Common Questions related to Virtual Bankruptcy Assistants

What exactly is a "Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant" (VBA)?
A Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant can either be a bankruptcy assistant or paralegal that provides legal support to bankruptcy attorneys. Or the (VBA) can be an legal administrative assistant that is capable of performing a variety of administrative tasks, such as Notary service, speaking with clients and has specialty in legal document preparation of bankruptcy petitions. Virtual bankruptcy assistants (VBAs) provide such services from a remote location with the aid of technology such as the Internet, email, fax and remote access systems. A Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant is retained as an independent contractor, not an employee, on an as-needed basis. He or she is paid a flat fee for each bankruptcy petition completed, which saves the law firm / attorney the costs that are incurred when hiring in-house employees, (i.e., benefits, vacation pay, taxes, and paid sick time).

How can a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant (VBA) help you?
Before the new changes in bankruptcy law, the bankruptcy petition was considered a data entry job. At the heart of any bankruptcy practice is the bankruptcy petition. A Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant (attorney assistant) works diligently to keep bankruptcy law firms up-to-date and to streamline the workflow. They can help when in-house paralegal have an overflow of work or assist a lawyer just getting started with a backlog of cases and who is not financially ready for a full time bankruptcy paralegal. A VBA's knowledge base, experience and Notary services can save you time and money!

Are virtual bankruptcy assistants (VBAs) violators of UPL?
This current trend of attorneys not seeing the value in utilizing virtual bankruptcy assistant services is changing as attorneys learn that professional legal VBAs are an integral part of a law firm practice.

How Can a Virtual bankruptcy assistant help me?
On October 17, 2005 the laws of the BAPCPA’s became effective. Due to the imprecise language utilized by Congress and other drafting issues that didn’t clearly articulate Congressional intent on, the new law poses greater interpretive challenges for courts and attorneys than existed under the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. Due to these issues, the high- level skill of a professional trained virtual bankruptcy assistant is needed to draft a well-detailed petition.

What are the education and certification requirements for a Virtual bankruptcy assistant?
The Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant Certification was developed by Vikki Watanabe, the developer of the Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant industry in 2007. This certification was developed to accurately measure the skills of virtual bankruptcy assistants and ensures comprehensive understanding about, as well as commitment to the highest standards and code of ethics in our industry.

* To uphold the trust placed in me by the attorney(s);
* To maintain a professional manner suitable to the position I hold;
* To treat each individual fairly and equally, with kindness and respect;
* To always be satisfied that the attorney(s)understand(s) the contents of my services to be executed before proceeding;
* To not betray the confidence of any attorney(s)and/or individual;
* To never divulge the contents of any bankruptcy petition nor the facts of those documents;
* To keep informed of the law regarding the jurisdiction which the bankruptcy petition is filed (under the direct supervision of the bankruptcy attorney;
* To exercise extreme care to insure that the bankruptcy petition documents are kept in a safe place and returned to the attorney(s) upon request;
* To always conduct myself and perform my duties in a manner which will bring credit to me, my position, and the AAVBA.

What are the benefits of having a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant (VBA)?
The time you need to speed in the interviewing process with your client is reduced. Your virtual bankruptcy assistant handles preparation of bankruptcy petitions, which allows you to focus on building your business. Your VBA also takes care of the majority of client phone calls. All bankruptcy petitions are backup via electronic methods. And if any issues arise, your virtual bankruptcy assistant will notify you before the petition is filed.

What Forms do I need to have?
Our Attorney clients would need to have a set of Bankruptcy Client Intake Forms for each bankruptcy client you have. (Provided to you for debtor(s) to fill out).

Refer to our handy Intake Form Guide on how to make use of the intake.

For Unincorporated Self-Employed, Professionals, and Business Cases, refer to our Business Checklist when needed.