If I pay the first payment to hire an attorney to file bankruptcy but can't come up with the money to make additional payments, do I lose my first payment? And they won't file the papers so do I still owe them the balance of the fee and they become another creditor I owe? [I] will have to borrow the first payment as it is. By making a paymentt to them constitue my hiring them to represent me

Check this: "What Is A Retainer Agreement?A retainer agreement with a lawyer is like a down payment, it can be used to guarantee that the lawyer will be readily available to work on your particular case, which could mean that they would have to turn down other cases in order to remain available for you. As a result, you will probably be billed at a higher rate for the legal work that is done. If the fee agreement states that the retainer is not refundable, you may not be able to get your money back, even if the lawyer does not handle your case or complete the work." http://resources.lawinfo.com/en/Lega...greement-.html

Many attorneys have the fee agreement in writing and will ask prospective clients to agree or consent by signing the document. In bankruptcy, all fees are disclosed within the schedules, so there are no secrets there. But it is conceivable that you could pay the attorney 1/2 the fee and still owe for work that has been done. It would be better not to get into that kind of mess, if at all possible.