Firm Orientation
This deck is a draft for firm review. Slides marked Open item are gaps that need Jaimee's or the attorney's input before release. Do not publish to staff with open items outstanding.
What you will be able to do
Six things. Every later module in this system assumes you can do all of them.
- Explain in plain language what the firm does and who our clients are.
- Name the major stages of a case and identify the stage a given case is in.
- Identify the firm's functional roles and what each one owns.
- Route a task or client question to the correct role.
- Recognize when a question requires the attorney, and stop rather than answer it.
- Explain why accuracy outranks speed in this practice.
If you do not know which stage a case is in or who owns the next step, you will create rework for someone else. That is the practical cost of skipping this module.
What the firm does, and who our clients are
Roughly 12 minutes. Four things to take away: what we handle, how Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 differ, who walks through our door, and why the way you write to them matters more here than in most jobs.
Welcome to The Brown Law Firm. Before you touch a case file or answer a client call, you need a clear picture of what this firm actually does and who it does it for. This lesson takes about twelve minutes. By the end of it you will know what kinds of matters come through our door, how the two main chapters of consumer bankruptcy differ, and why the people who call us need a particular kind of communication from you.
What the firm is
The Brown Law Firm is a Texas law practice led by a board-certified bankruptcy attorney. The firm operates fully remote. All staff work virtually, with physical office addresses in Victoria and Dripping Springs.
Board certification is not a decoration
In Texas, board certification in consumer bankruptcy law is granted by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. It requires substantial experience in the field, peer review, and a specialty examination.
The Brown Law Firm is a Texas practice led by a board-certified bankruptcy attorney, and the whole team works remotely. You will see two office addresses, Victoria and Dripping Springs, but the work happens wherever each of us is sitting. Now, board certification. In Texas that credential comes from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and it requires real experience in the field, review by peers, and a specialty examination. Clients notice it. It is part of why they call us instead of someone else. Which means the standard for work that leaves this firm is higher, and that includes the work that leaves your desk.
What the firm handles
Consumer bankruptcy
Chapter 7. The firm's highest-volume work and the focus of most of this training system.
Chapter 13. Repayment-plan cases.
Beyond consumer bankruptcy
Debt settlement and negotiation. Real property matters, including deeds and trust conveyances. Trust and estate matters that intersect with debt or property. Creditor-side bankruptcy work, such as stay relief motions. Occasional business bankruptcy consultations.
If you assume every incoming call is a Chapter 7 consumer filing, you will mis-route matters. Some callers are creditors. Some are other law firms referring work. Some are property matters with no bankruptcy component at all. Your job at intake is to find out what the matter actually is, not to assume.
Most of what we do is consumer bankruptcy, and most of that is Chapter Seven. That is the highest-volume work here and it is what most of this training covers. We also file Chapter Thirteen cases. But the firm is not only a bankruptcy shop. We handle debt settlement and negotiation, real property matters like deeds and trust conveyances, trust and estate work that touches debt or property, and creditor-side bankruptcy work, meaning we sometimes represent the party trying to collect rather than the debtor. Here is the trap on day one. If you pick up every call assuming it is a Chapter Seven consumer filing, you will mis-route matters. Some callers are creditors. Some are other law firms sending us work. Some have no bankruptcy component at all. Your job at intake is to find out what the matter actually is. Do not assume.
Chapter 7 and Chapter 13
Clients will ask you about this. You need to understand it well enough to route the question. You are not permitted to use it to steer a client's decision.
| Chapter 7 | Chapter 13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Common name | Liquidation | Reorganization, or wage-earner plan |
| Core idea | Eligible debts are discharged; a trustee may sell non-exempt property to pay creditors | The debtor repays some or all debt through a court-approved plan over time |
| Plan payments | None | Yes, typically 3 to 5 years |
| Typical timeline | Months, in a straightforward no-asset case | Years, through the life of the plan |
| Eligibility gate | Means test | Debt limits and regular income |
| Often used when | Limited income, mostly unsecured debt | Curing mortgage arrears, keeping property, or not qualifying for Chapter 7 |
Explaining this table to a client in a way that steers their decision is legal advice, which you are not permitted to give. Lesson 1.4 covers exactly where that line sits.
Two courses you will hear about constantly
Pre-filing credit counseling
Must be completed before a case is filed.
Post-filing debtor education
Must be completed before a discharge is entered.
These are two separate courses, taken at two different points in the case. Later modules cover how we track them.
Who our clients are
Our clients are people in financial distress. That is not a footnote. It shapes every interaction you will have with them.
By the time someone calls this firm, they have usually been dealing with the problem alone for months or years. Many are being called by collectors, are behind on a mortgage or a vehicle, are facing garnishment, or have just been sued. Filing bankruptcy is frequently the first thing they have done about it.
- They are under sustained stress. Stress degrades memory and comprehension. A client who cannot produce a document is more often overwhelmed or disorganized than uncooperative.
- Many carry shame about the situation. Shame makes people vague, defensive, or silent about facts they think will be judged. Those are frequently the exact facts we need.
- Most have no idea how the legal system works. Words we use casually, like schedule, trustee, 341, exempt, and discharge, are meaningless to them.
- Financial literacy varies widely. A client may not know the difference between a secured and an unsecured debt, or which of their accounts is a loan versus a credit line.
Our clients are people in financial distress, and that is not a footnote. It shapes every single interaction you will have with them. By the time somebody calls this firm, they have usually been carrying the problem alone for months, sometimes years. Collectors are calling. They are behind on a house or a car. Maybe wages are being garnished, or they have just been served with a lawsuit. Calling us is often the first thing they have actually done about any of it. So expect four things. They are under sustained stress, and stress wrecks memory and comprehension, which means a client who cannot produce a document is far more often overwhelmed than uncooperative. Many of them are ashamed, and shame makes people vague or silent about exactly the facts we need. Most of them have no idea how the legal system works, so the words we throw around all day, schedule, trustee, three forty-one, exempt, discharge, mean nothing to them. And financial literacy varies enormously. A client may genuinely not know whether an account is a loan or a credit line.
Why these clients need unusually clear communication
- The information we need is granular and personal. Pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, a full accounting of what someone owns and owes. Vague requests produce vague responses, and vague responses produce delays.
- Accuracy is sworn. The client signs the petition and schedules under penalty of perjury. If a client misunderstands what we asked for and answers wrong, the consequence lands on them.
- Deadlines are hard. Bankruptcy runs on statutory and court deadlines that do not flex for confusion.
- Confused clients call more. Every unclear message you send generates follow-up work for the whole team.
The same request, two ways
What the strong version does
- Names the document in plain words, not a legal category
- Gives an exact date range instead of a lookback period
- Tells them roughly how many to expect, so they know when they are done
- Removes a barrier: photos from a phone are acceptable
- States a specific deadline and why it matters
Needs firm input before release
Practice mix by volume. Approximate percentage Chapter 7 / Chapter 13 / non-bankruptcy, and whether the firm currently accepts new Chapter 13 filings or only services existing Chapter 13 cases. New staff need this to calibrate expectations.
Client communication channels and response-time standard. Which channel is used for what, and how fast staff are expected to respond. This slide deck teaches a writing standard but cannot teach a response standard the firm has not set.
How a case moves through the firm
Roughly 8 minutes. This is a map, not a manual. Each stage gets its own module later. Right now your only job is to name the stage a case is in, and know that stages have owners.
Eleven stages
Press Next to walk the map one stage at a time.
From contact to engagement
Lead
Someone contacts the firm. Phone, web form, referral, or return client. Nothing is a case yet.
Intake
We find out what the matter actually is and gather the basic information needed to decide whether the firm can help and whether a consultation makes sense.
Consultation
The attorney meets the prospective client, evaluates the matter, and advises on options. This is attorney work. Staff prepare for it and follow up after it.
Retainer / Engagement
The client signs a fee agreement and the engagement is formalized. Until this is complete, the person is not a client of the firm.
From documents to the courthouse
Document Collection
Request, receive, track, and organize everything needed: pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, identification, property and debt information. This stage stalls more cases than any other.
Petition Preparation
Client information is entered into the petition, schedules, statement of financial affairs, and means test. Precision work.
Review
The prepared petition is checked for completeness, internal consistency, and accuracy, and is reviewed by the attorney before anything is filed.
Filing
The case is filed with the bankruptcy court. A case number issues and the automatic stay takes effect.
After filing
341 Meeting of Creditors
A meeting required by section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code where the trustee examines the debtor under oath. The debtor must attend.
Post-Filing Matters
Trustee document requests, reaffirmation agreements, redemptions, amendments, motions, and the debtor education course.
Discharge / Completion
The court enters the discharge order and the case closes.
341 meeting format for the districts the firm files in, and which districts those are. In person, telephonic, or video drives how we prepare clients. This should not be guessed at.
Work does not move backward cleanly
Every stage inherits the quality of the stage before it. That is the reason this firm cares more about a clean handoff than a fast one, and it is the reason Lesson 1.4 exists.
Who does what
Roughly 12 minutes. The firm is small and remote. Roles are functions, not necessarily separate people. One person may cover several. What matters is knowing which function owns a task, so you know where to send it.
Functional roles
Press Next to build the chart.
Attorney and Operations
Attorney
All legal advice, legal strategy, and legal judgment. Consultations and case evaluation. Chapter selection and filing decisions. Final review and approval before filing. Court appearances and 341 representation.
Anything involving the exercise of professional judgment.
Operations
Firm systems, workflows, and platforms. Process design, documentation, and training. Quality standards and oversight.
Escalation path when a process breaks or a case does not fit the standard workflow.
The four operating functions
Intake / Client Support Assistant
First contact with leads and prospective clients. Scheduling consultations and managing the calendar. Gathering initial matter information. Client texts, calls, and routine correspondence. Fee agreement handling and checklist work. Live call support.
Petition Preparation
Entering client data into the petition, schedules, statement of financial affairs, and means test. Reconciling documents against what the client reported. Flagging inconsistencies, gaps, and anything that looks wrong. Preparing the file for attorney review.
Case Coordination
Tracking cases across stages and against deadlines. Document collection: requesting, receiving, logging, chasing. Client status updates. Post-filing tracking of trustee requests, courses, and deadlines.
Administrative / Support
File organization and records. Data entry and system hygiene. Correspondence handling. Billing and payment processing support. General operational support.
If you remember nothing else
Judgment, advice, and strategy belong to the attorney.
Every routing decision in this firm resolves against that one sentence. When a new situation appears that no procedure covers, ask which side of it the request falls on.
Route these
Decide your answer first, then click the row to check it. Guessing before you look is the point.
Route these too
Same rule. Commit to an answer, then check.
Needs firm input before release
Do these six functions match how work is actually divided today, and which of them are currently combined in one person? Names are deliberately kept off this chart. A separate one-page Who to Contact sheet should carry current names and coverage, updated independently so this lesson does not go stale every time staffing changes.
Escalation mechanism and expected turnaround for attorney questions. The script in Lesson 1.4 commits to a specific follow-up time. That script does not work until the firm decides what time staff are allowed to promise.
The boundary and the standard
Roughly 15 minutes, and the most important lesson in this module. Two ideas: you do not give legal advice, and accuracy outranks speed. Everything else in this training system sits on top of these.
You do not give legal advice
Non-attorney staff at this firm do not give legal advice. This is not a firm preference. Giving legal advice without a license is the unauthorized practice of law, and it exposes the client, you, and the attorney's license.
A client acting on bad advice from a non-lawyer can lose property, lose a discharge, or face allegations they made false statements. There is no version of this where being helpful outweighs being licensed.
Advice, or not advice?
Decide for each one, then click to check.
When a client pushes
Clients will press for an answer, sometimes hard. They are stressed and want reassurance. The pressure does not change the rule.
Then actually follow up by that time. The escalation is not complete until the client has an answer or a real status update. A redirect with no follow-through leaves the client to decide on their own, which is the outcome the rule exists to prevent.
Accuracy over speed
Every case document the client signs is sworn under penalty of perjury. The consequences of errors in this practice are not embarrassment. They are:
- Amended filings, which cost the client money and the firm time
- Trustee scrutiny, additional document demands, and continued 341 meetings
- Dismissed cases
- Lost assets that a correct filing would have protected
- In extreme cases, allegations of bankruptcy fraud against the client
What this means for how you work
- Do not guess. If you do not know, ask. A question costs minutes. A wrong entry costs weeks.
- Do not fill gaps with assumptions. A blank you flag is a problem the team can solve. A blank you fill with a plausible guess is a problem nobody knows exists.
- Speed is a byproduct of doing it right the first time. Rework is the slowest possible way to work.
- Flagging is not failure. A preparer who escalates an inconsistency is doing the job correctly. Someone who quietly smooths it over is not.
Common errors new staff make
| Error | Why it happens | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Answering a legal question to be helpful | The client is upset and staff want to relieve it | Redirect and escalate. Helpfulness that crosses the line is not help |
| Assuming every caller is a Chapter 7 consumer | Chapter 7 is the highest-volume work | Ask what the matter is before assuming |
| Using legal jargon with clients | It is the vocabulary of the workplace | Define the term or use plain words |
| Filling a blank with a reasonable guess | It feels like moving the case forward | Flag it. An unflagged guess is an invisible defect |
| Sending a long list of requests at once | It feels efficient | Stressed clients respond to one clear ask at a time |
| Sitting on a problem hoping it resolves | Fear of looking incompetent | Escalate early. Problems get more expensive with age |
| Discussing a matter with an unverified caller | Politeness | Confidentiality covers every matter, including the fact that someone is a client |
Stop and escalate immediately when
- A client asks any question that requires legal judgment or a recommendation
- A client reports being sued, served, garnished, or facing foreclosure or repossession
- A client discloses a transfer of property or money, especially to family
- A client discloses an asset, debt, income source, or account not previously reported
- Information in the file is internally inconsistent and you cannot resolve it from documents
- A creditor, opposing counsel, trustee, or court contacts the firm about a case
- A client expresses intent to act before filing, such as selling property or paying one creditor
- A client asks you to leave something off a document, or change something already filed
- Anything suggests the client may not be telling us the whole story
- You are not sure whether something is a legal question
Uncertainty about whether something requires the attorney is itself a reason to escalate.
A call comes in
A client calls the CSA. She is four months behind on her mortgage, has a car loan she is current on, and roughly $40,000 in credit card debt. She says:
Three things are on the table. One is yours.
- A factual intake task. Capture what she reported: mortgage arrears of four months, a current auto loan, roughly $40,000 unsecured. Confirm and record. This one is yours.
- A chapter selection question. She wants Chapter 7 because her sister had Chapter 7. Her facts, particularly mortgage arrears on a home she appears to want to keep, are exactly the kind of facts that bear on chapter selection. That analysis is the attorney's. Not yours, and not to be hinted at.
- A "should I stop paying" question. This is legal advice, and it is the more urgent of the two. Do not answer it, and do not let it drift. Pre-filing conduct can affect a case.
What you actually do
- Get the facts down accurately and completely
- Do not confirm or deny that Chapter 7 is right for her, and do not explain why her sister's case might have been different. That explanation is itself advice
- Do not answer the payment question, including with a hedge. "I probably wouldn't" is advice
- Schedule the consultation
- Flag the payment question to the attorney as time-sensitive
- Tell her clearly what happens next and when
What went wrong if
You told her Chapter 7 sounded right
Unauthorized practice of law.
You told her most people stop paying
Unauthorized practice of law, and potentially harmful advice.
You said "I cannot answer that" and moved on
The question is now nobody's, and she will decide on her own.
Before you are marked complete
Your supervisor verifies each of these. The knowledge check is a separate assignment in Google Classroom.
- You can name the case stages in order without a reference
- You can correctly route the scenarios in Lesson 1.3
- You can state the legal-advice boundary in your own words
- You can deliver the escalation script naturally, not read from a page
- You scored 5 of 5 on the knowledge check, with any missed item corrected and re-explained
- You have the current Who to Contact sheet
- You have confirmed access to the systems your role requires
Open Module 1 Knowledge Check in Google Classroom. Five questions. Keep the routing job aid open while you work if you need it.