Clients who come to my office will always tend to ask me the following question… can I get a payment plan to pay your attorney fees if I file chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida? The answer to this question is it depends.  Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorneys are NOT allowed to accept any money from a client after they have filed the client’s case.  That is why in all chapter 7 bankruptcy cases the attorney states that they must be paid up front, or before the filing.  So if you are looking for an attorney who will put you on a payment plan, file your bankruptcy, then continue to allow you to make payments after your case has been filed, you will be looking for a long time because they don’t exist.  However bankruptcy attorneys can work with you with regard to the fee.  Here is how I do it in my office.

If a client comes to see me, wants to file bankruptcy but doesn’t have enough money to do so I will put them on a quasi-payment plan.  In this plan the client will give me an initial down payment ranging from $100-$300.  When the client pays me this fee I can begin to work on their case, which will include running the client’s credit, determining what their assets are, as well as determining which of their assets will be exempted from creditors when the client chooses to file for bankruptcy.   After the initial deposit is made, the client will make any arrangements they can to come up with the rest of the money, whether it’s  monthly payments, bi-monthly payments, quarterly payments, etc… during this time I will continue to work on their file and have the bankruptcy petition ready to file when necessary.  Finally when the client has paid my attorney fee, I will review the petition with the client and then immediately file their case.

If you know someone who is looking to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy in the greater Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Palm Beach county then please call Shmucher Law, PL at 954.309.5559 or 305.741.5553 to schedule a free initial consultation in one of our five conveniently located offices throughout Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach counties.