What Do You Charge And When Must It Be Paid?
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Free consultation with experienced bankruptcy attorney — The first office visit with one of our experienced bankruptcy attorneys to help you decide what is best for you is free. If a decision is made to file a Chapter 13 or Chapter 7, the court costs and fees will generally be paid as set forth below.
Chapter 13 — No upfront fee — fee not paid in advance — We do not require that the fee be paid in advance because the fee is included in the monthly payments made to the Chapter 13 trustee. The standard amount of the fee in most of Louisiana is $3,000 - $3,600. Should additional services not included in the standard fee become necessary, we will generally charge fees pursuant to the court's standing order.
Chapter 7 — Our fee and expenses for a typical "consumer" Chapter 7 are between $1,450 and $1,800. The exact amount depends upon the complexity of your case. We will quote the fee and expenses at the initial interview. If you need to pay the fee and expenses over several months we can assist you during this time period.
Court costs — In all cases, court costs must be paid to the Clerk of Court. We usually require the court costs to be paid before we begin preparing the bankruptcy petition, schedules and statement of affairs. Court costs for a Chapter 13 are $310.
However in some instances, in a Chapter 13 the court costs may be paid in installments with an initial payment of $155. If for any reason the bankruptcy is not filed after the documents have been prepared, the amount paid for court costs will be applied to the services rendered. Court costs for a Chapter 7 are $335.
Credit counseling and debtor financial management fees — Internet or telephone credit counseling is required in almost all circumstances. We will assist you with this. The credit counseling fee is generally less than $20; however, if your income is low, this fee may be waived. You also must complete a debtor financial management course after you file. Some Chapter 13 Trustees pay for provide this service at no charge. Otherwise, the fee is usually less than $20, but if your income is low, this fee may also be waived.
If you decide to retain us, the initial consultation services will be included in the fee quoted to you, which will be contained in a separate contract signed when you retain our office.