Attorney wants $1625 for filing ch7. Isn't it too much?

[atyehong]

What is the name of your state?tx
I had consultation with an attorney and he wants $1625 for filing ch7. Does this sound reasonable? I feel its way too much. Any idea what should be the reasonable fee in Tx?
Thanks

 

[JETX]

What is the name of your state?tx
I had consultation with an attorney and he wants $1625 for filing ch7. Does this sound reasonable? I feel its way too much. Any idea what should be the reasonable fee in Tx?
Thanks

If you want to, you can do it yourself and save a few sheckles.
Get a book at Nolo...
http://www.nolo.com

 

[credit2crazed]

How many attorneys did you consult?

A rule of thumb is to always consult with three (3) people whether it be for attorneys, home builders etc!

To give you an example of our very recent experience, we live in Natchez Mississippi and consulted with attorneys in Jackson & Vicksburg. After consulting with a few attorneys, we could tell who was competent and who only handled occasional cases! One person did not even know which courts handled our district.

Filing Fee or Court Fee: Was always $209
Lawyer Fees: $800, $700, $500, $600, $760, and $750.

I hope this helps and good luck.

 

[atyehong]

Consulted with just one attorney, but planning to consult couple others. What questions should I ask him/her that would give me an idea whether this attorney is competent or not? From credit2crazed's response, I assume that I should expect the reasonable fees within the range of $800-$1000?

Thanks

 

[Ladynred]

You really can't use someone else's experience in another state to guage what's a fair fee in YOUR area. Fees vary by where you are even within the same state. The best you can do is get several estimates and make your choice.

You want someone who does bankruptcies as their main business, NOT someone who only does them once in a while. A good way to find out who does them all the time - take a look a the court docket for 341 meetings. Those lawyers there all the time would be where you should start.

 

[credit2crazed]

Sorry for the late response, last week was very busy and this week is off to a good start. We gained two more lawn clients for a total of five and the income is on its way back up at least for now during the busy season. I worry because my hubby just loves the great outdoors whether it is hot or cold and I absolutely cannot stand the heat.

In response to the question you asked, I got most of the questions from bankruptcy websites, bankruptcy attorney websites, freeadvice.com and creditboards.com.

For example:
1) How they advise clients on what chapter to file?
2) What happens, what happens and more what happens?
When we pay fees, when the court get papers, on court date, after discharged, if a creditor still calls, to credit reports, to our life?
3) How many cases, do you specialize, are you certified?
4) What are the fees?
5) Then I visited the lawyers association for our state, better business bureau etc.

A few attorneys threw questions out that I later asked the two finalists. And would you believe that after all that work, we ended up going through legal aid. If we would have gone the $500 (winner) + $209 filing fee we would have still been in awful shape. In fact, we signed our petition yesterday and were told to expect a letter in one to two weeks.

Hope this helps!