47
Chapter 1
Installation and Setup 21
7. Next, you have a chance to add Common Creditors to your Common Creditor List. If you want to type
common creditors now, click the Add Common Creditors button. Typically, you would just add them as
you work through the schedules. Notice that you also have the option of having all new creditors added to
your Common Creditor List automatically. Click in the check boxes for Schedules D, E, F, and/or G if you
want all new creditors to be added automatically. You can also have additional notice parties (parties such
as collection agencies who should be notified of the filing but are not creditors) added automatically. Click
Next to move on.
Import Your Common Creditor List From Competing Programs: If you have been using
Best Case® Bankruptcy for DOS or Matthew Bender’s TopForm™ for DOS, or Chap7..13
DOS by West Group (Typeset version), you will be able to import your old Common Creditor
List after going through the Setup Wizard. See Exporting and Importing a Common Creditor
List on page 277. If you were using TopForm for Windows or Chap7..13 for Windows, we can
convert your common creditor list for you. If you were using a different competing package,
contact our technical support department for information about whether we can convert your
common creditor information at 1.800.492.8037 or help@bestcase.com.
8. Next, you can set up keybo
ard macros for phrases you’ll be using frequently. You can add these now or at
any time while working in Best Case Bankruptcy. To define macros now, click the Define Macro Keys
button. Otherwise, click Next. (For more information about macros, click the More Info button or see page
320.)
9.
The next window introduces you to the AddressHelper™ feature, which fills in the city and state when you
enter the zip code throughout Best Case Bankruptcy. There is no information to enter here, but if you want
to know more about the AddressHelper, click More Info. Click Next when you are ready to get to the next
window in the Setup Wizard.
10. Click Finish Setup Wizard. The Welcome Window appears.
The Welcome Window
Each time you start Best Case Bankruptcy, the Welcome Window appears. The Welcome Window contains tips
about Best Case Bankruptcy. From the Welcome Window, you can open your list of clients, open the last client file
you were working on, or start a new client.
The Welcome Window
The Welcome
Window displays
a tip of the day.
Click to start a
new file.
Click to open the
selection made on
the left: either the
Client List Window or
the last client file.
Double-click on the text here to open the
Client List Window or your last client file.
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22 Best Case Bankruptcy for Windows
User’s Guide
Review Exemption Statutes
Best Case Bankruptcy comes with brief descriptions of exemption statutes for all fifty states and D.C. along with the
individual and joint dollar limits, where applicable. Best Case Bankruptcy tracks the amount you have claimed
under each statute for your reference, but does not limit the amount you can claim.
Before filing your first case, please review the exemption statutes that we have provided. (See Printing Exemption
Statutes on page 312.) We do not guarantee that these statutes are accurate, complete, or up to date. You are able to
edit these statutes, as needed. See page 312 for instructions.
We have provided the statutes and limits to save the user time, but in many cases the exemption laws are complex,
subject to interpretation, or restricted to certain cases. For example, certain exemptions may not have individual
limits, but may be mutually exclusive of other statutes, or may have limits when combined with other statutes. Best
Case Bankruptcy doesn’t take these limitations into account and cannot be relied on to prevent you from claimin
g
exemptions that are not allowed.
Best Case Bankruptcy does not know how to practice law; it is a form preparation tool. The fact that we provide
statutes is NO SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL KNOWLEDGE. Best Case Bankruptcy does not claim to help you
apply exemption statutes correctly. For each case, the attorney representing the debtor should review Schedule C
carefully to ensure that all laws have been complied with. It is the responsibility of the attorney filing the forms to be
sure that the exemption laws have been applied correctly.
Printer Selection
Best Case Bankruptcy for Windows uses your default Windows printer settings, so if your printer has been installed
properly, there are no settings to change. If your printer has not been installed properly, our tech support team may
have some trouble-shooting tips. Call 1.800.492.8037.
9
Chapter 2
Entering Information 23
Chapter 2
Entering Information
In This Chapter
Adding a New Client ........................................................................................... 24
Opening an Existing Client File........................................................................... 26
Tips on Entering Information............................................................................... 28
39
24 Best Case Bankruptcy for Windows
User’s Guide
Entering Information
When you start Best Case Bankruptcy, the Welcome Window appears. All options in the Welcome Window are
explained on page 21.
If the Client List Window is not already open, click Open in the Main Toolbar.
If you want to know what a button does, hold the mouse over it without clicking on it and a
tooltip will appear.
The Main Toolbar
The Client List Window
When you click Open, the Client List Window appears, as pictured below. If this is the first time you have used
Best Case Bankruptcy, only the Joseph and Sarah Sample file will be listed.
The Client List Window – Click the Forms button to open the highlighted client
Cases needing attention can be marked through options in the Notes section. By default,
cases are sorted by name.
Best Case Bankruptcy is designed so that only one client file is open at a time. The first thing you will do before
entering information or printing forms is to select an existing client or add a new client.
Adding a New Client
1. Click the New button in the Main Toolbar or, if the Client List Window is open, you can click the New
Client button in the Client List Window.
2.
A window labeled “Creating New Client File” appears, as
below.
Add a new client.
Open the Client List
Window.
The Notes button lights up when a client file has been opened or selected.
Follow up date
and case
status are
displayed here.
Click to make a
duplicate copy of the
highlighted client.
The Print and ECF buttons will light up when a
client file is open and the Forms and
Schedules Menu is displayed.
77
Chapter 2
Entering Information 25
New Client Window
3. Specify the type of debtor and chapter of filing You can click on the appropriate selections with your
mouse, or use the
T
key to move to the next question and use the
t
or
b
to move to the answer you want. If
you have purchased our Chapter 7-Only or 7 & 13 packages, you will not be able to select from the full list
of chapters.
Keyboard Shortcut: Wherever you see an underlined letter, you can press
A
plus the
letter to activate the option or jump to that field. Other keyboard shortcuts are listed on page
333.
4.
Enter the debtor’s first, middle, and last names, and
generation (Jr., Sr., and III), if applicable, then presses
T
.
5.
“Index As” is the way the debtor will
appear in the Client List Window and is purely for your reference.
You can accept our answer here or type in a new one. Press
T
to get to the next field.
6. If your office uses numbers to keep track of clients, enter a file number here. This field is optional. Press
T
.
7. If you have chosen a default jurisdiction in the Setup Wizard, (on page 20), that jurisdiction name will
appear. Use the
m
button to select from a drop-down list of jurisdictio
ns. If you don’t see the jurisdiction
you want listed, see Installing Jurisdictions on page 296.
Your answer for the jurisdiction determines the list of forms to be created. Miscellaneous
Printing Options associated with the jurisdiction are stored in the Setup Menu, described in
the jurisdiction section of this guide starting on page 296.
8.
Selecting the Federal Forms Set: When you create a new client file, Best Case defaults to using the
Official Forms and Schedules effective December 1, 2013. If you want to select a different set of forms,
click the Forms drop-down list at the top of the New Client Window, and you will be given the following
choices:
2013-12 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms list to the 12/1/13 and after version of Official Forms and
Schedules.
2013-04 Forms
sets the debtor’s
forms to the 4/1/13
–
11/30/13 version of Official Forms and
Schedules.
2012-12 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms to the 12/1/12 –
3/31/13 version of Official Forms and
Schedules.
2011-12 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms list t
o the 12/1/11
–
11/30/12 version of Official Forms
and Schedules.
2010-12 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms list t
o the 12/1/10 - 11/30/11 version of Official Forms and
Schedules.
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26 Best Case Bankruptcy for Windows
User’s Guide
2010-04 Forms
sets the debtor’
s forms list to the 4/01/10
–
11/30/10 version of the Official Forms
and Schedules.
2009-12 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms
list to the 12/01/09
–
3/31/10 version of the Official Forms
and Schedules.
2008-12 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms
list to the 12/01/08
–
11/30/09 version of the Official
Forms and Schedules.
2008-01 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms list to the 1/01/08
-11/30/08 version of the Official Forms
and Schedules.
2007 Forms
sets the debtor’s forms list to
the 12/01/07-12/31/07 version of the Official Forms
and Schedules.
2006 Forms BAPCPA
sets the debtor’s forms list to the October 1, 2006 version of the Official
Forms and Schedules.
2005 Forms BAPCPA indicates that you will be using the post-Bankruptcy Reform forms and
schedules valid 10/17/2005 - 9/30/2006.
1979-2005 Forms indicates that you will be using the pre-Bankruptcy Reform version of the
forms and schedules.
9.
When you have finished selecting the chapter and type of debtor, click the OK button or press
R
. The new
client now appears in the Client List Window.
Opening an Existing Client File
If there is nothing on the screen, click the Open button in the toolbar to open the Client List Window. There are
several ways to open a client file:
Double-click on the client name in the Client List Window OR
Use the Last button
in the toolbar to open any of the last 9 clients you’ve worked on. The keyboard equivalent
is
A
-
F
for the file menu,
R
, then the number corresponding to the case OR
Highlight the client then click the Forms button in the bottom left-hand corner of the window OR
Move the highlighter bar to the client’s name using the b
key (or begin to type the client’s name) then press R
.
If you have a lot of cases, you can jump to a client file by starting to type the client name.
This will take you to the Forms and Schedules Menu for this client, with the client name, chapter of filing, type of
debtor, and district displayed in the title bar of the window. You will see a list of all Official Forms and Schedules
that apply to this client, based on the chapter of filing and type of debtor. For some districts, a Local Forms folder
will appear at the bottom of the list.
58
Chapter 2
Entering Information 27
The Forms and Schedules Menu
This section of the User’s Guide will lead you through the en
try screen for each form. Since not all forms apply to
every client, some forms listed below will not appear in the Forms and Schedules Menu for your client. Although
Best Case Bankruptcy keeps track of which of the Official Forms need to be produced, we’v
e included a chart for
your reference that lists the Official Forms usually required for each type of debtor in Appendix D. Note that your
local court may have additional local forms that need to be filed. Check your local rules for information.
Forms and Schedules Shortcuts
Right-click on a form to get a drop-down menu of choices:
Open Form - opens the data entry screen for the form.
Attachments - opens the attachments screen so you can create, edit or view attachments for this document.
Prints Preview - shows the document as it will look when printed.
Print - Marks the form to print and opens the print dialog box.
Print All - Marks all forms to print and opens the print dialog box.
Mark to print - just marks the form to print. Click the Print button to open the Print dialog box.
Unmark to print - removes the printer from next to the document so that it will not be included in the next job
you send to the printer.
Keyboard Shortcut: The
R
key is equivalent to double-clicking in places where one item in
a l
ist is highlighted. Use it to open a highlighted client’s file, to open a highlighted form in the
Forms and Schedules Menu, or to change a highlighted entry on the summary list windows for
Schedules A-H. (Use the
t
and
b
keys to highlight the item if you d
on’t like to use the mouse.)
Opening Forms and Schedules
You can open a form or schedule in any of the following ways: Starting at the Client List Window, double-click on a
client’s name. In the Forms and Schedules Menu:
Double-click on the name of the form or
All official forms and
schedules that apply to
the client will appear,
based on the chapter of
filing and type of
debtor.
Select items to print by
clicking in this box, or by
pressing the s.
Click to close the
Forms and Schedules
Menu and return to the
Client List Window.
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28 Best Case Bankruptcy for Windows
User’s Guide
Click on the name of the form then click the Open button in the bottom left corner or
Move the highlighter bar to the appropriate form with your
b
key, then press
R
.
For the most common forms, there are hotkeys you can use to open the form; see the list in the sidebar.
Time-Saver: Hotkeys to Open Forms
To open a form, you can double-click on it or press one of the keys listed below:
1
Opens the Voluntary Petition
3
Opens the Chapter 13 Plan Calculator
4
Opens Form 4. List of Creditors Holding 20 Largest Unsecured Claims
6
Opens the Summary of Schedules
7
Opens the Statement of Financial Affairs
8
Opens the Chapter 7 Individual Debtor’s Statement of Intention
A
Opens Schedule A
B
Opens Schedule B
C
Opens Schedule C
D
Opens Schedule D
E
Opens Schedule E
F
Opens Schedule F
G
Opens Schedule G
H
Opens Schedule H
I
Opens Schedule I
J
Opens Schedule J
Appendix B on page 333 lists keyboard shortcuts throughout the program.
Tips on Entering Information in Best Case Bankruptcy
Never Enter “None”
You never need to enter the word “none”; none boxes will be checked for you and the word “none” will be inserted
where appropriate when you leave items blank. For example, if the debtor has no real property, leave Schedule A
blank. Best Case Bankruptcy will type “None” on the form. On Schedule B, the “none” column will be checked
automatically when no property in a given category is listed. (i.e. -
When you don’t insert any property of that type.)
Likewise, th
e “none” boxes will be checked on the Statement of Financial Affairs for questions you do not answer.
Moving from field to field
Use
T
to move forward from field to field.
Use
S
-
T
to move backward.
Press
R
in an entry screen to save your changes and return to the previous screen. Pressing
R
is identical to
clicking OK in most places. In multi-line answer fields,
R
inserts a line break.
To jump to a field, double-click in that field. Information in the field will be highlighted, and any information
you type will overwrite the current information.
37
Chapter 2
Entering Information 29
To insert information in a field without typing over what is already there, single click in the field. An insertion
bar will appear where you clicked. Text to the left of the insertion bar will stay put, and text to the right will
move right as you type.
Press
C
-
z
to undo a change in a field.
Spell Check
You can run Spell Check in text fields by pressing
C
-
\
. Spell Check is described fully on page 261.
You can change the hot key for spell check using your Macro feature. See page 320.
AddressHelper™
When you enter address data, our AddressHelper fills in the city and state for you after you enter the zip code. This
will mean quicker data entry time and fewer misspelled city names or incorrect state abbreviations. You’ll notice
that after entering the street and pressing
T
, the cursor will jump to the zip code field, skipping the city and state.
More information about AddressHelper is provided on page 319.
Common Creditor List and AddressFill™
The Common Creditor List allows you to save names and addresses of creditors that you encounter frequently. You
can access the Common Creditor List from Schedules D, E, F, G, H, I, the List of Equity Security Holders and
relevant sections of the Statement of Financial Affairs. (It is described more fully on page 69.)
The Common Creditor List contains an AddressFill feature; in the creditor name field, just begin to type the
creditor name and your Common Creditor List appears, as pictured below:
The AddressFill List appears when you add new creditors allowing you to select a creditor from your Common Creditor List
As you type, the highlighter moves to the creditor which most closely matches what you’ve typed. Press R
when the
correct creditor is highlighted. The creditor name and address will be filled in for you, as pictured below.
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30 Best Case Bankruptcy for Windows
User’s Guide
More information about AddressFill can be found on page 260.
If you don’t want to use AddressFill, access your Common Creditor List with the following keyboard commands
instead:
Press
0
to access your Common Creditor List while in the creditor name field or press
9
to access a list of
scheduled creditors. In Schedule I, press
0
to access the Common Creditor List while in the employer name
field.
In entry screens for the creditor schedules D, E and F, and additional notice parties, press
C
-
0
from the
creditor name field to copy a scheduled creditor to the Common Creditor List.
Schedules D-
G have an “Add to CC
L
” check box that allows you to add the creditor to your Common
Creditor List. Just click on the box or press
A
-
L
from any field to mark the box.
To add an entry that is not in your Common Creditor List, type the name then press
T
. The
AddressFill list will disappear.
AddressClipper™
AddressClipper allows you to put a name and address from Best Case Bankruptcy onto your Windows clipboard.
You can then paste the name and address in other places within Best Case Bankruptcy or in other Windows®
applications.
To copy an address to the clipboard, position the cursor in any field that is part of the address and press
C
-
S
-
c
. In the
entry below, the cursor can be positioned in the creditor name field, any of the street address fields, the city, state or
zip code fields. Wherever you position the cursor, the entire address will be copied to the clipboard.
Position the cursor in any of these fields then press C-S-C to copy to your clipboard
To paste the name and address elsewhere in Best Case Bankruptcy, just position the cursor in a name or address
field and press
C
-
S
-
v
. The entire name and address will be copied for you and each bit of information will appear in
the correct place. Note that you won’t be able to paste the address in a non
-address field.
To paste the name and address in a different Windows application, such as Word or WordPerfect, use the standard
Windows paste command:
C
-
v
.
Printing
When you are ready to print in Best Case Bankruptcy, you’ll first select which forms you want to print by “marking
them.” When a document is marked to print, a printer icon appears next to it o
n the right side of the window. In the
picture below, the Voluntary Petition and Application to Pay Filing Fee in Installments are marked to print.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
