Can someone else pay for my bankruptcy?

Generally yes. We routinely accept fees prior to filing a bankruptcy case that has been paid by a family member or other acquaintance. Payments can be made by mail or online.

I would note two limitation of importance:

  1. In most cases, it is necessary to disclose the source of payment in the bankruptcy papers filed with the court. This is not a high profile disclosure and should seldom cause any pause.
  2. Certain ethical requirements apply to payments received from third-parties. In particular, the paying party is not entitled to access the client's confidential information, nor direct the case in any way. The full risks of third-party payments must be discussed and acknowledged before our firm is able to accept such a payment.
Share this page:

This question-and-answer post is made available for educational and informational purposes only and to promote a general understanding of the law, and not to provide specific legal advice. In order to provide a concise response, the author must make certain assumptions about the ordinariness of the situation underlying the question posed, assumptions which may not apply to your real circumstances. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Reading this post is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice based on the unique facts of your situation from an attorney licensed to practice law in your state. No representation is made regarding the currentness of the information contained in this post. Examples that may be provided in this post are merely for illustrative purposes; the results in your case may be different and no results are guaranteed.