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For most clients, including
joint husband/wife filings, that sum, from $894.00 to 994.00, is the total fee paid to attorney.
The fee varies due to the complexity of your case and the location of
your residence. Two other fees
go to 3rd parties (see below). The $894 to 994 fee applies to filers from Luzerne, Wyoming,
Columbia, Lackawanna, Pike, Sullivan, Bradford, and Susquehanna
counties. Filers from lower Luzerne
(Hazleton area), Carbon, Northumberland, Montour and Schuylkill counties
may incur additional fees. All efforts are made to keep the
attorney's fee as low as possible,
given the workload your particular case will require, and the amount that
is within your budget. You are considering bankruptcy particularly
because of a shortage of funds, and I am aware of this, so there is no
use in charging a fee you can't afford. We'll talk about this more in the
office; you'll know after speaking w/me exactly how much your case will
cost.
TWO ADDITIONAL FEES PAID TO 3rd PARTIES:
- CREDIT REPORT - a downloading
of your credit report from the three credit reporting agencies directly into your bankruptcy - $
35 per client / $70 per couple
- as charged to me by Online Credit Reporting. I require this
for all clients. I will NOT be able to use a credit
report you obtain, so please do not think it is necessary for you to
spend money or time, before we meet, to obtain one on your own, though
you're certainly welcome to do that. Try http://www.annualcreditreport.com
for one free credit report per year that federal law now
permits.
PRE-FILING COUNSELING. -
a fee charged by an approved Credit Counseling Service of $50
per person or married couple which agency will provide you a Certificate of Credit Counseling, through in-person, online, or telephonic counseling. The law requires you
obtain such certificate prior to the date we file your case. Currently we are recommending
www.cccs-express.org as the quickest way to obtain the certificate - within 24 hours, through online counseling. You may need my "FIRM
CODE." It is: 2025. I strongly recommend you use
that agency, but click here
for a list of other approved agencies. IF YOUR INCOME IS BELOW THE
POVERTY LINE YOU CAN HAVE THIS FEE WAIVED.
YOU CAN "START" WITH A MINIMUM OF $200.
By "starting," what I do is interview you and complete most of the preliminary work except for filing. I can complete the interview without any paperwork from you, but ultimately I will need certain items, such as pay stubs and income tax returns, which we’ll go over. There are no forms or applications for you to fill out.
Once you've paid the balance, and completed the
30-60 minute debtor education course, I’ll file your bankruptcy in federal court. You may need to return to the office one more time before filing.
Creditors will be notified by the court 3 to 6 weeks after your case is file. Once notified, they are prohibited from contacting you. Employers and landlords will not be notified.
I don't take your case unless I know (by experience - over 1,500 cases filed in 10 years) that it will be approved and your unsecured debts (credit cards, bank loans, medical bills, subscription fees, attorney's fees (not mine!) And utility arrears will be discharged, meaning the court will order that you are no longer liable to pay back those debts.
BANKRUPTCY IS A FRESH START, A 2ND CHANCE, AFTER ALL OTHER OPTIONS HAVE PROVEN FRUITLESS.
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