A typical Chapter 7 at Bamboo Law Group costs $1,850 in attorney fees, $338 for the court's filing fee, and somewhere between $30 and $100 for the two required online courses. Call it a little under $2,300 all in for a no-asset case. The attorney fee is flat, quoted on the first call, and paid before the case is filed.
The number, itemized
People ask for the total and get a range, or a "starting at," or a phone number. Here is the whole thing on one table for an ordinary no-asset Chapter 7, which is what most of our clients file.
| Item | Paid to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney fee, flat | Bamboo Law Group | $1,850 |
| Court filing fee | U.S. Bankruptcy Court | $338 |
| Pre-filing credit counseling course | An approved online provider | $15 to $50 |
| Pre-discharge debtor education course | An approved online provider | $15 to $50 |
| Total | $2,218 to $2,288 |
There's no intake fee, no "document preparation" line, no charge for the 341 meeting, and no bill afterward for the discharge. The $1,850 is the fee. If the case looks like it will cost more than that, you'll hear the higher number before you send us anything, and you'll get it in writing.
Why you pay before the case is filed
Chapter 7 wipes out debts you owed on the filing date. A fee you still owed your bankruptcy lawyer would be one of those debts. So the fee gets paid first, every firm does it this way, and a lawyer who tells you otherwise is either financing the case through a third party or hasn't thought it through.
That doesn't mean $1,850 on the table today. Most clients pay over two to four months before we file. During that stretch we're not idle: we're collecting your bank statements and pay stubs, running the means test, choosing the exemption system, and telling you which bills to stop paying and which to keep paying. By the time the last installment clears, the petition is usually ready to go the same week.
If a garnishment or a levy makes waiting impossible, say so on the first call. We can move faster when there's a reason to.
What $1,850 actually buys
Everything a normal case needs from the first call to the discharge order. Specifically: the consultation with Naomi, not a screener. The means test, done properly against the current California median income figures. Choosing between System 1 and System 2 exemptions, which is where an inexperienced filer loses a car or a tax refund. The petition, schedules, statement of financial affairs and means test forms, prepared and reviewed with you line by line before anyone signs. Electronic filing. Naomi at your Zoom 341 meeting, herself, every time. One reaffirmation agreement if you need one. Responding to the trustee's follow-up requests for documents. And the phone calls in between, which nobody bills separately.
About 2,400 cases into this, we know what a typical case needs. The flat fee reflects that.
What is not included
A flat fee is only honest if the edges are drawn clearly. These are outside the $1,850 and would be quoted separately, in writing, before any work:
- Adversary proceedings (a creditor sues inside the bankruptcy, or you sue to discharge a student loan)
- Contested motions, including a motion to avoid a judgment lien on your home
- Converting the case to Chapter 13 after filing
- Amending the schedules after filing because of information we weren't told
- A second or third reaffirmation hearing
Most of our Chapter 7 clients never hit any of these. The one that comes up most is the lien avoidance motion, and it's usually worth it, since it removes a judgment lien that would otherwise sit on the house for ten years.
When the quote is higher than $1,850
Some cases take more work, and the fee says so up front. A closed or still-operating business, with its own accounts and its own creditors. Rental property. A prior bankruptcy inside the lookback windows. Assets that the trustee will want valued, like a second vehicle with equity or an interest in a family business. Income close to the median, where the means test goes to the second step and every expense line matters.
In those cases Naomi tells you the number on the first call, or within a day of seeing the documents. It's written into the fee agreement before you pay anything. What we don't do is quote $1,850 and then discover complexity three weeks later.
If the money isn't there
The court's $338 can be waived for a household under 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, or paid to the court in up to four installments over 120 days. Our fee can be spread over the months before filing. If neither of those works, we'll say so, and we'll tell you if waiting to file makes sense, or if you're one of the people for whom bankruptcy isn't the right tool at all.
How this fee compares with Chapter 13, and what each one covers, is laid out on our page on what bankruptcy costs in Los Angeles. If you're not sure which chapter you'd be filing, start with which chapter you qualify for, because the cost question depends on the answer.
and the one I still see people get wrong is paying the fee with a credit card they intend to discharge. Please don't. The card company can object, the trustee will ask about it on Zoom, and it looks like exactly what it is. Pay from a checking account, from wages, from a relative who understands it's a gift. If you have to choose between paying me this month and keeping the car current, keep the car current and call me. We'll work out the months.
Questions people ask about this
Is $1,850 the total cost of a Chapter 7?
It's the attorney fee. Add the $338 court filing fee and two online courses at $15 to $50 each, and a typical case lands a little under $2,300 total. Nothing else is billed in an ordinary case.
Can I pay the Chapter 7 attorney fee after filing?
No, and neither can anyone else's client, whatever the ad says. A fee still owed on the filing date would be discharged along with your other debts. Payment plans run over the two to four months before the case is filed.
Why does a business case cost more?
A business adds accounts, creditors, equipment to value, and questions from the trustee about what happened to the inventory. That takes hours a wage-earner case doesn't. The higher fee is quoted in writing before any work starts.
Does the fee include the 341 meeting?
Yes. Naomi attends every 341 meeting personally, by Zoom, and it's part of the flat fee. So is the preparation call before it.
What if the trustee asks for more documents after the meeting?
Responding to routine trustee requests is included. An adversary proceeding or a contested motion is not, and would be quoted separately if it ever came up.
Talk it through with the attorney
If you want the exact number for your situation rather than the typical one, a free 30-minute video call with Naomi gets you a written quote. Call (310) 555-0184 or book online.