Cheap Bankruptcy Attorney Fees? Watch Out!

Bankruptcy attorney fees are fixed in the sense that bankruptcy court imposes a limit. However, you may be wondering, then why different bankruptcy attorneys charge different amounts. If bankruptcy court caps bankruptcy attorneys' fees, what is the difference between an cheap bankruptcy attorney and everybody else?

I know some reasons to account for the difference in fees. You need to know that a cheap bankruptcy could mean your getting a bad bankruptcy lawyer.

First of all, often an inexperienced bankruptcy lawyer may have low fees because they simply don't know what to charge. If you find a bankruptcy lawyer with very low prices, be sure to ask him or her how many bankruptcy cases he or she has completed. Even if a bankruptcy lawyer claims to have 30 years of experience, none of that is necessarily in bankruptcy law. Bankruptcy law is a specialty and is different than other types of law. Check that your bankruptcy attorney is respected, qualified, and have a history of taking cases to successful discharge.

Second, a cheap bankruptcy can be deceptive. Your bankruptcy attorney might end up charging you a lot of fees that you don't expect. These bankruptcy attorneys advertise prices below market value just to get you in their office. Once you sign a retainer, you're probably going to end up paying about the same amount, if not more, in extra fees that were not included in their advertised price. If a bankruptcy attorney is going to mislead you to get you as a client, how do you think they will handle your case?

Third, you get what you pay for. A cheap bankruptcy lawyer might be charging you a very low price because they aren't doing that much work for you. Basically all lawyers charge a fee by the hour for their work. Usually you pay for every hour that a bankruptcy lawyer spends working on your case. According to the rules established by the bankruptcy court, a bankruptcy lawyer is only allowed to charge up to $175 an hour. This means a bankruptcy attorney who claims they will only charge you $300 to file your bankruptcy puts in less than 2 hours of work into your case!

Think about it this way: if you were going to get open heart surgery, would you want a doctor who advertises herself or himself as the cheap doctor? Bankruptcy is the same way�everybody has different financial needs, and every case will take a different amount of work. You don't want to put your financial life in someone else's hands that isn't going to do everything possible to keep you afloat!

About The Author Castle Law Office of St. Louis, P.C. is a bankruptcy firm that helps people suffering under crushing amounts of debt get relief. We have offices in St. Louis, Missouri and Wentzville, Missouri. Visit us online at http://www.castlelaw.net or call us at 866-570-8484