Many Schaumburg bankruptcy lawyers have been impacted by the new guidelines of the federal Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act since it was implemented in late October of 2005. Schaumburg bankruptcy lawyers, like many other bankruptcy lawyers, have had to change the way that they do business in order to accommodate or adjust to meet the requirements of the new federal guidelines. The act was introduced primarily to prevent the abuse of the federal level of assistance while protecting consumers at the same time. For Schaumburg bankruptcy lawyers, they were made to be more accountable for the cases and facts presented by their clients. The new law stipulated that attorneys could be fined for errors in paperwork and failing to fact check. Because of the liability involved, some bankruptcy lawyers have migrated away from the area of bankruptcy and into practicing other types of law. Those lawyers who have remained in the bankruptcy field have had no choice but to increase their fee because the 2005 change means that more time, money and resources must be dedicated to each case. Manpower is needed to complete the fact checking and investigative work that is necessary in order to substantiate the claims of his or her clients. Sometimes this can be accomplished simply by asking the client to submit evidence or proof of their assertion in the form of official documentation. If the client lost their house or job then there will be documentation to support that claim. If you have already attempted to workout payment arrangements with your creditors then perhaps you can submit proof of that. For example, you might have tried to work with a credit counseling agency or tried to arrange a debt settlement. Other types of official documentation that bankruptcy attorneys require their clients to submit includes things like previous years income tax returns, pay stubs and bank statements. This helps to establish your income. Copies of your debt records will also be required as well.