Our Chapter 7 flat fee starts at $1,850. The Chapter 13 attorney fee is the $7,000 no-look figure the Central District sets, and most of it is paid through your plan rather than before filing.
We put the numbers on the website because you are going to ask anyway, and because a firm that will not tell you the price until you are sitting in a conference room has told you something about how it operates.
Chapter 7, itemized
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Attorney flat fee | From $1,850 |
| Court filing fee | $338 |
| Pre-filing credit counseling course | $10 to $50 |
| Pre-discharge debtor education course | $10 to $50 |
| Credit report pull | Usually included |
The fee goes up from $1,850 when the case is genuinely more work. A rental property, a recent transfer of assets, a business you closed last year, an income figure that puts you into the second half of the means test. We quote the number before you retain us and it does not move afterward.
Chapter 13, itemized
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Attorney fee (Central District no-look, non-business) | $7,000 |
| Attorney fee where a business is involved | $8,500 |
| Court filing fee | $313 |
| Both required courses | $20 to $100 total |
Why this matters more than it looks
Chapter 13 attorney fees are approved by the court and paid mostly through the plan, which means you can often start a Chapter 13 for a few hundred dollars out of pocket. Chapter 7 fees have to be paid before filing. That is the opposite of what most people assume, and it is the reason some clients who could file either one choose the 13.
The awkward part of Chapter 7
A Chapter 7 fee generally has to be paid in full before the case is filed. If it were owed afterward, it would be discharged along with everything else, and the arrangement gets attorneys in trouble.
So the people who most need Chapter 7 are sometimes the people who can least assemble the money. We take payment plans before filing, which stretches the timeline but makes it possible. If a garnishment is already running, tell us, because that changes the sequencing.
What the fee does not include
- Adversary proceedings, which are lawsuits inside the bankruptcy
- Converting from one chapter to another after filing
- Motions to avoid a judicial lien on your home
- Amendments needed because something was not disclosed to us
- Reopening a closed case
Most cases need none of these. We list them because the alternative is a surprise invoice, and you have had enough of those.
“You will find filings in this county at $799. Some of them are fine. Some of them are a petition preparer who is not allowed to give you advice, choosing the wrong exemption system on your behalf. There is a page on what goes wrong, and it is not a sales pitch, it is a list.”
Naomi Reyes-AshfordQuestions we get asked
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes, on Chapter 7, before filing. On Chapter 13 the plan itself is the payment plan.
Can I get the filing fee waived?
In Chapter 7, yes, if your income is under 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and you cannot pay in installments. Otherwise you can ask to pay it in up to four installments.
Is the consultation free?
Yes, and it is a real consultation. You will leave it knowing which chapter fits and roughly what it costs, whether or not you hire us.
What if I start and change my mind?
Before filing, we refund the unearned portion. Ask us for that in writing and we will put it in the engagement letter.
Start here
Book a consultation and bring six months of pay stubs. We will quote you a number on that call, not after a second meeting.