BANKRUPTCY Clients

No Charge CONSULTATION

I do not charge for the initial consultation. It is a free consultation. The initial consultations includes a debt and budget analysis with recommendations based on your achievable goals.

Charges and Fees for Filing Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 base attorney fees are set by the bankruptcy judges. This means you can hire an experienced Board Certified bankruptcy attorney, like myself, for the same price as a larger volume law firm would charge you for a junior staff lawyer or paralegal. If your case required additional work, I would have to ask permission from the Court for a higher fee and show my detailed time logs to justify the amounts.

In the Eastern Districts of Texas the basic fees for a non-business bankruptcy related case set by the judge is $4,500.00. The Northern District of Texas has a base of $4250.00. Generally I take $500 down for a chapter 13 unless it is complicated or an emergency(ie day before foreclosure or eviction) then the downpayment may be higher. The basic fees for business related cases are between $5000-$5500. The court costs are $313.00 for Chapter 13 cases. I will analyze the complexity of your case at the initial consultation, and down payment and we will agree on a mutually acceptable payment plan through the Chapter 13 Trustee. The majority of the remaining balance in the chapter 13 is paid from the payments that you make to the Chapter 13 Trustee.

I practice bankruptcy in both the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas. See bottom of page for the list of most of the counties served by me.

Chapter 7 basic attorney fees are set by the attorney however they are reviewed by the United States Trustee for reasonableness. The basic fee depends on the complexity of the case. Usually for the simplest case, the fee is $2000 plus court costs of $338. I also give a discount to people on a fixed income such as social security or disability. Business chapter 7 cases are more expensive for obvious reasons due to complexity with fees starting at $2500-$4000. I am willing to discuss payment arrangements with you in the event that the upfront payment is more than you can afford.

The base chapter 7 fee includes:

  • Subsequent consultations after initial consultation and Assistance in the preparation of the State­ment of Affairs and Schedules and Means Testing;
  • Attendance with you at one (1) meeting of credi­tors (the “Section 341 Meeting”); and
  • Normal and routine creditor contact.
  • Reaffirmation agreements

Besides the base fee and court cost deposit, we rarely may incur other out-of-pocket expenses such as long distance, photocopying, and postage.

For other services, we may charge an extra fee and may require an extra retainer

Such extra services include:

  • Defense of adversary proceedings where a creditor has requested a determination that your debt to it should not be discharged;
  • Motions to lift stay” where a creditor requests that the Court allow it to foreclose on your property;
  • Lien avoidance actions;
  • Excessive Amendments to the Schedules or Statement to include matters that you forgot to inform us about; and
  • Complaints and/or Proceedings that you may wish to file – e.g. a suit against the IRS to determine that back taxes are dischargeable.
  • Sales or refinancing of homesteads

The above list does not include everything but represents the type of “extra” matters or services not included in the basic retainer. If you believe that you may require any “extra ser­vices,” please inform me at the earliest possible time. Proper arrangements concerning them can then be made and your in­terests protected. If you do not disclose all of your assets or debts or if you do not tell the truth and any Complaints or Motions are filed I maintain the absolute right to withdraw as your counsel as I will not represent anyone who is not truthful and forthcoming with me

Business cases or cases with a large number of creditors will likely be a higher fee due to the fact that more time is required to handle them.  Please call 214-522-3669 to discuss the fee arrangement available.

The Northern District of Texas includes the following counties

Wichita Falls Divisional Office Archer
Amarillo Divisional Office Armstrong
Lubbock Divisional Office Bailey
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Baylor
Lubbock Divisional Office Borden
Amarillo Divisional Office Briscoe
San Angelo Divisional Office Brown
Abilene Divisional Office Callahan
Amarillo Divisional Office Carson
Amarillo Divisional Office Castro
Amarillo Divisional Office Childress
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Clay
Lubbock Divisional Office Cochran
San Angelo Divisional Office Coke
San Angelo Divisional Office Coleman
Amarillo Divisional Office Collingsworth
Fort Worth Divisional Office Comanche
San Angelo Divisional Office Concho
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Cottle
San Angelo Divisional Office Crockett
Lubbock Divisional Office Crosby
Amarillo Divisional Office Dallam
Dallas Divisional Office Dallas
Lubbock Divisional Office Dawson
Amarillo Divisional Office Deaf Smith
Lubbock Divisional Office Dickens
Amarillo Divisional Office Donley
Abilene Divisional Office Eastland
Dallas Divisional Office Ellis
Fort Worth Divisional Office Erath
Abilene Divisional Office Fisher
Lubbock Divisional Office Floyd
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Foard
Lubbock Divisional Office Gaines
Lubbock Divisional Office Garza
San Angelo Divisional Office Glasscock
Amarillo Divisional Office Gray
Lubbock Divisional Office Hale
Amarillo Divisional Office Hall
Amarillo Divisional Office Hansford
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Hardeman
Amarillo Divisional Office Hartley
Abilene Divisional Office Haskell
Amarillo Divisional Office Hemphill
Lubbock Divisional Office Hockley
Fort Worth Divisional Office Hood
Abilene Divisional Office Howard
Dallas Divisional Office Hunt
Amarillo Divisional Office Hutchinson
San Angelo Divisional Office Irion
Fort Worth Divisional Office Jack
Dallas Divisional Office Johnson
Abilene Divisional Office Jones
Dallas Divisional Office Kaufman
Lubbock Divisional Office Kent
Wichita Falls Divisional Office King
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Knox
Lubbock Divisional Office Lamb
Amarillo Divisional Office Lipscomb
Lubbock Divisional Office Lubbock
Lubbock Divisional Office Lynn
San Angelo Divisional Office Menard
San Angelo Divisional Office Mills
Abilene Divisional Office Mitchell
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Montague
Amarillo Divisional Office Moore
Lubbock Divisional Office Motley
Dallas Divisional Office Navarro
Abilene Divisional Office Nolan
Amarillo Divisional Office Ochiltree
Amarillo Divisional Office Oldham
Fort Worth Divisional Office Palo Pinto
Fort Worth Divisional Office Parker
Amarillo Divisional Office Parmer
Amarillo Divisional Office Potter
Amarillo Divisional Office Randall
San Angelo Divisional Office Reagan
Amarillo Divisional Office Roberts
Dallas Divisional Office Rockwall
San Angelo Divisional Office Runnels
San Angelo Divisional Office Schleicher
Lubbock Divisional Office Scurry
Abilene Divisional Office Shackelford
Amarillo Divisional Office Sherman
Abilene Divisional Office Stephens
San Angelo Divisional Office Sterling
Abilene Divisional Office Stonewall
San Angelo Divisional Office Sutton
Amarillo Divisional Office Swisher
Fort Worth Divisional Office Tarrant
Abilene Divisional Office Taylor
Lubbock Divisional Office Terry
Abilene Divisional Office Throckmorton
San Angelo Divisional Office Tom Green
Amarillo Divisional Office Wheeler
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Wichita
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Wilbarger
Fort Worth Divisional Office Wise
Lubbock Divisional Office Yoakum
Wichita Falls Divisional Office Young

The Eastern District of Texas serves the following counties

Divisions and Offices

The six divisions in the Eastern District of Texas are served by three bankruptcy offices. The counties and divisions served by each office are listed below.

A. Divisions served by the Beaumont Office

Division

Counties
(County Seat in Parentheses)

Drop Box Location

Beaumont

Hardin (Kountze); Jasper (Jasper); Jefferson (Beaumont); Liberty (Liberty); Newton (Newton); Orange (Orange)

For After Hours Pleadings, please use the United States District Court Drop Box at the

Jack Brooks Federal Building
300 Willow Street
Beaumont, Texas 77701

(Click address for detailed map)

The Drop Box is located outside the building at the south end of the Jack Brooks Federal Building by the side door on Liberty Street. ( Willow and Liberty)

Lufkin

Angelina (Lufkin); Houston(Crockett); Nacogdoches (Nacogdoches); Polk (Livingston); Sabine (Hemphill); San Augustine (San Augustine); Shelby (Center); Trinity (Groveton); Tyler (Woodville)

B. Divisions served by the Plano Office

Division

Counties
(County Seat in Parentheses)

Drop Box Location

Sherman

Collin (McKinney) [& Plano]; Cooke (Gainesville); Delta (Cooper); Denton (Denton); Fannin (Bonham); Grayson (Sherman); Hopkins (Sulphur Springs); Lamar (Paris)

For After Hours Pleadings, please use the United States District Court Drop Box at the

United States Courthouse
101 E Pecan
Sherman, Tx 75090

(Click address for detailed map)

When facing the courthouse on Pecan Street, the drop box is outside the building to your right.

Texarkana

Bowie (Texarkana); Franklin (Mt. Vernon); Red River (Clarksville); Titus (Mt. Pleasant);

C. Divisions served by the Tyler Office

Division

Counties
(County Seat in Parentheses)

Drop Box Location

Marshall

Camp (Pittsburg); Cass (Linden); Harrison (Marshall); Marion (Jefferson); Morris (Daingerfield); Upshur (Gilmer)

For After Hours Pleadings, please use the United States District Court Drop Box at the

United States Courthouse
211 West Ferguson Street
Tyler, Texas 75702

(Click address for detailed map)

The Drop Box is located outside the building on College Avenue, approximately in the middle of the building

Tyler

Anderson (Palestine); Cherokee (Jacksonville); Gregg (Longview); Henderson (Athens); Panola (Carthage); Rains (Emory); Rusk (Henderson); Smith (Tyler); Van Zandt (Canton); Wood (Quitman)

To contact me by email, please use this address: hollyguelich@sbcglobal.net.