Statistics on the number of U.S. Bankruptcy filings, released this week, show a small but continued decline in Q1 2013 from 2012. However, some surprising trends, by month and by District, are emerging.

Quarterly filings statistics for Q1 2013, reported by the Federal Judiciary on uscourts.gov, show most Districts holding steady for the quarter with filing numbers in Q1 2013 similar to the previous quarter. March, though, saw a small increase across all Districts in the number of filings, a change from the greater trend downward.

For the first quarter of 2013, three Districts continue to experience significant trends especially noteworthy to U.S. bankruptcy attorneys. The  9^th District continues to see a rapid decline in bankruptcy filings, possibly indicative of an improving economy on the West Coast.

In contrast, the Mid-West “rust belt” states are again seeing an increase in bankruptcy filings. Both the 6^th and 7^th Districts saw significant increases in filings over Q4 2012.

While these statistics are good news for the majority of U.S. state economies, in general fewer and fewer cases remain available for U.S. bankruptcy attorneys. Unless you reside in the 6^th or 7^th Districts, you have probably seen this decline in caseloads firsthand at your law firm.

What are the implications for bankruptcy attorneys?

Even though the number of available cases continues to decline in most districts, the trend does not necessarily imply that your firm can expect to be handling fewer cases. Attorneys that are using advanced digital lead generation services, such as Swift Legal Leads, have actually seen a considerable increase in the number of monthly cases they file – even in the 9^th District.