Over the last 10 years the Internet has become an invaluable resource even when it comes to filing bankruptcy. When an individual is having financial difficulties the first place they will look for advice is on the world wide web. The Internet has a wealth of information about bankruptcy filing and what's required to file. This gives an individual a jumping off point to start their research on whether or not they should file for bankruptcy. After getting educated on the bankruptcy process, they should have a bunch of questions to ask a bankruptcy attorney about their personal circumstances. This'll be one time the individual has to get off the computer and have a face-to-face with a bankruptcy attorney of their choice. If they decide to hire that attorney for filing bankruptcy next will be the information gathering time for the bankruptcy petition.

Once a bankruptcy petition is completed and ready to file, the bankruptcy attorney will file the petition electronically with the bankruptcy court. In today's Internet age, no longer does the debtor have to go down to the court house and file for bankruptcy in person. Now, with the technology there are web portals that allow a bankruptcy attorney to file electronically saving the time and expense of having to drive down there. Because of advances in the Internet, the only time the debtor will have to show up at court is for the 341 meeting or meeting of creditors. Since filing bankruptcy is a legal matter the creditors have a right to be able to question the debtor if necessary and that's why the debtor has to attend the meeting of creditors even if they have a bankruptcy attorney representing them.

With all the changes to the bankruptcy procedures because of technology most attorneys have gone paperless. Technically, all they need to save is the original signature pages. This is a dream come true for law offices. Using the Internet and computers the bankruptcy attorney prepares the schedules e-mails them over to the client to make any necessary changes then converts them to PDF and saves them on the computer. Most courts still require the bankruptcy filers to submit "wet" signature pages, not pages that have been signed, scanned and e-mailed.

When a bankruptcy attorney submits an electronic filing with the bankruptcy court they are certifying that they have the original documents and signatures of what they submitted electronically. If there are any revisions, the client is supposed to review and re-sign to incorporate the changes. Even though it's easier for a bankruptcy attorney to go paperless, by not keeping their originals there is a chance of getting sanctioned by the bankruptcy court. This whole process still saves a lot of time for the debtor filing bankruptcy and the bankruptcy attorney preparing the petition. But some things are best to be kept in the form of a physical document even if it takes up a bunch of space.

The author is a professional that formed FilingBankruptcyNow.Com which provides information for debtors considering filing bankruptcy under Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy and helps individuals stop foreclosure and eliminate their debt by putting them in touch with a local bankruptcy attorney.