| How Much Does a Bankruptcy Cost? |
Often, a potential client will call our office and ask "How much do you charge for a bankruptcy?" The question is almost impossible to answer without some questions of our own. Imagine if you will that you call a mechanic and say my car isn't running what will you charge to fix it? The mechanic will not know what is wrong by speaking with you over the phone or know if you need a new engine or your water pump is out etc. Or imagine, if you will you call a Doctor and say my back hurts what do you charge for back surgery. A Doctor cannot answer that question without you coming in and doing further tests and taking x-rays etc. The Doctor won't know if it is minor back pain or you need a disc replacement etc. The same analogies apply when a a potential client calls and says what do you charge for a bankruptcy? Generally, we can give a range of fee's; however, without asking some questions of our own, our office or any attorney cannot really answer the question without asking numerous questions and ideally to speak with you in person.
We will not know if you need a Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy Learn More about Chapter 7. Or if you need a Chapter 13 reorganization Learn more about Chapter 13 Reorganization. We will often answer the question of how much we will charge with numerous questions. Some of the questions we will ask are, Are you working?, Do you own real estate?, how much debt do you have?, What kind of Debt is it that you have? Do you own a business? Etc. Etc. A Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 fee will vary on how complicated a case is and what the debts are. Numerous attorneys who dabble in bankruptcy advertise with a "flat fee" for bankruptcy and then add attorney fee's on a a la carte basis for any complexities in the case. Most of the time the person who uses them will be charged much more than the advertised "flat fee", and or they will be using an attorney who only dabbles in bankruptcy. Although any attorney can legally file a bankruptcy we often meet clients who used an inexperienced attorney to file their bankruptcy at their own peril. Bankruptcy is not a specialty practice; however, if the attorney does not regularly practice bankruptcy law then there are extreme perils for both the attorney and the Debtor. See Our Link on how to Choose a Lawyer
Using a "cut rate" attorney may lead to a client paying much more in the end. Also imagine that you hire the "cheapest doctor" for a surgery and not the "best". Do you really want to take a risk like that with you health? Should you take this risk with your financial health? At Swanson & Wagman LLC, you will only speak with an attorney, and never a paralegal or a secretary See Our Website. We only practice bankruptcy and a little real estate work. Often times I will speak with a client and tell them call different attorneys and see what they say to you and see a few before coming to see us, because you should compare attorneys on a big decision such as filing a bankruptcy. We will go through your options other than filing a bankruptcy Alternatives to a Bankruptcy.
Marc Wagman
Attorney at Law
Swanson & Wagman LLC Our Main Page
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Posted By Marc Wagman on June 03, 2010 11:26 am | Permalink  |