There is no legal requirement that individuals must have an attorney file a bankruptcy petition. However, the bankruptcy law can be complicated and a bankruptcy attorney can help walk you through the process faster and with less problems. There are two main benefits to hiring a bankruptcy attorney: (1) maximizing the benefits of bankruptcy and (2) avoiding serious mistakes. Bankruptcy has many obscure provisions that could be quite beneficial to you and unless you hire a competent bankruptcy attorney, you may miss the benefit of these provisions altogether. For example, bankruptcy allows you to avoid judgment liens in some situations. A bankruptcy attorney can also help you avoid serious mistakes.