• About the Clinic
• The Need for a Bankruptcy Clinic
• Volunteering
• Staff Contact

About the Clinic

Volunteer attorneys conduct seminars for individuals interested in filing personal bankruptcy to explain what bankruptcy can and cannot accomplish and the alternatives. After a group seminar, individuals who decide to file Chapter 7 bankruptcies and who qualify for free legal service are represented by one of the volunteer attorneys. Clinics are held every other month. More than 150 people attended clinics last year.

The Need for a Bankruptcy Clinic

Bankruptcy filings are continuing to rise. In 2002, 1.6 million households filed personal bankruptcy petitions, for a five-year cumulative total of 7.1 million petitions, representing about 7 percent of all US households. The Washington metropolitan area seems to have a higher-than-average number of bankruptcy petitions, a significant portion of which are filed pro se.

Those individuals most in need of representation are most likely the ones filing pro se petitions. Some of those filings may have been avoided if the petitioners were provided minimal counseling and advice. This course is designed to provide attorneys with the necessary tools to provide the community with the much-needed legal representation in this area.

Volunteering

Bankruptcy Clinic volunteers who are not experienced bankruptcy attorneys must attend one of the clinic’s twice-yearly training sessions. The training will feature a discussion on the basic skills used to interview a prospective client, prepare bankruptcy schedules, and represent a debtor through a Chapter 7 proceeding. Additional topics include a summary of the Fair Debt Collection Act summary; client interview procedures; case screening and evaluation; automatic stays; completion of schedules; exemptions; discharge provisions; and ethics and conflicts of interest. For more information or to register, view the list of upcoming trainings.

Staff Contact

For more information about the DC Bar Pro Bono Program Bankruptcy Clinic, including volunteer opportunities, please contact Dan Clark, managing attorney, at 202-737-4700, ext. 3354.