“Virtual bankruptcy assistant” is one of several names for the same job. Some firms search for a VBA, some for a virtual bankruptcy paralegal, some for a contract or freelance paralegal, and some just for outsourced petition preparation. The work underneath is identical: someone competent takes the document load off your desk and hands it back ready for your signature.
The word that causes trouble is “assistant.” A general virtual assistant can manage a calendar and chase documents. A general virtual assistant cannot build a means test, catch a transfer inside the look-back period, or draft a plan that survives a conduit district's local form. That is a different skill, and it is the only skill we have.
What we actually prepare
- Client intake and document-collection follow-up, so you are not chasing pay advices
- Means test calculation and Schedules A through J
- Statement of Financial Affairs and the required disclosures
- Creditor matrix and service lists, formatted to the district's local rules
- Chapter 13 plans, drafted to your district's local form or national Form 113
- Credit counseling and debtor education tracking
- CM/ECF filing and 341 meeting notice management
- Amendments, plan modifications, reaffirmations, and post-filing case management, hourly
The § 110 line, because it is the one that matters
A bankruptcy petition preparer under 11 U.S.C. § 110 is a non-attorney preparing documents directly for an unrepresented debtor. That role carries its own fee disclosure and signature obligations, and it is not what we do. We work for your firm. You are the attorney of record, the client is yours, and you review, sign, and file everything we prepare. We do not advise your client and we never take work directly from a debtor.
That separation is what keeps your supervision analysis clean under Model Rule 5.3 and its state equivalents. Because we are entirely U.S.-based, the offshore-disclosure question that Florida Ethics Opinion 07-2 walks through does not come up at all. More on supervision, ethics, and data security →
Flat per-case pricing, published
A personal Chapter 7 is $300 and a business Chapter 7 is $400. Chapter 13 is $400 without plan drafting or $500 with the plan drafted. Chapter 7 with extended case management through discharge is $410. An emergency skeleton petition to trigger the automatic stay is $175. Chapter 11 is $90 per hour, and one-off work is $70 per hour. The flat fee excludes the credit report and court filing fees.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual bankruptcy assistant?
A virtual bankruptcy assistant, or VBA, is a remote professional who prepares bankruptcy documents for a law firm: intake, the means test, Schedules A through J, the Statement of Financial Affairs, the creditor matrix, and the Chapter 13 plan. The attorney reviews, signs, and files. The term is used interchangeably with virtual bankruptcy paralegal, contract paralegal, and outsourced petition preparation.
Is a virtual bankruptcy assistant the same as a bankruptcy petition preparer?
No, and the difference matters. A bankruptcy petition preparer under 11 U.S.C. § 110 is a non-attorney who prepares documents directly for a pro se debtor, with fee disclosure and signature requirements that come with that role. A virtual bankruptcy assistant works for your firm, under your supervision. We work exclusively for licensed attorneys and law firms. We are not a § 110 petition preparer, we never work directly for a debtor, and we do not give legal advice.
Is a virtual assistant qualified to prepare a bankruptcy petition?
That depends entirely on who you hire, and it is the right question to ask. A general virtual assistant is not qualified to build a means test. Our paralegals do nothing but bankruptcy: no family law files, no personal injury, no split attention. Every case gets quality-control review before it reaches you, and our founder has more than 15 years in bankruptcy and mortgage default operations, on both the debtor and creditor side.
What does a virtual bankruptcy assistant cost?
We publish flat per-case rates instead of quoting hourly. A personal Chapter 7 is $300 and a business Chapter 7 is $400. Chapter 13 is $400 without plan drafting or $500 with the plan drafted. Chapter 11 is $90 per hour, and one-off work such as amendments is our $70 per hour general rate. There is no retainer, no monthly minimum, and nothing owed in a month you send us nothing.
Does a virtual bankruptcy assistant work in my software?
Ours do. We draft directly inside your own Best Case, Jubilee, or NextChapter account. Nothing is re-keyed and nothing comes back as a PDF for your staff to retype. You open the software you already use and the petition is there, ready to review and sign.
Is my client's data safe with a remote assistant?
Bankruptcy intake is the most sensitive file a consumer firm holds. We transfer and store documents through encrypted channels and do not accept or send client personal information as plain email attachments. Access is per matter, so the paralegal on your case does not have standing access to the rest of your file room. We sign a written confidentiality agreement before any file changes hands, run a conflict check on each new matter, and carry errors and omissions and cyber liability insurance.
Are you U.S.-based?
Yes, 100% U.S.-based, never offshore. That also means the offshore-disclosure analysis in Florida Ethics Opinion 07-2 and its equivalents elsewhere does not arise. Our team is bilingual in English and Spanish, which matters if you serve Spanish-speaking debtors.
Services are provided exclusively to licensed attorneys and law firms. We are not a bankruptcy petition preparer and do not provide legal advice or services to the public.