Most bankruptcy cases are entirely administrative, with no disputes serious enough even to reach the judge. In most cases, the lawyers make sure the forms are filled out correctly, the clerks make sure everybody gets proper notice, the trustees check to make sure everything is in order and tell the lawyers when there’s a mistake that needs to be corrected, then the judge double-checks everything and approves the case. Mos bankruptcy debtors never even see the courtroom.
From the perspective of the debtor and the debtor’s attorney – you and me – most of the work in a bankruptcy case happens before the case is filed. Most of your work is in gathering information and documentation. As much as I brag about “making it easy,” we can’t avoid the fact that you must explain your financial circumstances to me, and I must present those facts properly on the bankruptcy forms, then you have to check it and make sure I’ve got everything right. For most folks, that’s a lot of tedious work. For you and me, however, when we’ve done that, we’re mostly done; most of the rest of the work is for the creditors, the trustee, and the court.