“I put off calling for two years because I thought I’d be judged. Gretchen asked about my kids before she asked about my debts.”
Tamsin R.Chapter 7, Affton
Flat-fee bankruptcy · St. Louis, and statewide by video
Start with what’s weighing on you most
Pick the line that sounds like your week. Each one opens a page with the way through and its flat fee, and every meeting happens by video, wherever you live in the state.
Right now I’m dealing with
- A garnishment on my paycheckA filing can stop it
- We’re behind on the houseCatching up the missed payments
- Collectors call every dayWhat the calls mean, and how they end
- The car could be takenKeeping it through a payment plan
- Medical bills I can’t payOften wiped out in Chapter 7
- I’m not sure I should fileSettling with creditors instead
Four ways through
Each way out has one flat fee, in writing
One flat fee covers our work from the first call to the end of the case. The court’s filing fee and the two short credit courses are separate, and the fees page lists them.
- One flat fee
Chapter 7
Medical bills, credit cards and old personal loans can be wiped out in about four months. We check first what you keep.
How Chapter 7 goes - One flat fee, mostly through the plan
Chapter 13
A three- to five-year plan that catches up the house or the car while the court keeps creditors back.
How Chapter 13 goes - Part of the Chapter 13 fee
Foreclosure
If a sale date is set, filing pauses it. The plan then pays back what you missed, a little each month.
Saving the house - A flat fee per creditor
Settling without filing
When filing isn’t worth it, we write to each creditor and work out a payoff you can manage.
When not to file
The person on the other end
She grew up two blocks from this office
Gretchen Dettmer meets clients the way they meet her: at home, in everyday clothes, with the envelopes spread across a kitchen table.
She grew up in a South City flat where the phone rang at dinner and nobody picked it up. Years later she opened a storefront on South Grand, between a laundromat and a bakery, and put the fee in writing before anyone sat down.
Most of her clients never come in. They join a video call from their kitchen or their car on a lunch break, and she reads every letter with them, in order, until they know which ones can wait.
Gretchen Dettmer
Founding lawyer
From people who’ve been through it
What they said once it was over
“The garnishment came off my next paycheck. I still can’t get used to how quiet my phone is.”
Lamont W.Chapter 7, Florissant
“We kept the house. The plan is tight, but it’s ours, and Dino answers every email the same day.”
Ines and Paul K.Chapter 13, Cape Girardeau
Sample comments from clients, shared with permission. Each client’s case is different, and none of these predicts the result of yours.
Before you book
What nearly everyone asks on the first call
Will my employer find out?
Only if your wages are already garnished. Then we send the payroll office a notice so the garnishment stops. Otherwise nobody calls your job.
Can I keep my car?
Usually, if what it’s worth fits inside the exemptions and you keep up the payments. If you’ve fallen behind, a Chapter 13 plan can catch them up. We run your numbers before you decide anything.
What is the means test?
A comparison of your household’s income with the typical income for a household your size in the state. Under it, Chapter 7 is open to you. Over it, a second worksheet of your actual expenses decides.
Do I have to go to court?
Usually once, for a short meeting with the trustee, often held by phone or video. One of us is with you for it, and we go over every question beforehand.
What does the first call cost?
Nothing. It takes about half an hour. If you hire us, the fee is flat and written into your agreement before we start.
Free, by video, about half an hour
Find out this week which way through is yours
You’ll leave the call knowing whether to file, which chapter fits, and the fee. Have your last two pay stubs nearby if you can.