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to file for chapter 7, you have to meet the means test, which means you have to make under a certain amount for your area. there are some exceptions, if you're borderline -- but it gets complicated. for the most part, if you don't qualify for ch. 7, you'll be moved to ch. 13 -- in which case you're better off working out a payment plan with your creditors, imo.

check the income level for your area, and then if you're over the limit, check out a means test calculator.

http://www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/20090315/bci_data/median_income_table.htm

http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectId/8400442E-EEE8-4479-A8D109AFB7E2E9CA/catID/283B9600-ECC3-49ED-9D9A20A3E13F42E0/213/161/128/ART/

regardless of whether you hire a lawyer to file the bankruptcy, you should still go see a couple. if you end up doing it yourself, you'll have learned a lot from those meetings.

people do pro se bankruptcies all the time. and they're doing it a lot more often right now for bankruptcies, divorces, everything. some courts have put in place volunteer attorney programs, trying to match up unemployed attorneys with pro se filers, just bc pro se cases take up more court staff resources and time.

but if you have a simple case, you can do it yourself. there are plenty of resources available online. if you have any complications, you really should use a lawyer.

also, there are "petition preparer" services online. those people fill out the forms for you. they're usually a couple hundred dollars. they're not allowed to give you legal advice, but they can make sure you've completed the forms properly. if you use a service like that, try to use a local one, not one of the online companies, many of which are really questionable. (if you use an attorney, he most likely uses a service like this also, instead of preparing your forms in his office.)