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If you’ve made a decision to declare personal bankruptcy, you may be tempted to do so without the assistance of a lawyer.

After all, if you’re considering personal bankruptcy in the first place, you probably don’t have much extra money to be spending on legal fees. With this in mind, should you try to file bankruptcy without a lawyer?

I certainly would not recommend it. Why shouldn’t you try to go it alone in order to save as much money as possible? You are, after all, declaring bankruptcy because your finances are in a mess, right? Well, the truth is that this procedure has become more difficult to accomplish in recent years due to the bankruptcy reform law that was adopted in 2005. The law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush added some restrictions which seek to eliminate abuse of the bankruptcy system.

One of the major changes in the recent bankruptcy reform law was the means test, which tries to look at your income and expenses to determine your need for bankruptcy.

If your salary is lower than the median income for your state, then you don’t even have to bother with taking this test. However, if your income is higher than the median, you’ll be subjected to a more rigorous process before you are allowed to wipe out your debts.

You will have to prove that you are unable to pay by showing all your financial documents that describe your income and expenses. There are many technical details involved, and this is why you definitely need a lawyer by your side guiding you through the process.

You may hear from friends or family members that they successfully managed to declare personal bankruptcy without a lawyer. However, chances are that they went through the process a while back. Keep in mind that things have gotten much tougher since 2005 when Congress passed the bankruptcy reform act.

Don’t take chances with such a big decision for your financial future and the security of your family. Speak to a good bankruptcy lawyer to help you make the right decision regarding bankruptcy and to guide you through the entire process.