OMG at the last minute my lawyer is gouging me for more cash out of pocket!!!

[dmc-2008]

Thank you des! Nope! I will bend over and take it and wait for karma, we all know that office can say whatever they want about the "hour or work" they put in it! There is no way to fight it! I have wasted too much time and money on this! Just moving forward wondering why at my age i still get sucked in. Anyway i am hoping to salvage what is left of my credit and home and pay my debt and hope for the best!

[LadyInTheRed]

If the fees you are being charged are unreasonable and/or not consistent with your agreement with the attorney, you should take Des' advise and at the very least, "You should calmly discuss the fees with the attny." If that doesn't resolve things and you have more faith in Karma than going through formal channels, I respect the decision to stick with Karma. But, maybe you could benefit from both Karma and a formal complaint.

You made the decision to file BK for a reason. Has anything changed about your financial situation other than being out $2,000? Regardless of how you deal with this attorney, don't throw money away paying creditors if you are already in a downward spiral. I see that over 4 years ago you decided not file BK. Then, in January of this year you posted:

I was considering BK 13 a few years ago, but I never did it. Now I am worse off then ever! I have not one extra penny in case of an emergency! I hope nobody gets sick or breaks!

Do you think things are going to get better if you put off bankruptcy for longer? Yes, I've seen encouraging news about the CA housing market in the last couple of days. But, I wouldn't count on a quick recovery in values.

Make sure you are making your decision for the right reason.

[TrainWreak]

My attorney charged the maximum $3500 for my chapter 13 not including the filing fee.
I paid $1100 up front ($776 plus $324 in filing fees) plus $2724 in the plan.
If there would have been anything else that came up such as Adversarial Proceedings or anything other than the basics, the written agreement says he could charge more.
He was worth every penny and has done a good job. I'm a few inches from the finish line now.

[dmc-2008]

Hi Lady, nothing has changed. I just feel like i let the stress of a pile of dedt and an underwater mort get to me and i was looking for relief. Bk would work as a quick fix. 2k didnt disuade me but the slao in the face was that the office was probably not honest with me out the gate. I will have a pile of debt and instead of being debt free and a solvent mortgage i will still be in in the same boat. For some reason, gut feeling, i feel like i just missed the bullet! I think my first is too close to market value, he insisted i use his appraiser and then i think they were too willing to fudge things. I dont know. I can keep going and hope that the market picks up and maybe a raise. I have to think that i just paniced AGAIN and might again. If so, i will come back here, this forum is great!

[ValleYum]

Why not file your 7 and get rid of your debts? Take advantage of the 2k you spent? Be able to walk away and be free of the condo if it keeps dropping or get a loan mod and stay? Our mortgage company offered us a mod post Chapter 7 - condos are hard to GIVE away in this housing market so I can't see why the wouldn't want to work with you to keep yours - the BK just would give them incentive to do it - if not, save the $$ for a rental deposit.

[dmc-2008]

I dont know what to do really. In the meantime i am catching up with mortgage to keep roof over our heads! And in all honesty I dont want anything to do with that law office! There is more to this, but dont want to get into that. Suffice it to say that i would rather pull my fingernails out with plyers than work with them! Too unpro and i dont want to provide more fodder for them! Listen. Even all the assistance hate working there! So much drama!

[dmc-2008]

[karm43]

Well, I here u! However, I was gonna file in 2009, my payment would have been astronomical was working too much at the time, so I changed my mind I would have been more then half way done by now. Even suffered through a couple lost jobs, but no I waited. Anyway the theme of the story is I was so buried I could never get out or pay every place I owe, I would try to work something out, because once you get so far behind its hard. There are definetly issues I am not happy with but I keep telling myself 5 years, hope I get through this, I just want to be able to have a life again at the end. Its hard to trust because it is a long 5 years. Good Luck!

[dmc-2008]

Karm, i know! I was here thinking about it in 08 and here i am in 12!! I looked at my numbers and doing catch up with cc and mortgages gonna take its toll! I think i may have to borrow from a friend and spend nothing extra!! All i can see in my minds eye are the lawyers counting their $$$! Lol whatev, i hope that they can really justify taking the full 2k because if they can't and are really trying to put the screws to me, i am sure they will get theirs in some shape or form in this lifetime! All i am facing now ia super tight budget and a few fico points. I can do this! I was dreading 5 years in bed with the courts and the lawyers anyway! Glad u made the right decision for you!

[LadyInTheRed]

I dont know what to do really.

I know what you should do.

ValleYum makes an excellent point. Why not just have the attorney you already paid file a Chap 7 and deal with the mortgages later? It's hard for any of us to know without knowing everything about your finances.

So, tell the attorney that you need a few days to decide whether to file a 7 or 13. Then consult with another BK attorney, or two, or three, and see what they recommend. If you get conflicting advice, come back here and bounce it off all of us. If you decide a Chap 7 is right for you, gulp hard and have the attorney you already paid file your petition. If he was in the wrong, karma will deal with him even if he does finish the job you paid him to do.

If you decide to file a 13, hire a different attorney. Believe it or not, there are lots of good attorneys.

Pay your first mortgage. But don't be in a hurry to start paying your cc's and 2nd and 3rd mortgages. You are already late. Another week or so isn't going to make a big difference. Re-read Karm43's post. Do you real want to come back here 2 years from now knowing that you could have either had a Chap 7 discharge about a year and half behind you are been almost half way through your Chap 13?

[dmc-2008]

Lady you are right! Karm was right too! Cooler heads prevail hopefully! Ok i got my mortgages set to get current now! I looked at unsecured debt and if i dont have that debt it would be some relief. The whole point is debt relief. So i requested this morning that we continue with a 7. I have not heard back but i hope they will at least complete that. So i am a little nervous now that they will find a way to stick it to me. I do expect to pay a filing fee and credit counciling class but nothing else. With a 7 i can breath! Cross fingers. Thank you all so much for being patient with me and i didnt even have to pay you!!!!

[ValleYum]

Yay dmc!!

[pamkev]

Please come back and let us know how it all goes. On your way to a fresh start great news

[dmc-2008]

Valle i think it was your email that got me thinking! Ok so the emailed and said they want me to come in and talk about issues w 7. I said ok, but they havent said when! I wonder what "issues" they have now??? It is never easy.

[pamkev]

Valle i think it was your email that got me thinking! Ok so the emailed and said they want me to come in and talk about issues w 7. I said ok, but they havent said when! I wonder what "issues" they have now??? It is never easy.

Oh I know the feeling never easy in anything I do. I just keep plugging along and hope one day it gets better.