I called one of the lawyers in my area and I asked her if we can have a free consultation. She asked me what is it for? Bankruptcy. She said it will cost you $167.00 and you can include it in the cost of the bankruptcy fees. They seem like a good law firm, but I dont know why they would charge this for first consultation. Anyone else ever seen this before?
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I've seen several people post they had Consultations that were not free.
Think about it from the attny's perspective. They talk to lots of people who are not serious about filing. Lookie Lous so to speak. They learn what they have to go thru and decide it's not worth it. Or people who comparison shop to find the right attny.
Each attny you speak with, you're gonna get about an hour of their and their staff's time in the Consultation. Going rate these days for a decent attny runs about $250/billable hour. Give or take.
The fee for the Consultation helps the attny weed out potential people that might come in simply for the purpose of wasting his/her time.Filed Ch 7 - 09/06
Discharged - 12/2006
Officially Declared No Asset - 03/2007
Closed - 04/2007
I am not an attorney. My comments are based on personal experience and research. Always consult an attorney in your area to address concerns related to your particular situation.
Another good thing about being poor is that when you are seventy your children will not have declared you legally insane in order to gain control of your estate. - Woody Allen... -
What kind of consultation is it?
I had a free one, but it was over the phone. I've had a couple of occasions to look for attys over the years and the free consultations have always been over the phone. That's much easier for the lawyer.
If you're talking about going to their office and sitting down with someone, the price sounds pretty decent. Personally, I wouldn't pay for an initial phone consult, but would expect to for an inperson apt.Comment
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The lawyer would go over the 6 months pay, 2 years tax returns, list of debts. The lawyer belongs to a good firm I think. The lawyer was admitted to BAR in 2003. Does it matter if the lawyer is new or would you go with a lawyer with 10 years or more experience.Comment
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I've called quite a few firms and about 90% of them don't charge initial consult fees but a few of them did. No rhyme or reason to which ones do and don't. Most of the attys I called where Martindale Hubble AV rated and even among those, some charged and some didn't. B/c I'm flat broke, that helped me weed out the ones I didn't make appts with.11/14/07 -filed C7
12/04/07 -case pulled for random audit.
12/18/07 -341 held: Asset case due to engagement ring & tax return.
02/19/08 - US trustee files motion to extend.
04/02/08- changed back to NO ASSET! I get my ring back and get to keep my tax return! :clapping: 04/28/08 -DISCHARGED!!! :yahoo::yahoo: 05/07/08 - CLOSED!!!Comment
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