My Vegas Bankruptcy AttorneyLaw Office of Brian D. Shapiro, LLC 702-386-8600

$0 down in attorney fees to start your Chapter 7.

You pay no attorney fees until after your petition is filed. Talk directly to your attorney, not a call center, and stop most collection calls, garnishments and lawsuits.

Free consultation: call702-386-8600 See every fee ↓

We Lend a Hand to Help You Get a Fresh Start®

Approximately 30 years of practice in the United States Bankruptcy Court. Over 15,000 cases administered as a Chapter 7 trustee. Free consultations by phone or video call.

Already a client? Upload your documents and pay your monthly bill in our secure client portal.

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Getting started

What $0 down actually means

Cost is the reason most people wait too long to file. It shouldn't be.

We start your case by filing a skeletal petition, the core official bankruptcy forms, with the court. The moment it is docketed, the automatic stay takes effect and creditors have to stand down.

You owe no attorney fees before that happens. We then have 14 days to complete the full filing, and we work through your schedules with you.

The one cost you pay before filing is the court's own filing fee. It goes to the court, not to us, and it's listed with everything else below.

  • No attorney fees before your petition is filed
  • Free consultation by phone or video call
  • You speak with the attorney handling your case
  • Appointments available outside office hours

The process

How a Chapter 7 goes

Most of the fear comes from not knowing the order things happen in. Here it is.

  1. Free consultation

    We go through what you owe, what you own and what you earn, and tell you whether Chapter 7 is the right answer for your situation.

  2. Credit counseling and documents

    You complete the required pre-filing credit counseling course. We help you gather your creditor list, income, property and expenses, and you send them to us through the secure client portal.

  3. Skeletal petition is filed

    Your case is on the docket and the automatic stay begins. Most collection calls, wage garnishments and pending collection lawsuits stop. Child support and alimony are the main exception.

    Day one. No attorney fees owed before this point.

  4. Schedules completed

    We prepare and file your full bankruptcy schedules with you.

    Within 14 days of the petition

  5. First monthly payment

    Your first $250 payment on the flat fee comes due. You pay it through the client portal.

    30 days after filing

  6. 341 meeting of creditors

    A hearing conducted by the trustee, where you answer questions about your finances under penalty of perjury. It's held by Zoom, so you join from home. We prepare you and attend with you.

    About a month after filing

  7. Debtor education course and discharge

    You complete the second required course. The court then eliminates the debt that qualifies, releasing you from personal liability and from any further collection on it.

Fees

Every fee, in writing, before you call

Here is everything you could pay us and the court, and when you pay it. If something about your case would cost more, we'll tell you at your consultation.

$2,500

Flat fee for most Chapter 7 cases. $0 in attorney fees before filing, then $250 a month starting 30 days after your petition is filed. The court's filing fee is paid before your case is filed.

WhatCostWhen you pay
First consultationFree—
Chapter 7 flat feeMost cases. Cases that need more work may cost more, and we'll discuss that with you at your consultation.$2,500No attorney fees before your petition is filed. Then $250 a month, with the first payment due 30 days after filing.
Court filing feePaid to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, not to us.$338In advance, before we file your case.
Credit counseling and debtor education coursesTwo courses required by law. We send you to the lowest-cost approved provider.About $10 eachTo the course provider: one course before filing, one after.
Adding a creditor after filing$50When the amendment is filed. Includes the court's amendment fee.
A creditor violates the automatic stay or your discharge40% contingency, plus costs, paid from the recoveryHandled under a separate written fee agreement, not part of the Chapter 7 flat fee. Our fee and costs are paid out of what the creditor pays, not by you directly.
Recovering money garnished from you within 90 days before you filed40% contingency, plus costs, paid from the recoveryHandled under a separate written fee agreement, not part of the Chapter 7 flat fee. Our fee and costs are paid out of what is recovered from the creditor, not by you directly.

The flat fee covers

  • Your skeletal petition and full bankruptcy schedules
  • Preparing you for the 341 meeting and attending it with you
  • Talking directly with your attorney throughout your case

Not included in the flat fee

  • Defending an objection to your discharge
  • Evidentiary hearings
  • Depositions
  • Student loan discharge cases (see our student loan site)

Notice to Assisted Persons

Federal notice under 11 U.S.C. § 527(a).

Download PDF

Important Information About Bankruptcy Assistance Services

Federal statement under 11 U.S.C. § 527(b).

Download PDF

The court sets its own fees and can change them. The filing fee shown is the District of Nevada fee in effect as of October 2026.

The result

What a discharge covers

Most debt you took on before your filing date can be discharged. A few categories survive.

Usually discharged

  • Credit card balances
  • Medical bills
  • Personal loans
  • Most debts incurred before your filing date

Usually survives

  • Certain tax claims
  • Alimony
  • Child support
  • Student loans, unless the court grants a separate undue hardship discharge

Federal student loans can be considered for discharge, but only through a separate action filed inside your case asking the court to find that repayment would be an undue hardship. Our Las Vegas Student Loan Attorney site explains how that works. This list is not exhaustive; the answer for your case depends on your facts.

Questions

Common questions

If yours isn't here, call. The consultation is free.

Is it really $0 down?

Yes, for attorney fees. You pay no attorney fees before your petition is filed. You do pay the court's $338 filing fee before we file, and about $10 for the required pre-filing credit counseling course.

When is my first payment due?

Thirty days after your petition is filed. For most cases the $2,500 flat fee is paid as $250 a month, and you pay through our secure client portal.

Will filing stop a garnishment or a lawsuit?

Filing your petition puts the automatic stay in place, which generally requires creditors to stop collection calls, wage garnishments and pending collection lawsuits. The main exception is child support and alimony: the stay does not stop wage withholding or other collection of support from your income, and family court support cases can go forward. If you pay or owe support, tell us at your consultation. If a creditor keeps collecting after you file, tell us. We handle stay violations on a 40% contingency, plus costs. And if money was garnished from you within the 90 days before you filed, we may be able to get some or all of it back for you, on the same 40% contingency, plus costs. In both cases our fee and costs are paid out of what we recover from the creditor, not by you directly, and the work is handled under a separate written fee agreement, apart from your Chapter 7 flat fee.

What is a skeletal petition?

It's the core set of official forms that opens your case. Filing it starts the automatic stay right away. The rest of your paperwork, the full schedules, follows within 14 days, and we prepare it with you.

Do I have to come to an office?

No. We work remotely. Consultations are by phone or video call, you send documents through our secure client portal, and the meeting of creditors is held by Zoom. You won't need to bring a photo ID or Social Security card to that meeting.

What happens at the 341 meeting?

The trustee asks you questions about your finances under penalty of perjury. It's usually short. We go over what to expect beforehand and attend the meeting with you.

Can bankruptcy get rid of my student loans?

Not automatically. Federal student loans can be discharged only through a separate lawsuit inside your bankruptcy case. We handle those cases too; see our Las Vegas Student Loan Attorney site for how it works and what it costs.

Do you file Chapter 13 cases?

No. We file Chapter 7 cases. If you are already in a Chapter 13 case, we can still handle a student loan discharge case for you.

From the blog

Questions people ask before they file

Written from both sides of the table: as your attorney, and as a Chapter 7 trustee.

What Happens to the Money in My Bank Account When I File Chapter 7 in Nevada?

The balance your bank shows on your filing date is what counts in a Chapter 7, not your checkbook. How Nevada exemptions treat money on deposit.

Read the article →

Can the Bankruptcy Trustee Take My 401(k) or IRA in Nevada?

In almost every Nevada Chapter 7, your 401(k) and IRA are protected by federal law. What a Chapter 7 trustee actually looks at, and where cases go wrong.

Read the article →

Can I Keep My Car If I File Chapter 7 in Nevada?

Nevada exempts $15,000 of equity in one vehicle under NRS 21.090(1)(f). What a Chapter 7 trustee actually looks at when your car is on the schedules.

Read the article →

See all articles →

About us

Who you'll be working with

A small office, which is the point. Your call is answered by the people handling your case.

Brian D. Shapiro

Attorney

Approximately 30 years of practice in the United States Bankruptcy Court, on both sides of the case: representing debtors in their own filings, and representing creditors including individuals, businesses, government entities and financial institutions.

He is currently one of only four Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees in the district, and also serves as a Chapter 11 Subchapter V trustee. Sitting in the trustee's chair is what makes the other side of the table legible. His trustee, receivership and appellate work is at brianshapirolaw.com.

  • Member, National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees
  • Member, National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
  • Member, American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Member, ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy
  • Founding member, Pro Bono Bankruptcy Panel
  • Member, Bankruptcy Local Rules Committee
  • Former member, Merit Screening Panel for Bankruptcy Judgeship
  • Volunteer, Clark County School District and Nevada Ballet Theatre

Bryce

Case Manager

Bryce keeps your case moving and keeps you told: timelines, documents, what is needed next. He holds a degree in Communication Studies from UNLV.

Kristin

Office Manager

More than 30 years working on Chapter 7 matters alongside both attorneys and trustees. Kristin runs the office and keeps every file where it should be.

Contact

Get in touch

We work remotely, so you can meet with us from home. Call and speak to the office, or send a short note about your situation.

Phone

702-386-8600

Email

mail@brianshapirolaw.com

Mailing address

9750 W. Skye Canyon Park Dr.
Suite 160-174
Las Vegas, NV 89166

Office hours

Mon–Thu
8:30am – 5:00pm
Fri
8:30am – 4:00pm

Consultations and meetings are held by phone or video call, so you can join from wherever you are. Appointments outside office hours can be arranged by phone. Please don't email confidential details before you've hired us. Call instead.

Struggling with federal student loans? They can be discharged in bankruptcy.

Visit our Las Vegas Student Loan Attorney site →
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