Legal Question in Bankruptcy in Virginia

Re: Lawyer Fees

Since many lawyers, like me, for instance, routinely advertise their fees on various legal matters, there are obviously market forces that place some kind of limits on fees if the client is astute enough to shop around.

Additionally, fees must be disclosed to the bankruptcy court in an attorney disclosure statement attached to the debtor's petition and schedules.

I actually have never researched it but always assumed that the State Bar rules would require some kind of reasonableness standard in setting fees.

Re: Lawyer Fees

There's really no limit on what a lawyer can and should charge for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but the bottom line is this: How much will the market bear? Bankruptcy lawyers seems to be extremely competetive these days, and there is a lot of "price shopping." So a lawyer who is outrageous with his or her fees isn't likely to stay in business for long. Similarly, if a lawyer charges too much for re-opening your case, there are plenty of other attorneys who will do it for less.