In the Matter of Opinion No. 17-2012 of the Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics

This case involves people who have incurred debts, have no assets to repay them, and want to discharge those debts in bankruptcy court. In the years since the recent downturn in the economy, tens of thousands of New Jersey residents have found themselves in that situation. Because they do not have enough money to pay for a lawyer, too many people have been forced to represent themselves as they navigate the technical field of bankruptcy law.

In response, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), a legal services organization, created a bankruptcy clinic to assist low-income debtors who have no…