Responding to the overwhelming need to provide assistance to pro se debtors, (people who file bankruptcy without a lawyer,) the Court has allowed lawyers to file limited appearances in a debtor’s case. Specifically, Standing Order 09-01 states a that “…an attorney representing, without compensation, an otherwise pro se debtor may file a limited appearance setting forth the specific contested matter or adversarial proceeding in which the attorney appears and may decline representation of that debtor in other matters or proceedings…”
The Order supports the position that pro se bankruptcy debtors are generally better with legal representation, even if only for a portion of their case. Prior to this Order, an attorney providing volunteer services may have been inclined to shy away from representing someone in a bankruptcy because once an appearance was filed, the attorney was then obligated to assist the attorney for all aspects of the case, regardless of how complex the matter became.
by: Justin H. Dion, Esq.
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