Chapter 13 - No Up Front Attorney Fees
(For Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Only)
The Catch-22 of bankruptcy is that you have no money to spare, but are forced to hire an attorney because of the sheer complexity of bankruptcy. The law firm of Simon, Fitzgerald, Cooke, Reed and Welch is sympathetic to your plight. In most cases, we do not require you to pay the fees and expenses in advance because the fees and expenses are included in the monthly payments made to the Chapter 13 Trustee. Court costs are normally paid prior to filing but can be paid in installments.
We invite you to a free consultation at one of our six offices statewide:
Shreveport • Bossier City • Monroe • Lake Charles • Baton Rouge • Lafayette
BANKRUPTCY COSTS AND FEES
Your First Office Visit Is FREE
One of our experienced bankruptcy lawyers will sit down with you in a no-cost, no-obligation consultation to discuss your financial situation and options for debt relief. If you decide to go ahead with a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the costs and fees are outlined below.
Court Costs
A fixed fee must be paid to the Clerk of Court upon filing any bankruptcy case.
- Chapter 7 court costs are $299. After your free consultation, we require advance payment before we begin preparing your bankruptcy petition. This is standard practice.
-
Chapter 13 court costs are $274. You can pay the costs up front, or if you cannot afford to pay the $274 you may be able to pay the costs in installments, with a first installment of only $94.00. In certain circumstances, in the Shreveport and Monroe divisions, you may not be required to pay any of the costs prior to filing.
Chapter 13 - No Up Front Fee - Fees Not Paid in Advance
We usually do not require the payment of any attorney fees prior to filing. This fee must be approved by the court and is paid to us as an administrative claim from the money you pay each month to the bankruptcy trustee. In other words, in most cases there are no attorney fees up front. In some circumstances a portion of the attorney fee will be required in advance. Requiring some portion of the fee is more common in cases filed in the Lake Charles and Lafayette area.
Chapter 7 Fees Required Before Filing
We are paid up front in a Chapter 7. This is generally true of all firms handling Chapter 7 cases. Our base attorney fee for a typical Chapter 7 proceeding is between $750 and $1,500, depending on the complexity of your case. We will quote an exact fee at your initial consultation.
Free Consultation on Chapter 13
The majority of bankruptcy filings in Louisiana are Chapter 13's. With very little out-of-pocket expense required until your repayment plan starts (30 days after filing), are you ready to get the information you need to make an informed decision? Call us at 888-341-8091.
*We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.
