Christy L Sieg

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND
at Greenbelt
IN RE: 	:
:
CHRISTY L. SIEG 	: 	Case No. 04-12294PM
: 	Chapter 13
Debtor 	:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - :
MEMORANDUM OF DECISION
(Attorney’s Fees)
Following the dismissal of this case on Debtor’s motion without Debtor having taken part
in a meeting of creditors, the court issued an Order to Debtor’s counsel to justify the fees charged
of $1,600.00. Because only $300.00 has been received by counsel, the court will not take any
further action. However, there are serious shortcomings in the handling of this case that the court
trusts will not recur.
Time was wasted by counsel. The bankruptcy estate and Debtor should not have to
underwrite the inefficiency of counsel’s office. For example, after counsel states that 2 hours
was spent counseling the Debtor on January 29, 2004, the 1-1/2 hours said to be spent on January
31, 2004, was extraordinarily excessive for completing the two-page petition and the list of eight
creditors. Moreover, an additional 1-1/2 hours was said to be spent that same time to prepare
what was, in effect, a defective motion to value collateral. It is also difficult to understand how it
can take 1/2 hour on February 2, 2004, to prepare a request to the office of the Chapter 13
Trustee to reschedule the Section 341 meeting.
Date signed April 02, 2004
Case 04-12294 Doc 34 Filed 04/05/04 Page 1 of 2

Finally, it is astonishing that counsel, after spending time to request a continuance,
actually attended the § 341 meeting of creditors, spending some 2-1/2 hours merely to show up
and confirm what counsel previously advised the Trustee a month before. The court also has no
confidence in the statement of services because counsel had two other Section 341 meetings
scheduled at the same time that 2-1/2 hours is claimed to have been spent attending the meeting
for this Debtor.
However, as stated above, inasmuch as counsel has only received $300.00 on account of
the filing of this case, the court will not order any refund of that sum.
cc:
Christy L. Sieg, 214 Third Avenue, Brunswick, MD 21716
Renee O. Dyson, Esq., P.O. Box 1394, Washington Grove, MD 20880
Timothy P. Branigan, Esquire, P.O. Box 1902, Laurel MD 20725-1902
End of Memorandum
Case 04-12294 Doc 34 Filed 04/05/04 Page 2 of 2