How to pay lawyer?

[aces67]

We are going through a conversion. Our 341 on Friday went perfect so my lawyer seems to think we are good now. Anyway we owe him $750.

This payday I really don't have any money at all to give him because I HAD to buy me 2 tires. He said we can pay it out and he's fine with that but I just looked over my regular bills and it seems I'm paid 2 weeks ahead on all of them. So I could pay him in full now and skip paying the bills. They aren't due until 6/19 and 6/22 and dh gets paid again on 6/5 and 6/19.

What would you do? I guess I'm ahead because dh gets paid every 2 weeks. So even though the bills are due monthly I pay each of them every 4 weeks. I guess that's what it is. I really don't how I get ahead.

[justbroke]

Your strategy that you have conceived, is what most people do. since you will be discharging the debt, there is no sense in paying it. Keeping shelter, putting food on the table, providing for your family and paying your lawyer are more important.

[aces67]

The bills I owe aren't being discharged though. They are my normal monthly bills. Mortgage, car note, light bill etc. I just somehow got ahead. I'm not sure if I should keep like usual and stay ahead and just give the lawyer a little here and a little there or just pay him in full and then pick up again on my bills in 2 weeks.

[justbroke]

The bills I owe aren't being discharged though. They are my normal monthly bills. Mortgage, car note, light bill etc. I just somehow got ahead. I'm not sure if I should keep like usual and stay ahead and just give the lawyer a little here and a little there or just pay him in full and then pick up again on my bills in 2 weeks.

Your strategy will all depend on the urgency and balancing your other necessary payments (mortgage, car, lights).

Is your new 341 Meeting already scheduled? Strange for a lawyer to be taking payments... during a conversion. (I just don't know how that works... so it's strange to me!)

[aces67]

The 341 was on Friday and the trustee was fine with everything and just told us Good Luck and have a good holiday. The lawyer says we should have our discharge in 60-90 days and that we need to start making payments to him.

[DeadManCrawling]

If you can afford to pay him in full and are certain there wont be any surprise bills coming in, why not get it out of the way.

Alternately, I guess, I would do this:

Pay him half now and wait until DH gets paid. Save the other half until then, and if it all looks good, pay him the remainder then.

In any case, DO make sure he gets paid, he has done his job and it sounds like the outcome and his performance are not in question.

Good luck!

[Looking4ward]

I agree with DeadMan in that if you have the money, just pay him in full.

Before filing just recently, I had tried before and was making payments. I couldn't keep up and ended up not being able to file and lost all that money that I had paid.

I didn't file this time until I had all the money up front.

Best to you!

[CH33 Paralegal]

If you're in a Ch7, I'd say that whatever your attorney fees are in exchange for a discharge from your unsecured debt, it's worth the money and the attorney should be paid.