Decades of Experience,
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The Cost of Filing Bankruptcy
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
The Law Office of Christopher Hewitt is very competitive in terms of our convenience and speed of service throughout Riverside and Orange Counties. Chapter 7 bankruptcies’ current average is just under $2,000, depending on many factors. When the debtor has all their income and debts organized and is not facing any lawsuits or other issues to complicate their bankruptcy, our firm may offer a lower rate. When our firm can complete your Chapter 7 within two hours during one session, this is what our firm would consider a straightforward, simple bankruptcy and, therefore, may offer a discounted price. If all you have is unsecured credit card debt and you do not have a financed car or own a home, this is considered a more straightforward case.
Complicating Factors
The things that would make bankruptcy more complex are whether you are self-employed and whether you have to analyze profit and loss statements. If you have over 100k in debt and make over the median income, but I can squeeze you into a chapter 7 because of hefty mortgage payments, then I usually charge more. If I have to go to court for a reaffirmation agreement on a car, which is only sometimes necessary but very predictable, then it will incur additional fees. Our Law Firm cannot offer any discounts during an emergency case. During an emergency case, it means you waited until the last minute to contact an attorney; therefore, we need more time to consider if the case will present additional problems requiring representation.
If you own a home and have a car financed within three years, our firm would consider this an average case; therefore, the standard fee would apply. If you are self-employed, own a home, have financed cars, and have a high debt amount, it will most likely be closer to $2000 or even a bit more due to the complexities arising out of the case and the time it takes me to help you do adequate prebankruptcy preparations.
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
The trustee determines Chapter 13 fees, but they are usually $5,000 since you will be a client for 3-5 years. I take installments and usually only need around $1900 to start. The rest of the payments will come from you via the trustee from your payment plan. My fees won’t make your plan any more expensive, but instead, I will be receiving payments that you’d be paying your unsecured creditors.