Determine your comfort level with the bankruptcy procedure. If you feel you can represent yourself with the trustee or that your bankruptcy is not that complex you may be safe simply consulting an attorney to have your petition prepared and representing yourself from that point. Most people would rather have representation throughout the entire process and the additional expense is minimal. It does cost money to file bankruptcy, but my firm has the most lenient payment plans and other suggestions to help fund your representation. We will work with you to set up a payment plan with a low down payment to get you started. Bankruptcy lawyers work with bankruptcy every day and as such are better suited to help your through the bankruptcy process.