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Product Overview Virtual Assistants Bankruptcy Reform Easy Advantages Standard Features Chapter 13 Support Local Forms Rapid Import Credit Importing ECF Integration Online Help California Version FAQ's Sample Filing Free Demo |
Frequently Asked Questions General
 Do you have a demo? Yes, we offer a free demo.
No. We have plenty of enthusiastic and supportive users (see customer comments), but their business is servicing their own clients, not selling to ours. We respect our customers' time and privacy. On the other hand, how did you find out about us in the first place? Chances are that you were referred by someone you know. Most of our business arrives by word-of-mouth. What are the system requirements for Bankruptcy2009™ ?
Do I need to purchase a separate license for each computer on our network? We actually license individual attorney's rather than individual computers. This provides for a very generous licensing structure that allows installation on any number of machines at no additional charge. Equally generous licensing is available for all attorneys within a single firm for a small difference in price. Why is Bankruptcy2009™ different from all the other programs? We are attorney owned, operated and supported. With decades of bankruptcy experience and access to some of the country's best programming talent, we are uniquely situated to provide the highest quality bankruptcy software - both legally and technologically. Don't underestimate the value of an attorney written and supported program. Most bankruptcy vendors don't know or care when you may be committing malpractice by filling out the forms incorrectly, or using documents in an additional forms library whose authorship and reliability is unknown. We are always aware that our name is also on every form that you file, and we care very much how those forms are received by the judges and trustees. We have had the only bankruptcy programs professional enough to earn the right to carry logos from Apple, IBM and Microsoft. We are the only program with real-time WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) preview windows, pixel for pixel replicas of the official forms, and a full panoply of Windows user interface features such as drag & drop, floating & dockable windows and toolbars, rich text format custom forms, tree controls, and list controls, to name only a few. Unlike other bankruptcy programs, all local data is fully editable by the user. We don't hard code anything. This saves you money when local rules, filing fees and exemptions change since you do not need to buy an update from us everytime your court clerk gets a new idea for a form or matrix design. Bankruptcy2009™ is fully integrated with the internet. It updates itself so that you have the latest version at all times. It logs into your courts web and login pages. It lets you e-mail files from within the program. No complicated "ECF Manager" to navigate. With most ECF courts, Bankruptcy2009™ can convert your files and upload your cases directly to the court, retrieve a case number and Notice of Electronic filing with just a couple clicks. How do you handle state exemptions? We include exemptions for all states. Your state exemption setup can be easily edited so anytime your legislature makes changes, you can be up-to-date without incurring any update costs. If you practice in more than one state, you can install multiple settings files so that you can switch from one state to another at any time. If you are in a state that also uses the federal exemptions, those are built in and you can switch between state and federal anytime. (Our California version lets you choose between CCP 703 and CCP 704). Selecting exemptions is as simple as clicking in a checkbox. A fully editable default amount is entered for you automatically. No typing is required at all. You may stack up to 5 exemptions per spouse, per asset. Our court is switching to ECF. How does Bankruptcy2009™ handle Electronic Case Filing?
Can Bankruptcy2009™ convert my current common creditor list? Bankruptcy2009™ can import common creditors from any tab delimited text file. Many programs, such as TopForm for Windows will allow you to export your common creditors as text and from that format, Bankruptcy2009™ can then import them. If you have Specialty Software's 7-13 (now West Group), we have a conversion utility that will convert your common creditors to either a Bankruptcy2009™ format or a tab delimited format. (The tab delimited format allows you to also open the file in a spreadsheet or word processor to easily clean out obsolete and duplicate creditors before importing them). What case management features does your program have? The requirements of a bankruptcy program are very specific and they apply equally in all 50 states. The requirements of a case management program vary with the needs of each individual attorney and therefore can only be adequately met in a program designed to be customized as a generic database. However, Bankruptcy2009™ does let you export a variety of client information, folder by folder, to a tab delimited file that can then be imported into the database or case management program of your choice. Does Bankruptcy2009™ work on a network? Absolutely. Our data is kept in files separate from the program, and the program itself is quite small so there is no need to "share" an installation. Everyone can have his or her own setup and then keep the client files on a shared server. You can setup a default directory on a local or remote hard disk where all the client files will be kept. While two or more people cannot work simultaneously on the same file, they can simultaneously work on separate parts of the same case [as individual files] and then combine the data into a single file, thus accomplishing the same end. And unlike many of our competitors we have no limit to the number of users who may be using Bankruptcy2009™ at the same time. Nor do we charge additional fees based upon the number of installations you have. Will Bankruptcy2009™ support my matrix requirements? Absolutely. We support any kind of matrix you can think of. The standard matrix can be configured in anything from 1-4 columns and 1-12 rows. The OCR matrix used in BANCAP districts can also be configured to take into account local field lengths, address size, and margin widths. The program will warn you anytime you exceed the maximum field length for any line of an address. You can also print your own matrix on laser label stock in case you need to do your own notices. The matrix can be exported in ASCII for those districts requiring the matrix on disk, or to generate your own notices or merge documents with a word-processor. If your court requires the matrix in all upper case, we can do that too. Punctuation can optionally be stripped if required by your court. Account numbers can be optionally included on either line one or two of each address. Each matrix cell can be individually configured to display one of a dozen different types of information, e.g. attorney name, debtor name, U.S. Trustee, etc. Changing the configuration is done by merely clicking with the mouse on a miniature image of the matrix and selecting your choice of contents from a popup menu. Is data entry directly onto the forms or by means of dialog windows? Dialog windows. We designed Bankruptcy2009™ to guide you through the process of entering case information so that the program can generate the forms for you without unnecesary keystrokes or scrolling. The forms can then be previewed at any point during the data entry process. Is there a client questionnaire? Yes. The program offers 3 different questionnaire options.
Is there a Spanish version of the client questionnaire? 
¡Español hablado aquí!. Bankruptcy2009™ supports the new Spanish online questionnaire
available from www.spanishbankruptcy.com.
How many computers can I install your program on? We license attorneys, not workstations. So you can install our program on as many machines in a single office as you like. You can even install it at home or give it to your secretary to install at her home. What printers does Bankruptcy2009™ support? Bankruptcy2009™ will print on any printer "Designed for Windows". However, performance will be significantly enhanced by using an office grade printer. Do I really need Adobe Acrobat? Not to create pdf files, but for other reasons Acrobat is essential. While most Petition Preparation software (including Bankruptcy2009™ ) have the ability to create pdf files without the use of Acrobat, you still need the ability to edit pdf files. Sooner or later you must add a paystub, tax return, contract, or other document. Once scanned, these "attachments" or exhibits have to then be inserted into your pdf file. That is best done with a program like Acrobat. Only having the ability to create pdf files without the ability to edit them is like having a car that only goes in forward gear. What about signatures? Bankruptcy2009™ knows you are creating a pdf file so it does not require you to check any boxes the way some programs do. "/s/name" is automatically appended to any form requiring a signature. What about dates? Missing dates are a big problem with ECF since most forms are printed in blank and the debtor writes in the date at signing. Bankruptcy2009™ checks for missing dates and warns you before creating a pdf file without a date. What is your support policy? The program is constantly being updated for the latest CM-ECF changes as well as Census, IRS and DOJ numbers. We offer an annual maintenance program that covers all necessary changes and reasonable toll-free telephone support. If purchased prior to January 15, users can take advantage of early bird pricing of $385 for a single attorney and $499 for the multi-attorney version. After Jan 15, 2009 pricing is $425/575 respectively. New customers receive 6 months of support coverage for free. How often do updates/upgrades occur? With frequent changes to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, we cannot predict the future. (The current Interim Forms are still subject to revision before their final approval next year, and the Median Incomes changed 4 times in the first 15 months after Bankruptcy Reform). Electronic Filing is now fully implemented and new versions are being released every few months. Updates/upgrades therefore occur at a much faster pace than they did just a few years ago. The annual maintenance contract guarantees that no matter how many changes take place during the year, your cost will be limited to the cost of the contract. Like insurance, this is the best way to protect your initial investment, and assure that you always have the most current version. Updating is fast and easy through a fully integrated update feature within the program. Do you have a User's Guide? Yes. All of our documentation, tutorials, troubleshooting and frequently asked questions are provided as context-sensitive help files. There are over 350 pages of documentation available as part of each and every installation merely by pressing F1. Every window and menu item has its own unique help topic that automatically pops up if you press F1. By using online help, rather than printed manuals, we can revise our documentation with every change to the program so you never have to mess around with looseleaf inserts or attach addendum and errata sheets. Nor do you ever have to wonder where the manual is. It is always available to every user as a built-in part of the program. What technical support is available? Telephone support is available 8am-5pm Pacific time. Most calls are answered by licensed bankruptcy attorneys or software specialists. Telephone support is part of our normal update/maintenance contract. Will Bankruptcy2009™ work on a Mac? Macs can run most any Windows program that follows the programming rules and guidelines set down by Microsoft, which Bankruptcy2009™ does. To do that you need additional Mac software. Here are the most likely candidates:
I am the only attorney doing bankruptcy right now, but I expect another soon. Should I get the multiuser license? Not yet. When you have the need for our multiuser license you can upgrade for the difference in price. There is no reason to pay for more than you need right now. The latest version of Bankruptcy2009™ will let you upgrade from single to multiuser without having to reinstall your program. Does the program come on CD-ROM? Most people take delivery over the internet to avoid shipping charges and so they can get started with the program right away. For those who prefer it, we have CD-ROMs. Do you have a money-back guarantee? Yes we do. We have a [software] industry standard 30-day money-back guarantee. If you find that you need longer to fully evaluate our program, you can telephone during the 30 day period and we will gladly extend the warranty period for an additional 30 days. |