BK discharged in August. I rec'd a bill from my attorney today (Feb 1). What?

[TXskyblue]

Ch7 discharged in August. I signed a retainer and paid my attorney $2,100 (all numbers rounded).

Today, Feb 1, I rec'd a bill in the mail from my attorney for $325. It says this is a "final invoice" and includes a copy of an activity log which details when they did stuff, what they did, the rate, etc.

I could have sworn my retainer said that the $2100 was for everything minus any reaffirmation I chose to have them handle. I no longer have a copy of the retainer. I tossed it at the beginning of the year because why would I need that any more?

Is this normal? Did your lawyers send you random bills months later?

Paying $325 would not be a huge deal for me, but it doesn't seem right. Can I request a copy of my retainer agreement? Are they going to charge me for that?

I don't really want to poke a law firm with a stick, but I don't think this is right.

[justbroke]

The only way to determine whether this was included or not, is to look at the fee agreement. You would then ask for detailed billing and then compare the fee agreement to the billing. There is absolutely no way to speculate about what is owed, but I would "assume" -- and I'm not an attorney -- that the fees were for post-filing charges (and not pre-filing charges). It could have been that the attorney had to attend a second 341 Meeting, or did a reaffirmation agreement for you, or some other service not included in the basic "no-look" fee agreement.

[kilowatt]

My lawyer gave me a contract for a basic fee, but made it clear any extra work would be billed for the hours worked. I'm sure your lawyer had you sign a similiar contract.

[LadyInTheRed]

Ask the attorney to send you a copy of the fee agreement. They shouldn't charge you to do that.

[tobee43]

ditto LITR