Hiring a Bankruptcy Lawyer in Connecticut
How bankruptcy lawyers are paid, the Connecticut 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 Connecticut: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Connecticut law caps contingency fees in claims for personal injury, wrongful death or property damage at 33 1/3% of the first $300,000, 25% of the next $300,000, 20% of the next $300,000, 15% of the next $300,000, and 10% of any amount over $1,200,000. A client may waive these limits only in a case that is substantially complex, unique or different, after the lawyer explains the limits and the right to seek another lawyer, and only through a written, signed and notarized agreement with a bold-type acknowledgment; even then the total fee cannot exceed 33 1/3% of the amount awarded or received. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 52-251c |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Connecticut Bar Association offers low-cost fee mediation or arbitration, but only if both the client and the lawyer agree to use it. The Statewide Grievance Committee can also order a lawyer to take part in fee arbitration. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | Connecticut's Client Security Fund may reimburse losses from an attorney's theft, embezzlement or wrongful taking of money or property in the course of an attorney-client relationship or related fiduciary role; in limited circumstances it may cover an attorney's refusal to refund unearned fees paid in advance. Negligence, malpractice and investment losses are not covered. Apply on form JD-GC-15, signed under oath before a notary, with copies of proof of the loss, mailed to the Client Security Fund Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. Pamphlet referenced on the form: http://www.jud.ct.gov/Publications/GC016.pdf |
Connecticut rules to know first
| Standard Chapter 13 lawyer fee | District of Connecticut (the state's only bankruptcy district): under Interim Local Bankruptcy Rule 2016-2(b), adopted by General Order 2024-02 (dated July 15, 2024), if a chapter 13 debtor's attorney seeks allowance of fees, excluding costs, for services rendered before confirmation in an amount equal to or less than the amount stated in Section 4.3 of the Local Form Chapter 13 Plan (Appendix E), filing Form B2030 (Disclosure of Compensation) is sufficient and an itemized fee application under 11 U.S.C. 330 is excused. The current Local Form Chapter 13 Plan sets that "no look" fee at $6,000.00 ("If the total of the Debtor's attorney's fees prior to entry of a confirmation order is $6,000.00 or less"). The prior $4,000.00 no look fee continues to apply in cases filed before General Order 2024-02 unless the presiding judge orders otherwise. Local Rules with Appendix E (plan form stating the $6,000.00 figure): https://www.ctb.uscourts.gov/sites/ctb/files/Local%20Rules_2021%20Revisions%20with%20Appendices_appdixE-revisions_2025_09_12.pdf |
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| Means test median income | 1 person: $84,302; 2 people: $106,224; 3 people: $134,470; 4 people: $159,934; 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 | $250,000 in equity (fair market value minus liens); $75,000 if the debt is a judgment arising from sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton or reckless misconduct. The Connecticut Supreme Court held the $250,000 amount (P.A. 21-161) applies in bankruptcy proceedings started on or after Oct. 1, 2021 (347 Conn. 284, per the statute annotations). No acreage limit is stated. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(21) |
| State or federal exemptions | Filers may choose either Connecticut's exemptions or the federal bankruptcy exemptions in 11 U.S.C. 522(d). No Connecticut statute denying the federal exemptions was identified. Under 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(2), the federal list applies unless state law "specifically does not so authorize." Spouses filing together must both use the same system. Which state's exemptions apply depends on where the filer was domiciled for the 730 days before filing (522(b)(3)(A)). |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Connecticut Bar Association offers Find a Lawyer CT, an online search of lawyers by location and area of practice; the CBA's public page lists no consultation fee or referral phone line. CBA Member Service Center: (860) 223-4400. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Connecticut Judicial Branch's Attorney/Firm Look-up, compiled from records of the Superior Court clerk for the Hartford Judicial District and the Statewide Grievance Committee, lets you search by juris number, attorney last name or firm name, and town. Results show whether the license is active, whether it was ever inactive and why, and whether the attorney has been disciplined. The Judicial Branch does not guarantee it is a complete history; for an official licensing and disciplinary history, contact the Statewide Grievance Committee at (860) 296-3848. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Grievance complaints against Connecticut lawyers are reviewed, investigated and decided through the Statewide Grievance Committee (21 members, including 7 non-lawyers) with Statewide Bar Counsel. Use form JD-GC-6, filling out a separate form for each complainant and each attorney (do not name a law firm), and mail the original plus 6 identical copies, with copies of supporting documents, to Statewide Bar Counsel, Statewide Grievance Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. It is free to file. Filing does not itself get you reimbursed, though the committee can order restitution in some cases. A lawyer's disciplinary record appears in the Judicial Branch attorney look-up. Complaint form and instructions: https://www.jud.ct.gov/webforms/forms/gc006.pdf |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut is the LSC-funded legal aid organization for the state and provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. CT Free Legal Answers, run by the Connecticut Bar Association and the ABA, lets low-income residents submit a civil legal question online and get brief advice from a volunteer lawyer. CBA public page: https://www.ctbar.org/public |
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All legal help in Connecticut · 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.