Hiring a Bankruptcy Lawyer in Minnesota
How bankruptcy lawyers are paid, the Minnesota 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 Minnesota: 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 a writing signed by the client and state how the fee is figured, including the percentage(s) the lawyer gets on settlement, trial or appeal, the litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery, and whether expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. It must clearly tell the client about any expenses the client must pay whether or not the client wins. At the end, the lawyer must give the client a written statement of the outcome and, if there is a recovery, the client's share and how it was figured. Lawyers may not charge domestic relations fees contingent on securing a divorce or on the amount of alimony, support or property settlement, or a contingent fee to represent a criminal defendant. |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | OLPR says most routine fee disputes are best resolved outside the discipline system, and that fee arbitration is a relatively fast and simple way to resolve them; call the Minnesota State Bar Association at (612) 333-1183 for your local fee arbitration committee. A clearly illegal or grossly excessive fee can lead to discipline. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | The Minnesota Client Security Board's fund can reimburse losses of money or property caused by a Minnesota lawyer's dishonesty (such as theft) in an attorney-client or related fiduciary relationship for a Minnesota matter; negligence, malpractice and fee disputes are not covered. The maximum the Board may pay on a claim is $150,000. File within five years of when you knew or should have known of the dishonest conduct. There is no charge to make a claim. |
Minnesota rules to know first
| Standard Chapter 13 lawyer fee | District of Minnesota (the state's only bankruptcy district): the court's Guidance: Applications for Compensation by Debtors' Attorneys in Chapter 13 Cases (08/2026), under Local Rule 2016-1, provides that an attorney who performs the listed required prepetition and preconfirmation services may request an order awarding compensation using Local Form 2016-1 if the requested compensation, including amounts received prepetition, does not exceed $4,000 (the presumptively reasonable fee). The $4,000 fee does not include adversary proceedings, Rule 2004 examinations, postconfirmation hearings, and listed motions (e.g., to sell property or incur debt, claim objections, lien avoidance, plan modification, hardship discharge) or responses to stay-relief, valuation and postconfirmation dismissal motions. Separate presumptively reasonable fees apply of up to $1,500 per application for postconfirmation modified plans and up to $1,000 per application for listed other services. |
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| Means test median income | 1 person: $77,696; 2 people: $98,328; 3 people: $126,487; 4 people: $149,882; 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 | $540,000 per homestead, or $1,350,000 if used primarily for agricultural purposes (effective July 1, 2026; the statute text currently reads $510,000 / $1,275,000). The homestead may include up to 160 acres. Adjusted amounts are from the Minnesota Department of Commerce official notice of dollar-amount adjustments, effective July 1, 2026 (next adjustment scheduled for July 1, 2028): https://mn.gov/commerce/money/depository/interest-rates/dollar-amounts/ Statute: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/510.02 |
| State or federal exemptions | Filers may choose either Minnesota's exemptions or the federal bankruptcy exemptions in 11 U.S.C. 522(d). No Minnesota 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)). Minnesota's statute includes a wildcard that applies only "in a bankruptcy" (Minn. Stat. § 550.37, subd. 28). |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Minnesota State Bar Association offers MN Find a Lawyer, a free online directory of attorneys searchable by practice area and location, and points people to Minnesota Lawyer Referral, "a non-profit public service of the Hennepin and Ramsey County Bar Associations." Minnesota Lawyer Referral offers guided assistance from referral counselors by phone or online self-referral to vetted attorneys (mainly in the Twin Cities metro area) in more than 40 practice areas: "Get a 30-minute consultation for $30 or less." Phone 612-752-6699; hours Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. MN Unbundled connects people statewide with attorneys for brief tasks. MSBA public page: https://mnbars.org/?pg=Public |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility (OLPR) Lawyer Search shows whether a Minnesota-licensed lawyer has received public discipline, has been placed on disability inactive status in lieu of discipline, or has a public discipline petition pending; court actions appear the next business day. Private discipline, dismissed and pending complaints are not public. For general licensing information (registration status), OLPR directs users to the Minnesota Lawyer Registration Database Search (MARS). |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Minnesota lawyers go to the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility. File with the online form or mail a printed form to OLPR, Minnesota Judicial Center, Suite 105, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. Describe events in order with dates and send photocopies, not originals (documents are scanned and shredded). The lawyer will receive your complaint, and if it becomes a public discipline case your complaint becomes part of the public record. Phone: 651-296-3952 or 1-800-657-3601. Disciplinary history request: https://olpr.mncourts.gov/lawyer-resources/disciplinary-history-request/ |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Minnesota's LSC-funded legal aid organizations give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people: Anishinabe Legal Services, Central Minnesota Legal Services, Justice North and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. |
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All legal help in Minnesota · 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.