FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Much of our representation of clients in Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcies is a flat fee, meaning that I charge a fixed price for our work throughout the case (with a few exceptions). In Chapter 11 cases, we charge on an hourly basis. The reason is that most Chapter 7 and many Chapter 13 cases follow the same basic path from filing to confirmation. This makes it much easier to determine how much time your case will take, and set a flat fee. Chapter 11 cases, on the other hand, almost always follow different and uncertain paths, and have extensive requirements that take time. Time, for a lawyer, means that the fee will be higher, and uncertainty means that it is much more difficult to set a reasonable flat fee.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
Who Am I? I am an honors graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law, and I've practiced law for over 28 years. In that time Ive represented thousands of people, helping them get back on the road to financial success. I am a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia federal (general and Bankruptcy Court) and state bars, the United States Tax Court bar, the Fourth Circuit and District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals bars and the United States Supreme Court bar. I am a signatory to the Montgomery County Bar Association Lawyer's Creed of Professionalism. I give lectures all over the country about bankruptcy, and am active in leadership positions in both national and local bankruptcy organizations. In 2009, I testified twice before the U.S. Congress, once on the problems credit cards caused consumers, and once about student loan issues. My friend and colleague, Daniel Press, and I recently finished a book, Chapter 11 for Individual Debtors, which has been published by LexisNexis. My Philosophy of Helping. My clients are my top priority, and I work hard to make them as comfortable as possible. Im available many evenings, and return phone calls and e-mail messages as quickly as possible. Ill explain the details of the law in plain terms, never complex legalese. Your satisfaction is my goal. Its hard enough to go through tough financial times; I try to make it easier for you. Americas News Media Turns to Me for My Opinion. I have received international media attention in connection with the cases in which Ive been involved. I was interviewed by Barbara Walters on The View, appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC News with Peter Jennings, the Montel Williams Show, AARP-TV, National Public Radio, BBC World Service, German state television, and numerous local radio and television programs, and been quoted in Money magazine, The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun, among others. In 2011, I was awarded the prestigous National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Distinguished Service Award, for my work over the past 25 years. More Than Just a Lawyer. I don't spend all of my time chained to the desk, working on bankruptcy cases. People might like that, but I enjoy my spare time as well. I love my wife, my four children and my dogs Max and Mickey. They help me always realize that family and loved ones are the most important parts of life.