Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Principles

Mastering Chapter 7 petition drafting is a solid foundation for Chapter 13 — most forms and schedules carry over directly. But Chapter 13 has critical differences that every VBA, paralegal, BPP, legal assistant, and attorney must understand before taking on Chapter 13 work.

Many bankruptcy assistants — and even some attorneys — avoid Chapter 13 work because they don't understand how the petition and Plan need to be structured for the court to confirm it. Since roughly 40% of consumer bankruptcy filings are Chapter 13, that's real income left on the table for anyone only skilled in Chapter 7.