The attorneys’ fees charged by all law firms in every bankruptcy case are disclosed to the Bankruptcy Court and are subject to the Court’s review.
Erin Shank is one of the most experienced bankruptcy attorneys in the State of Texas. She has been practicing exclusively bankruptcy law in Texas for over 30 years. She served for five years as the President of the Central Texas Bankruptcy Bar and is currently a Texas State Chair for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. Erin speaks at numerous bankruptcy seminars each year, educating other attorneys about various aspects of the practice of bankruptcy law.
When you are choosing a law firm, be sure you know what the attorney is offering you. Many attorneys offer an extremely low fee, maybe just a couple of hundred dollars, in order to file a bankruptcy case. However, fees this low are offered because the attorney will be filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case for you. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a three to five-year wage garnishment bankruptcy. That attorney will actually be receiving more attorneys’ fees than my firm will charge you because your wages will be garnished for three to five years and that firm will receive additional fees as your wages are garnished. I pride myself in filing primarily Chapter 7 cases. Chapter 7 cases have no wage garnishment and the bankruptcy case is over in approximately 3 to 4 months. I offer a low down payment and the balance is paid under my convenient payment plan.
When you come in for your free initial consultation, I will provide you with a copy of my fee agreement that itemizes all fees so that there are no surprises as to what you are being charged. I will also completely describe the type of bankruptcy case that I am filing for you.
My fee for a basic consumer Chapter 7 case is $2,500.00, plus expenses that total approximately $430.00. I frequently reduce my fees for cases that are less complicated. I also increase my fees for cases that are more complicated. I offer a discount for active-duty soldiers and veterans. You can retain us by paying just $50.00 and I will begin accepting calls and letters from your creditors. I will tell those creditors that you have retained this law firm for a bankruptcy filing and that, under the federal Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, all future calls and letters must come to my office. I will send you a bill each month so that you can pay the balance of my fees. You can pay the balance of the fees by either dropping a check to us in the mail, by debit card through my website, or dropping by one of my offices in Waco or Killeen. It will be necessary for your entire fee to be paid in order for me to file your Chapter 7 bankruptcy case.
The fee for a basic consumer Chapter 13 case has been set by the Bankruptcy Court and, for cases filed in Waco, Texas, the attorneys’ fee is currently $3,300.00, plus expenses that total approximately $430.00. Remember, Chapter 13 is a 3-5 year wage garnishment. I therefore rarely recommend that a client file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case. If a Chapter 13 case is recommended by my firm, you can retain us by paying $800.00 to $1,000.00, and then the balance of the legal fees will be paid under your Chapter 13 Plan.
Bankruptcy is a serious and complicated legal process. When you hire my firm, you are getting my wealth of experience and knowledge regarding bankruptcy to get your case filed correctly from the very beginning.