Our Chapter 7 flat fee starts at $1,850. Add the court's $338 filing fee and roughly $10 to $50 each for the two required courses, and a straightforward case lands between about $2,200 and $2,400 all in.
Starts at means something. A case with a small business, rental property, recent large transfers or a house with meaningful equity costs more, and I will quote that number at the consultation rather than after you have paid.
The full breakdown
| Item | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney flat fee | From $1,850 | Bamboo Law Group |
| Court filing fee | $338 | U.S. Bankruptcy Court |
| Pre-filing credit counseling | About $10 to $50 | Approved provider |
| Pre-discharge debtor education | About $10 to $50 | Approved provider |
| Credit report pull | $0 to $45 | Reporting agency |
What the flat fee covers
- The consultation, the means test analysis and the exemption planning that goes with it
- Preparing and filing the petition, schedules, statement of financial affairs and all supporting documents
- Sending the trustee the documents required before your 341 meeting
- Appearing with you at the 341 meeting of creditors, which is held by video in this district
- Routine correspondence with creditors, and dealing with collectors who keep calling after the stay is in place
- Reaffirmation review and advice on whether to sign one
What it does not cover, stated plainly
Adversary proceedings are separate. If a creditor sues you inside the bankruptcy claiming fraud on a recent credit card balance, that is a lawsuit with discovery and hearings, and it is quoted separately. Same for a student loan undue hardship adversary, which is its own animal.
Lien avoidance motions to strip a judgment lien off your home are separate, typically a few hundred dollars each. Converting from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13 is separate. Amendments required because you did not disclose something at the outset are separate, and I say that out loud at the first meeting so nobody is surprised later.
Why the fee has to be paid before you file, which is the awkward part of this business
Any attorney fee you still owe on the day of filing is an unsecured debt, and your Chapter 7 discharge wipes it out along with your credit cards. I could not collect it afterward even if I wanted to, and a lawyer who tries is violating the discharge injunction. So the entire fee is paid before the petition goes in. That is a hard rule for people whose whole problem is not having money, and I do not pretend otherwise.
How people actually pay it
Payment plans over two to four months are common and I set them up regularly. Once you have stopped paying credit cards, which most clients already have by the time they call, the monthly minimums that were going to Chase and Capital One cover the fee quickly. A client paying $600 a month in minimums funds the whole thing in three months and gets the debt discharged at the end of it.
The court filing fee can be paid in installments after filing, or waived entirely if your income is under 150 percent of the federal poverty guideline. The attorney fee cannot be handled that way, for the reason above.
“I get asked why cheaper firms advertise $799. Some of them are honest operations that make it work on volume, and some of them quote $799 and then bill separately for everything past the petition, so the real number is $2,000 by the time you have a discharge. Ask any firm, including this one, for the full list of what triggers an additional fee. If the answer is vague, that is the answer.”
Naomi Reyes-AshfordQuestions we get asked
Do you charge for the consultation?
No. The first meeting is free and it is done by video, which saves you a drive to Beverly Hills. If bankruptcy is the wrong tool for your situation I will say so in that meeting, and roughly one person in six hears exactly that.
Is the fee refundable if I change my mind?
Fees are earned as the work is done. If you stop before filing, you are billed for the work completed and the rest is returned. That gets put in writing in the retainer, not left to memory.
Why is my case quoted above $1,850?
Usual reasons: self employment income, a rental property, a business entity, over the median income requiring a full means test analysis, large recent transfers, or more than about 40 creditors. I explain which one applies to you before you sign anything.
Can I file without a lawyer to save the money?
You can. In the Central District a meaningful share of self filed Chapter 7 cases get dismissed or lose assets that were exemptible. If your only debt is $9,000 of credit cards and you own nothing, the math for filing on your own is not crazy. Above that, it usually is.
Book a free video consultation and bring a rough total of what you owe, your last two pay stubs and a list of what you own. You will leave that meeting with a firm number, not a range.