To hire a lawyer or not

You can usually get a consult for free and then decide if you can just use a document preparer.

alot of people file pro se,but do alot of reaserach and work themselves.also alot of stories about shysters just wanting your money,filing incorrectly,and dissapearing afterward.either way do alot of reasearch on both ways as there are benefits to both.the main thing is the money as a lawyer will charge you their fee,and won't file until you pay.pro se is about 500-800 cheaper,but you need to do all the work yourself.

Pro see can be about$ 200 to have the docs prepared and then what ever the filing fee for your state is., usually a preparer will ask for $100 to start and the final $100 when you pick up the docs to file. they don't file for you. most states will let you ask to have fee waived if income is low enough and if they decline to waive the filing fee completely they will let you pay it in payments if need be. I know that in AZ you can have the $300 filing fee split into 4 payments of $75.00. if you do use a document preparer make sure they are registered with the courts, or could cause problems.

That is really up to you and if your BK is complicated or not.