Chapter 13 fees (survey)

[Positive9]

Hi Guys,

I know you get what you pay for and finding a good lawyer is as hard as finding a good doctor and we shouldn't be bargaining, but I have a quick question/survey.

How much did you have to pay to file Ch 13? Did you have to pay extra to convert to Ch 7?

Thank you in advance.

[momofthree]

We paid $1500 up front and $2000 in the plan = $3500 total to the attorney in addition to the filing fee. I would expect to pay at least another $1000 if we had to convert to a ch.7, but hopefully we'll complete the 13.

[lrprn]

You will find that the typical Ch 13 attorney retainer fees will go up or down depending on:
(1) the area of the country the filer lives in
(2) how complicated the filer's case was
(3) when the filer filed Ch 13

It typically costs more to file on the coasts than in the midwest. It can cost more to file with a complicated case than a straightforward one. And if the filer filed five years ago, costs have gone up everywhere since then and that often includes legal fees.

No matter what information you may get on this thread, keep in mind that it's best to find out everything you can about Ch 13 and any issues there might be with your case, then set up at least 3-4 free initial consultations with experienced bk lawyers in your area who file a lot of Ch 13 cases.

Hiring the best lawyer for your situation is the bargain, not the lowest price overall. In fact, often the best Ch 13 lawyers end up not being the most or least expensive - they are somewhere in the middle.

Good luck on your search!

[Pandora]

we paid $2776 ($2750 attorney fee / $26 for amendment) which included an AP to strip the 2nd. Everything but the amendment fee was rolled into our plan, with att. fee's were the first thing our trustee paid off once we were confirmed.

[IamOld]

We paid about...$3,200 of which $2,900 was up front...

[lillymarlene]

I paid about $4,000 total. About $2,000 upfront which included filing fees, 2 bk courses and $250 to ammend a creditor. Then another $2,000 was rolled into my plan. I was recently confirmed and the trustee has started paying attorney fees. I'm self employed, so this may have had an effect on the price.

[kjrmom911]

We paid 2000 up front and 1500 in the plan.

[frogger]

In my area, the average rates just increased from $2500.00 to $2700.00, most of which is financed in the plan.

[BKAttyMI]

When shopping around, if your area has it, you may want to look to see what the "no look" fee for attorneys in the area is. This fee is the typical fee charged for a Chapter 13 with "no look" from the judge. Obviously, if something comes up in the case to make it more complicated, that no look fee is dropped and the case goes into fee application mode, which means the attorney submits a fee application to the court for approval of additional attorney fees. I suggest looking for an attorney that charges just the "no look" fee for your area, if your area indeed has a standard accepted fee. Here it is $3000, not including court filing costs and credit counseling.

[Andyman]

I paid court cost first...can'tr recall the amount.
My attorney fees $3000 were included in my plan.

[tammygirl1]

We had a 3275 retainer with the remaining 2649 was to be put in plan. Trustee ordered my lawyer to return $1000 since it was more than the no look fee and I didn't have anything more complex than others filing. That $1000 check was actually pretty sweet!

[espo1357]

My guy charges 5k for a 13, and 1200 for a 7. I did the 13.

I had company legal, so I only had to pay for the filing fee (about 300) and the home assessment (about 300).

I got out cheap. And my lawyer is the best in my city.