problem was.

The solution turned out to be very simple.  This attorney was making the same mistake other attorneys make.  Therefore, I decided to write this short article to help other bankruptcy attorneys and virtual bankruptcy assistants not duplicate this same mistake and learn from the errors of others.

Understanding the Role of the Means Test

The first step is to understand that the Means Test is a completely different animal compared to the Chapter 13 Plan.  In fact, the Means Test has nothing to do with the Chapter 13 Plan.  The only purpose of the Means Test is to determine (according to IRS income and expense guidelines) if a debtor qualifies to file a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.  In order for the Means Test to make this determination, it needs to know the income and expenses of the debtor.

Solving the Attorneys Problem

The attorney who called me this morning had made the mistake of not understanding what the Means Test really was.  On both the mortgage and the two automobiles, he had checked the box to EXCLUDE the debts from the Means Test.  This means that the Means Test had made no allowance for the home and cars the debtor owned.  Of course this threw off the entire petition in relation to the other income and expenses also.  In fact, it was so far off that the debtor was shown to file a Chapter 13.

After UNCHECKING the box and allowing the mortgage and automobile debts to be included IN the Means Test, the problem was immediately solved.  In fact, this easy change made such a difference in the case that the debtors now qualified for a Chapter 7.  This saved them over $112,000 instead of being stuck paying $112,000 back over a period of 60 months.

Lesson to Be Learned

Never exclude a debt from the Means Test unless the debtor is surrendering the asset. The purpose of the Means Test is to calculate 6 months of average expenses. If the debtor will no longer be making payments on a particular debt, there is no reason for it to be included on the Means Test as an average and ongoing monthly expense.

Do You Have a Problem Case?

713Training.Com and 713Attorney.Com provides high quality, Bankruptcy Petition Reviews for only $59.99.  Some attorneys prepay us for 5 or 10 petition reviews and use our service to review all their petitions before filing them in court.  Attorneys find that by having us review their Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions, they save time and money.  They also have Chapter 13 Plans that are confirmed quicker and an increased rate in the number of debtors who stay in their Plan.

To schedule a Bankruptcy Petition Review:
http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=86

Additional links to help you:

http://www.713training.com
http://www.713attorney.com
http://www.713bankruptcy.com
http://www.713training.com/workshop
http://www.713training.com/shop
http://www.navba.org

Locate a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant in your area
http://navba.org/FindaVBA

Attorneys will use this directory to locate virtual bankruptcy assistants in their area. Virtual bankruptcy assistants will use this directory to network with other virtual bankruptcy assistants in their area. Bookmark this web page now.

To find a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant in your area, begin typing your ZIP CODE in the search box. You DO NOT NEED TO TYPE IN THE FULL ZIP CODE to find Virtual Bankruptcy Assistants in your area. You may also search by STATE by typing the first 2-3 letters of your state name in the search box.

To find a specific NAVBA member, click on ADVANCED SEARCH and search for the Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant by a wide range of search criteria.

WANT TO BE LISTED IN THIS DIRECTORY FREE?

Join the NAVBA and gain immediate access to $1,500 of products and services for members only. Upon joining, you will be listed in the VBA Directory at no charge for the entire length of your NAVBA membership.
Visit http://navba.org/JoinNAVBA
Check out the member benefits here: http://navba.org/MemberBenefits

BONUS:

As soon as you join, you will be entitled to save 10% on all future purchases of bankruptcy training products and services offered at http://www.713training.com/shop

The amount of your discounts often exceeds the cost of your membership. It is a fantastic deal for those interested in growing their businesses in the virtual bankruptcy assistant field.

Victoria Ring
Founder of the National Association of Virtual Bankruptcy Assistants
http://www.navba.org

UPDATE ON CHAPTER 13 TRAINING SEMINAR

Last week I announced that we only had 8 seats left for the Chapter 13 Seminar Training in Los Angeles on August 14. We are happy to report that we have exceeded that number. Therefore, in order to provide everyone with an opportunity to attend, we called the hotel and were fortunate enough to upgrade to a larger room. Normally, alternative rooms are not available on such short notice, so I thank the hotel staff for making adjustments for our group.

This means that we will have plenty of room for you. The details are:

Date: August 14, 2009
Place: Hacienda Hotel, 525 N. Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo CA 90245
More Information: http://713training.com/seminar/
To Register: http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=100

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEMINAR

** Attorney Matthew Williamson will be attending. He will be able to provide us with answers to questions specifically pertaining to local California codes and regulations.

** Over 50% of the registrants attending this seminar are bankruptcy attorneys. If you are a virtual bankruptcy assistant, this seminar would be excellent for you to attend. You will be working with attorneys all day and be able to network with them, plus learn from them in the process.

** Attorneys who are attending the seminar will be able to: (1) Prepare their own Chapter 13 petitions; (2) Handle the needs of a higher level of clientele; (3) Have a better working knowledge so they can work with their office staff and virtual bankruptcy assistants in a more productive manner.

** Professionals who attend this seminar will be working together in class on a California bankruptcy petition. This hands on class develops a wide range of new skills that will be carried throughout the professionals’ career in the debtor bankruptcy field.

** All attendees are able to interact at all times with the instructor. This way, as attendees are working through the class exercises, they can ask questions on the fly which also benefits others in the group.

** All attendees are encouraged to work on class exercises together. In the bankruptcy world, people need to learn how to build skills by working with others throughout the court system. Not only will the attendees at the seminar be in a position to form long term business relationships with other attendees, but build essential people skills in working together as a group and listening to other ideas.

The Chapter 13 Training Seminar is unlike any other training seminar you have attended. It is guaranteed to be the best learning tool if you are seeking to advance into the Chapter 13 arena.

I hope to see meet and work with you next week.

Victoria Ring

More Information: http://713training.com/seminar/
To Register: http://www.713training.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=100