How to Pay for a Bankruptcy Attorney
The #1 question I’m asked by callers about bankruptcy is, how to pay for a bankruptcy attorney? After all, you’re in a major financial crisis and can’t pay your bills, so how would someone pay an attorney to file their bankruptcy case?
Bankruptcy Isn’t Cheap
Although filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy allows debtors to gain huge financial relief, a bankruptcy isn’t a cheap process. Also, a good (or great!) bankruptcy attorney costs a lot of money too. Here is a breakdown of the typical costs for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case for an individual:
- Attorney fee – $1200
- Filing fee – $338
- Pre-filing credit report – $40
- Pre-filing debtor education course – $35
- Pre-discharge debtor education course – $35
The average budget for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case including your bankruptcy attorney is almost $1700! A joint bankruptcy with a married couple is about $300 more than that. Those callers are right, how can you pay for a bankruptcy attorney with all that you’re going through?
Lawyer explained to client their rights and options in their court case
Here’s How You Pay for your Bankruptcy Attorney
At Eggert Law Firm, we start our clients’ bankruptcy process with gathering information and then making a plan. Part of that plan is analyzing which debts our clients need to stop paying right now!
Most of the time, our clients are still paying hundreds of dollars a month toward the very same debts they are going to discharge in their Chapter 7 bankruptcy. For example, those credit cards with their outrageous interest and late fees: a past-due balance of $10,000 will usually have a minimum payment due of about $300! One or two of those and we’re talking serious money. And most of our clients are still making payments to keep the banks off their backs when they come talk to us.
We will quickly identify which debts our clients are going to discharge in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and advise which of those payments need to cease immediately. This is important because payments on those debts made within 90 days of filing bankruptcy are a complete waste!
Our client will then redirect those payments to pay for their bankruptcy attorney and prepare to pay the filing fee and other costs associated with their bankruptcy case.
Learn More!
At Eggert Law Firm, our consultations for Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases to be filed in the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Oklahoma are free of charge and with no obligation.
Click here to learn more about the bankruptcy process in Oklahoma.
Please call us now at (918) 322-0092 to schedule a consultation, or click this link to go to our scheduling page.