He's seen lots of filings come through his office. Not only does he represent creditors, but he is also a Chapter 7 trustee, which means he reviews bankruptcy cases.

“I get to see a lot of heartache. It's not easy,” Warren said. “I don't ever get immune to it, because there are stories behind everybody that comes up.”

Warren has seen a huge influx of bankruptcy cases lately, especially in the last six months.

“If we were to toss a penny out here on Fayetteville Street, I bet we would probably hit three people who have filed for bankruptcy,” he said.

The state is split into three bankruptcy districts -- Eastern, Middle and Western.

The Eastern district includes Raleigh, Fayetteville and Wilmington. There were 659 filings here in November of 2007, but it jumped to 860 for November 2008.

The Western district includes Charlotte. There were 475 filings there last November and an increase to 515 last month.

The Middle district has 24 counties including Greensboro, Durham and Winston Salem. In November 2007, there were 519 bankruptcy filings and in November 2008 there were 539.

The numbers worry revenue directors across the state.

Wake County Revenue Director Marcus Kinrade said bankruptcy is usually followed by missed mortgage payments and missed property tax payments.

“It tells me we will have a very difficult time collecting property tax this spring,” Kinrade said.

Warren said most people are just a paycheck away from bankruptcy. He says his best advice to clients wanting to stay out of the red is to plan ahead financially.

"Save for that rainy day," Warren said. "Don't buy for now, if you can save for later."

Warren said there are options out there including talking to creditors. But he warns against speaking to credit counselors. He also said seeing a bankruptcy lawyer is a good option.

Most importantly, he advised against waiting until options run out.