Even though i payed my law firm 5400 bucks and have yet to talk to a attorney, my case worker told me my DMI is 2000 and i will have couple hundreds bucks to live on a month. I told her that i would not except a plan that will fail she told me to get use to it, chapter 13 if about living without period. Needless to say going lawyer shopping monday heard to many bad stories about doan law firm and there coming true.
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If I were in your shoes, I would call the firm and insist on a face-to-face meeting with an actual attorney, bring all of your income/expenses figures, and go over everything line by line. It's possible they are missing something, miscalculating something, or all of the above.
Of course it's true that you will have to 'do without', but if you don't have enough to live off of then, as you say, your plan will eventually fail. -
Jmac,
We used Doan for my in-laws chapter 7 last year. They had a very simple straight forward case. After filing, the attorney became a ghost and everything was handled through the paralegal staff. They were horrible at answering questions and getting back to us when we needed something. They were paid and they were happy...end of the story on their end.
Around here Doan is known for being a BK mill. This is why I did not even consult them on my own BK 7. Keep looking around for consultations. I recommend at least 3 more. FYI- my BK 7 has cost me now $4000.00 so far and we are only now getting to the 341 stage. I could never afford a chapter 13.....but the US trustee thinks otherwise.
Good Luck
STFiled 7 - 7/8/10, 341 - 8/17/10 - Continued, Presumption of Abuse Filed - 8/27/10
Report of No Distribution 9/27/10. Discharged 2/7/11
Closed 02/25/1
10/12 EXP. 681Comment
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Yea every lawyer i have talked to has said the same thing, they just get it to a 13 to get the most money from you and let there case manager handle everything. I have not heard one good comment which is weird because there so huge on the west coast. Only thing worse then being in a 13 is being represented by a lousy firm in a 13. I hope they prove me wrong and make me eat my words when i finally get to talk to someone who went to college on Friday. We will see then.Comment
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BK 7 for $4000? This law firm is a rip-off. Mine's "only" $1,800 and I realized that there are many great lawyers that even charge less than that for BK 7. Maybe it's in my area then...Filed chapter 7 Jul 13, 2010 341 hearing Aug 12, 2010 
Trustee's report of no distribution Aug 20, 2010 
Discharged Oct 13, 2010 
Closed Oct 28, 2010.Comment
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jmac, definitely go through all the numbers to find out how they came up with that amount. My attorney's paralegal originally told me that my payment would be $950. There was no way I could pay that! It only took 5 minutes on the phone with her to discover that she was missing the payroll deductions for my husband's health and dental insurance. I also got her to increase my transportation expenses since I commute to work by both car and train and would spend much more on parking and bridge toll if I drove all the way. We got the payment down to $500. Errors happen. The key is catching them. We know our finances better than anyone else and are in a better position to catch errors than an attorney or paralegal.
"Get used to it." Great client relations!LadyInTheRed is in the black!
Filed Chap 13 April 2010. Discharged May 2015.
$143,000 in debt discharged for $36,500, including attorneys fees. Money well spent!Comment
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Yes, I agree 4K is defiantly high end; however, I have two attorneys working on the case and mine is a little more complicated than a straight 7. I have a business to liquidate and it was important to me to be sure my legal team was competent in more than one area. I saw 4 attorneys before deciding on this team.
They also do real estate and business law and have always been available to me. We meet weekly (both partners) and stay updated on the case and it now seems I will get to see if they can justify their fee as the US Trustee is going to challenge my case.
I hope I spent my tax return wisely..
.....the jury is still out.
STFiled 7 - 7/8/10, 341 - 8/17/10 - Continued, Presumption of Abuse Filed - 8/27/10
Report of No Distribution 9/27/10. Discharged 2/7/11 Closed 02/25/1
10/12 EXP. 681Comment
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jmac, I just filed a 13 and almost had a heart attack when the atty told me what my monthly payment would be. I knew something wasn't right so I scheduled a meeting with the atty about 10 days after we had filed.
Lo and behold, we found an error and that changed my DMI and monthly payment.
Also, I had asked for recommendations on this site in terms of atty. I saw about 4 atty before I picked one. I am glad to have gone with my choice.
The total I paid for a 13 is 3,300. If you are doing a 7, then that is one hefty price. I'm sorry to hear about that...
Definitely do some shopping and look at other attys.Comment
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The 5400 is the total for the 13, i originally paid 2300 for the 7 which i never got to file on. I will see tomorrow wish me luck.Comment
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Good luck.
Also get an accounting of what is to be paid in the plan. The 13 payment may include a car or mortgage which you had expected to pay directly.
Originally posted by jmac View PostGet mortgage modified: DONE! 7 months of back interest payments amortized, payment reduced over $200/mo
(In the 'planning' stage, to file ch. 13 if/when we have to.)Comment
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Well i found a few things they missed, my lawyer a rookie by the way came up with 721 a month which is way better sounding then 2000. This number is doable for me but she warned me the trustee in Santa Ana is a stickler and may challenge it. Anybody deal with this trustee? This would be about a 24% payback on unsecured. Think it will fly I'm under on all the numbers?Comment
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Another Doan victim
I don't usually consider myself a victim, but the Doam Law Firm has
definitely made me one. How can the Bankruptcy Court or Bar Association let these people stay in business?
I surely hope you are reading this before signing up to use them and can still get away from them as fast as you can.Comment
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Too late signed up and payed....Shoot me a pm with your experience if you dont mind.Originally posted by ohwelldime View PostComment
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jmac, sorry for your troubles, but it seems that it is very difficult to find a reputable attorney at any price.
I agreed to pay my attorney $10,000 for my 13....$4k up front and $6k in the plan. She knew that there would be lien avoidance that impaired the homestead and that my plan involved a buy out of my ex's share of my house and that he was loaded and litiginous. But as soon as he filed a few motions, she was ready to withdraw unless I paid her more even tho the contract was specific as 'all inclusive'.
I think you've gone too far down the road BUT if you haven't filed yet, it may be worth your while to ask them to refund your money less the work they've done so far, especially if the posts on here are true about the firm's unreliability.Comment
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So the trustee does not keep track of excess attorney fees?
I would think they would, but then again specifics have not been shared here so these charges may include many things that are unusual?11/23/'10-filed ch 13. 1/6/'11-341, confirmed. Below median. Plan completed 11/30/2015. DISSCHARGED 4/4/2016.JPComment
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