Applications for compensation and reimbursement of expenses shall comply with the fee guidelines of the UST under 28 U.S.C. §586(a)(3)(A)(i) and the Policy of the United States Trustee for Region 10 for Implementation of Fee Guidelines. Applications for compensation and reimbursement of expenses shall be filed separately for the trustee and each professional.
If the Professional is not subject to a procedure allowing periodic payments under S.D.Ind. B-2014-1(b)(4), then the Professional shall file a final fee application under 11 U.S.C. § 330 no later than 14 days after entry of a dismissal order or the filing of an application for final decree or other pleading that will result in the closing of the case, except a motion under S.D.Ind. B-3022-2(c), unless the Court orders otherwise. If no application is filed by the deadline the Professional shall return to the Debtor any portion of the retainer the application of which has not been approved by the Court and the Professional is prohibited from seeking any further compensation related to the bankruptcy case.
(A) If the Professional has obtained Court approval of a periodic payment procedure under S.D.Ind. B-2014-1(b)(4), then the Professional shall file an application for interim fees and expenses under 11 U.S.C. § 331 no less frequently than 180 days after the order for relief and no later than every 180 days thereafter. The authorization for periodic payment procedures is suspended if the required applications are not filed.
(B) The Professional shall file a final fee application under 11 U.S.C. § 330 no later than 14 days after entry of a dismissal order or the filing of an application for final decree or other pleading that will result in the closing of the case, except a motion under S.D.Ind. B-3022-2(c). If no application is filed by the deadline the Professional shall return to the Debtor any portion of the retainer the application of which has not been approved by the Court and the Professional is prohibited from seeking any further compensation related to the bankruptcy case.
Compensation to an attorney representing a Chapter 13 Debtor (“Counsel”) shall be disclosed, reviewed, and approved under applicable authority including, without limitation, 11 U.S.C. §§329 and 330 and Fed.R.Bankr.P. 2002, 2016, and 2017, unless Counsel opts for the alternative award process in subparagraph (c)(2) of this rule.
Counsel may have fees deemed awarded upon confirmation, without filing a separate application, if:
(A) Counsel has filed an executed copy of the “Rights and Responsibilities of Chapter 13 Debtors and Their Attorneys,” available on the Court’s website;
(B) Counsel has filed a proof of claim and served that claim upon the trustee;
(C) Counsel seeks no more than the maximum fee set by general order (the "Presumed Reasonable Fee"); and
(D) No other counsel in the case has been awarded and paid any amount using the award process in this subparagraph.
(A) Lead Bankruptcy Cases
Counsel may apply for additional fees if Counsel opted for the fee award process set out in subparagraph (c)(2) of this rule, but later determines that the Presumed Reasonable Fee is not sufficient. The application shall request only the amount in excess of the Presumed Reasonable Fee and be accompanied by time records supporting the total fees sought by Counsel in the case or by an affidavit explaining why the Presumed Reasonable Fee is inadequate and describing the services rendered in the case. The Clerk shall provide notice of the total fees requested.
(B) Adversary Proceedings Seeking to Avoid an Unsecured Mortgage
Counsel who files an adversary proceeding seeking to avoid an unsecured mortgage pursuant to S.D.Ind. B-4003-3 is entitled to an additional $500 above the Presumed Reasonable Fee per adversary proceeding, provided that counsel
(i) discloses the additional fee in the original or an amended Disclosure of Comensation of Attorney for Debtor (Form 2030); and
(ii) includes the additional fee within counsel's original or amended proof of claim.
If Counsel opted for the fee award process in subparagraph (c)(2) of this rule but the case is dismissed prior to confirmation of a plan, the trustee shall pay to Counsel, subject to the trustee’s percentage fee, an administrative claim equal to 50% of the unpaid balance of an allowed fee, unless the Court orders otherwise. Counsel may request within 14 days of the dismissal an award of additional fees under subparagraph (c)(3)(A) of this rule. Counsel shall not collect, receive, or demand additional fees from the Debtor for work performed, even after dismissal, unless the Court orders otherwise.
Except for pre-petition retainers, all fees shall be paid through the plan and Counsel may not receive fees directly from the Debtor, unless the Court orders otherwise.
On its own motion or the motion of a party in interest prior to entry of a final decree, the Court may order a hearing to review a fee paid or to be paid.
As to any Professional whose employment was disclosed under S.D.Ind. B-2014-2, the proposed compensation to the Professional shall be disclosed in any Motion to Approve Settlement Distribution filed under S.D.Ind. B-9019-1(b), unless the information is provided in a Motion to Modify Plan.