Occasionally, our clients are surprised with how much work that goes into filing a Bankruptcy case and with how much effort they need to put in to complete the initial filings.  This is simply one of the unavoidable trade-offs for the benefits of a Bankruptcy filing.  The Schedules that have to be filed in every case require a list of all real property (including the value), the names and address of all creditors, a monthly budget, and other information concerning the client’s assets, liabilities and finances.  Our office will generally double check the public records to review deeds and  lawsuits and we normally check Zillow.com for approximate values of homes.  However, our clients must do the bulk of the work in gathering the names and address of creditors, creating a budget, providing historical financial information to the extent necessary, and reviewing the drafts of the Schedules in detail.  We certainly help as much as we can and provide tips on how to gather the information (including getting free credit reports) but the only people who can provide these details are our clients.  In Chapter 7 cases, completing the Schedules is often the most time consuming part of the case and once they are filed it is smooth sailing.  Chapter 13 cases require a little more work, but if the Schedules are complete the other tasks often fall into place.