If I Am Broke How In the World Can I Pay You? Understanding Legal Fees in ...

There comes a point in every bankruptcy consultation that I do when we get to “The Question”. I know what they are thinking: “This all sounds great, I need to file bankruptcy, but what is this going to cost me?” I always try and be up front with the legal fees I charge. I am one of the few attorneys out there that actually list what I charge right there on my website. If you don’t believe me, Google “bankruptcy attorney” and check out their sites. See if any of them will tell you what they charge. My guess is you won’t find one – except mine.

What Does it Cost to File Bankruptcy?

So what do I charge? For a typical Chapter 7 bankruptcy I charge $1,700. For a typical Chapter 13 bankruptcy I charge $4,000. You can plan on there being about $400 on top of that in the form of a filing fee charged by the court and a couple of credit counseling classes you have to take. I am not the most expensive (by far) and not the cheapest. I do offer personal professional legal help. You will work directly with me from day one until your case is discharged.

What is a typical case? I can say that nearly all of my cases get filed for the fees I am quoting here. If you come to me with a dozen rental properties you are trying to save you can plan on paying more. The case is much more complicated and there will be quite a bit more work.

Ways to Pay for Your Bankruptcy

So, back to the title of this article, if you are broke how are you going to pay me? It is a fair question. You need legal help, my wife and six kids have grown accustomed to eating three times a day. So, here are a few ways that we can work a solution to this problem.

1. Payment Plans. I offer payment plans. I do require a deposit to get the case started and to officially hire me as your attorney. You can then make payments on the remaining balance. I will work with you within your budget to come up with a payment plan that will work for your family. For some people it takes 2 weeks, others 4 months. Either way, we can get there.

One quick note, in chapter 7 bankruptcy case the legal fees must be paid in full prior to your case being filed with the bankruptcy court. The reason being, if you owe me money at the time of your bankruptcy filing, I am now not only your bankruptcy attorney, I am one of your creditors as well! It creates a conflict of interest so the fees need to be paid up front.

Will Filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Hurt My Credit? « Darrell Castle ...

Will Chapter 7 hurt my credit? How long will a Chapter 7 bankruptcy stay on my credit report?

Check out this video , in which Memphis bankruptcy attorney Darrell Castle answers some of your questions about filing Chapter 7 and what it might mean for your credit in the future.

If you have any more questions about filing for bankruptcy and what it might mean for you, feel free to contact us and talk with one of our attorneys at no charge. We’re here to help.

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