Althought federal bankruptcy laws allow you to pay your attorney off during the proceedings must firms want their money up front, which they are allowed to do. Your best bet is to pay the lawyer as soon as possible because card companies can attach your wages, bank accounts, etc before your attorney files and gets a number. Once you have that number you can call everyone you owe money to, give them that number and the calls and any legal action will cease. If they attach your bank accounts or other tangible property, you may still lose if you don't get that number. Course of action - beg, borrow or earn that $1850 and pay the attorney as soon as possible.

You cannot pay your atty fater you file chapter 7, so they cannot accept payments ( the atty debt would have to be listed as an unsecured debt and discharged along with the rest of the unsecured debt)
In chapter 13, you can include your atty fees in your monthly payment ( ia m surprised she didn't tell you this)
Her fee is exhorbinant for a chapter 7 filing of credit cards unless you have a lot of other secured debt ( or ?)
usually it is 1k maximum 1,500; many atty will allow you to pay half when you first meet ( and that will help with the creditors buggin you, and the other half at time of filing.

Legal aid and some other non profits DO handle bankruptcies if you qualify.

check ww.lsc.gov for an office nearest you and then google "free legal aid (your city state) " and see who is helping low income with BK