Hiring a Bankruptcy Lawyer in Alabama
How bankruptcy lawyers are paid, the Alabama means test and exemptions, how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Alabama: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Contingent fees are allowed except where Rule 1.5(d) or other law prohibits them. A contingent fee agreement must be in writing and state how the fee is figured, including the percentage(s) the lawyer gets on settlement, trial or appeal, what litigation and other expenses come out of the recovery, and whether expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. At the end, the lawyer must give the client a written statement of the outcome and, if there is a recovery, how the client's share was determined. Lawyers may not charge fees in domestic relations matters contingent on securing a divorce or on the amount of alimony, support or property settlement, and may not charge a contingent fee to represent a criminal defendant. Fee factors also include whether there is a written fee agreement signed by the client. |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The Alabama State Bar Client Security Fund may reimburse clients who lost money or property because of an Alabama lawyer's dishonest conduct while acting as a lawyer or fiduciary. Payment is discretionary ("a matter of grace and not of right"). The maximum is $75,000 per applicant and $200,000 for all applicants for one instance or course of dishonest conduct. Losses from malpractice or incompetence, insured losses, investments and consequential damages are excluded. Applications must be filed within three years after the applicant knew or should have known of the loss (tolled while a grievance is pending, but no later than six years). The fund is financed by a $25 annual assessment on lawyers. Application: https://www.alabar.org/assets/2025/01/CSF_Application-1.pdf |
Alabama rules to know first
| Standard Chapter 13 lawyer fee | Northern District of Alabama: under Bankr. N.D. Ala. R. 2016-1(l), debtor's counsel in a chapter 13 case need not file a detailed fee application if total compensation does not exceed $5,000.00 (the "Exempt Fee"), effective October 1, 2026 (memorandum dated September 18, 2026; the prior figure was $4,500.00 for cases filed on or after October 1, 2022). If an Exempt Fee is charged, no other fee may be charged without prior court approval except filing fees and actual costs of each amendment to the schedules not attributable to attorney error. Middle District of Alabama: Administrative Order No. 2022-10 (effective for cases filed on or after October 1, 2022) presumes $4,500.00 to be the maximum reasonable compensation for all legal services rendered in a chapter 13 case by the debtor's attorney (the "Presumptive Chapter 13 Fee"); to earn it, the attorney must represent the debtor in all matters related to the main case, including the petition, schedules, plan and amendments, the meeting of creditors and confirmation hearings, claims review and objections, motions, hearings, and discharge filings. No other fees may be charged without court approval except filing fees and court costs. Southern District of Alabama: Administrative Order No. 2025-04 (dated June 25, 2025), for chapter 13 cases filed on or after July 1, 2025, sets "no look" compensation in confirmed cases at not more than the lesser of $4,800 or the amount proposed to be paid (including trustee's commission) to creditors through the plan, with a floor of $2,700 (cap of $1,700 if the court finds the case was filed primarily to finance attorney's fees); "no look" compensation in cases dismissed or converted before confirmation may not exceed $1,200. The order also allows add-on "no look" fees of $600 or 10% of the net settlement (whichever is less) for approval of tort claims, and $600 for substantial work on a sale of the debtor's real property. Middle District order: https://www.almb.uscourts.gov/sites/almb/files/Admin%20Order%202022-10-%20Presumptive%20Fees%20for%20Debtor%27s%20Attorneys.pdf ; Southern District order: https://www.alsb.uscourts.gov/sites/alsb/files/AO%202025-04.pdf . In each district the court may reduce the fee for cause. |
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| Means test median income | 1 person: $64,321; 2 people: $77,451; 3 people: $92,698; 4 people: $106,740; add $11,100 for each additional person over 4. These figures apply to bankruptcy cases filed on or after July 15, 2026 (the Census median income data was last updated for cases filed on or after April 1, 2026). The U.S. Trustee updates this table periodically; check https://www.justice.gov/ust/means-testing for the table in effect on the filing date. The table's one-person column is labeled "1 EARNER." Income at or below the median for the household size generally means the Chapter 7 means test's further calculations are not required. |
| Homestead exemption | $18,800 for exemptions effective April 1, 2024 (the court's table shows the amount rising from $5,000 before June 11, 2015, to $15,000, $15,500 (4/1/18), $16,450 (4/1/21) and $18,800 (4/1/24)). The court table gives no acreage limit or statute citation. |
| State or federal exemptions | Alabama has opted out of the federal bankruptcy exemptions. In a bankruptcy case, an individual debtor may exempt only property and income that is exempt under Alabama law and under federal laws other than 11 U.S.C. § 522(d). Source: Ala. Code § 6-10-11 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service helps people who can afford to pay a lawyer find one. A representative takes basic information and gives you the name and contact details of a participating attorney in your county, if one is available; you can also request a referral online 24/7. Participating lawyers agree to "charge no more than $50 for an initial 30 minute consultation"; other fees are negotiated with the lawyer. Phone: 1-800-392-5660 (Mon-Fri, 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m.). Referrals are not made by email, and the service does not cover out-of-state matters. Also described at https://alabar.org/for-the-public/get-legal-help |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Alabama State Bar's "Find a Member" search lets anyone look up lawyers by name, city, county, state, firm or practice area. The bar notes that practice areas are self-reported and not verified, and that disciplinary history is available on the site starting from January 2018. Source: Alabama State Bar, Find a Member |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints that a lawyer violated the Rules of Professional Conduct are investigated and prosecuted by the Disciplinary Division of the Alabama State Bar's Office of General Counsel, acting for the Alabama Supreme Court. The bar publishes a complaint brochure and form for the public. A lawyer's disciplinary history is available on written request from the bar's Disciplinary Clerk (clerk@alabar.org or P.O. Box 671, Montgomery, AL 36101). Bar phone: (334) 269-1515 or toll-free (800) 354-6154. Complaint brochure and form: https://www.alabar.org/assets/2025/04/Complaint-form_brochure-2012.pdf ; Office of General Counsel: https://www.alabar.org/office-of-general-counsel/ |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Legal Services Alabama, the LSC-funded legal aid program for the state, provides free civil legal help to qualifying low-income people in all 67 counties (apply at 866-456-4995 or online); it does not handle criminal cases. Volunteer lawyer programs also take civil cases for eligible people, including the Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program at (888) 857-8571 for counties without a local program. Alabama Legal Help (alabamalegalhelp.org) offers free legal information and self-help forms. Phone numbers from https://alabar.org/for-the-public/get-legal-help |
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All legal help in Alabama · Do I need a lawyer?
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.