Los Angeles Board Certified Bankruptcy Lawyer
Board certification in bankruptcy is not a marketing label that any lawyer can claim; it is a credential earned through an outside certifying body, and only a small fraction of attorneys nationwide hold it. Wadhwani & Shanfeld is a consumer bankruptcy and debt relief law firm that handles Chapter 7, Chapter 13, debt settlement, foreclosure defense, wage garnishment, creditor lawsuits, and IRS tax debt for clients across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County. If you are searching for a Los Angeles board certified bankruptcy lawyer, the certification itself is worth understanding before you hire anyone.
In California, anyone with a bar card can file a bankruptcy petition. Board certification through the American Board of Certification means a lawyer has been tested and vetted on consumer bankruptcy specifically. That matters because Los Angeles filers face decisions that can cost them property if they go the wrong way: which of two state exemption systems to use, whether a home sits above or below the protected equity line, and whether Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 fits the facts.
The firm has helped more than 30,000 individuals and families, and you can speak to an attorney directly on the first call rather than being screened by an intake script.
Why Choose Wadhwani & Shanfeld as Your Board-Certified Bankruptcy Firm
Wadhwani & Shanfeld is led by two Board-Certified Specialists in Consumer Bankruptcy, certified through the American Board of Certification. The firm has helped more than 30,000 individuals and families across Los Angeles and Southern California, with more than 90 years of combined legal experience among its attorneys. Clients get direct access to an attorney from the first call, free consultations, and fast action when a garnishment, foreclosure sale, or repossession is only days away. The firm also works fully remotely by phone, email, video, and online chat, and offers 100% virtual consultations.
Raj Wadhwani, founding shareholder and partner, is a Board-Certified Specialist in Consumer Bankruptcy and a Southwestern Law School graduate. He helped pilot the Best Case Bankruptcy software in 1998 and was the first attorney to file a bankruptcy case electronically in the Central District of California. Greg Shanfeld, also a founding shareholder and partner and a Board-Certified Specialist in Consumer Bankruptcy, earned his law degree from the University of Southern California and has handled more than 10,000 bankruptcy cases over three decades.
For a Los Angeles filer, those details translate into practical things. The firm files in every division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, so your case is not limited by where you live. Because the same attorneys handle bankruptcy and its alternatives, including settlement, loan modification, and IRS representation, the recommendation you get is based on what fits your finances, not on the only service a firm happens to sell.
Debt Situations a Board-Certified Bankruptcy Attorney Handles in Los Angeles
- Chapter 7 Liquidation Cases: Credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, payday loans, and repossession deficiencies can be wiped out when household income passes the means test. Most filers keep their property because California exemptions cover home equity, vehicles, tools of the trade, and retirement accounts.
- Chapter 13 Repayment Plans: Built for people with steady income who are behind on a mortgage or car loan, earn too much for Chapter 7, or owe priority debts such as certain taxes and support arrears. Payments run three to five years, and creditors are bound once the court confirms the plan.
- Foreclosure Defense: A trustee sale can be stopped by a bankruptcy filing. Chapter 13 lets you cure missed payments over time, and in some cases a wholly unsecured second mortgage can be stripped off.
- Wage Garnishment and Bank Levies: Filing triggers the automatic stay, which halts most garnishments and levies the moment the case is filed.
- Creditor Lawsuits and Judgments: Suits from collection firms are common in Los Angeles. The right response might be an answer, a negotiated resolution, or a bankruptcy filing, depending on the debt and your assets.
- IRS Tax Debt: Older income tax debt can sometimes be discharged if it meets timing rules, and the firm also represents clients with the IRS to stop levies and set up payment arrangements.
- Small Business and Business Debt: Owners whose business did not work out often carry personal guarantees that follow them home, and bankruptcy or negotiated solutions can address those obligations.
What to Do When Collections, a Lawsuit, or a Sale Date Is Closing In
Start with the paper in your hand. If you have been served with a lawsuit, the response deadline is short, and missing it can lead to a default judgment. An expired statute of limitations is a defense, but you have to raise it in a written answer; the court can still enter judgment if you stay silent. In California, suits on written contracts generally must be filed within four years, and oral contracts within two. A payment on an old debt does not revive one that is already time-barred, and only a signed written acknowledgment restarts the clock.
If a judgment has already been entered, know that it is enforceable for ten years and can be renewed. Wage garnishment on an ordinary judgment is capped by formula, generally the lesser of 20 percent of weekly disposable earnings or the amount that earnings exceed a multiple of the minimum wage. You can also claim an exemption for earnings truly needed to support your family. Your employer cannot fire you because of garnishment on a single judgment. Bank accounts have a built-in protected amount that the bank must apply automatically, though it does not cover wages owed to someone else, support debts, or debts owed to the state.
If your home is in foreclosure, the timeline gives you more room than most people think. A trustee sale cannot be set until roughly three months and twenty days after the notice of default is recorded, and the notice of sale must be mailed and posted at least twenty days before the sale. You can reinstate by paying the missed amounts up to five business days before the sale. Do not wait for that last window; a bankruptcy can be prepared far more carefully with some lead time.
For a repossession, the lender must send at least fifteen days’ written notice before disposing of the vehicle, or twenty days if it is mailed from or to an address outside California. You can ask in writing for a ten-day extension of the redemption period. A deficiency claim is allowed only if the notice came within sixty days of the repossession and contained the required items, which is worth checking before you assume you owe the balance.
Gather your last two years of tax returns, recent pay stubs, a list of every creditor with balances, and any lawsuit papers or collection letters. Do not move assets, pay back one relative, or run up cards before talking to a lawyer. Those moves can create problems a trustee will scrutinize. Then call and speak with an attorney. Where you file is set by the zip code of your street address, not a P.O. box. The Los Angeles Division sits in downtown Los Angeles and covers most of the county, while the San Fernando Valley Division in Woodland Hills covers communities such as Encino, Van Nuys, Northridge, Reseda, and Sherman Oaks. Some Los Angeles County communities, including Lancaster, Palmdale, and Santa Clarita, need their zip code checked against the court’s locator, and cities like Malibu, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks fall in the Northern Division. A board-certified lawyer sorts this out before filing.
Exemptions: Why California’s Two-System Choice Decides Who Keeps What
California has opted out of the federal exemption list, so Los Angeles filers choose between two state systems and must stick with the one they pick for the entire case. One system offers a large homestead exemption, which for homeowners with real equity is usually the better path. The homestead amount is tied to the prior year’s median single-family home price in the county, within a statutory floor and ceiling, and it adjusts annually. The other system pairs a modest residence allowance with a wildcard that can be applied to any property, which often suits renters or people with little home equity.
You must also have lived in California for at least 730 days to use these exemptions; otherwise a different state’s rules may govern. Picking the wrong system can expose equity to a Chapter 7 trustee, and a board-certified attorney runs the numbers on your home, vehicles, accounts, and tools of the trade before the petition is signed.
Chapter 7 Versus Chapter 13: Matching the Chapter to the Problem
Chapter 7 is fast, with most cases wrapping up in about four months, but it requires passing the means test, which compares your income to the California median for your household size and then considers your actual expenses. Chapter 13 is slower and structured, but it is the tool for saving a house in arrears, handling priority debts, or protecting equity beyond what exemptions cover. Some debts survive either way, including child support, alimony, most student loans, and most government fines.
Waiting periods apply if you have filed before: eight years between Chapter 7 cases, four years to file Chapter 13 after a Chapter 7, two years between Chapter 13 cases, and generally six years to file Chapter 7 after a Chapter 13, though that last period can be shortened if the plan paid enough to unsecured creditors.
Questions About Hiring a Board-Certified Bankruptcy Lawyer in Los Angeles
What does board certified actually mean for a bankruptcy lawyer?
It means the attorney has been certified as a specialist in consumer bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification, an outside body, rather than simply announcing a focus on the field. Both founding shareholders at Wadhwani & Shanfeld hold that certification.
Is a board-certified attorney more expensive than a general practitioner?
Fees vary by case type and complexity, and the firm offers a free consultation so you can learn the options and the cost before committing. Mistakes in a filing can cost you property or your discharge, which often outweighs any savings from a cheaper route.
How quickly can a bankruptcy stop a garnishment or foreclosure?
The automatic stay takes effect the moment the petition is filed, and creditors must stop collection. In an emergency, the firm can often prepare and file quickly to stop a sale or levy.
Will I lose my house in Chapter 7?
Most clients keep their homes. The question is whether your equity falls within California’s homestead exemption and whether you are current on the mortgage. If you have more equity than the exemption covers, or you are behind, Chapter 13 can let you keep the home and catch up over time.
Which court will my case be filed in?
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California handles Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, among others. Your division depends on the zip code of your street address, and the firm files in every division.
Do I have to come into an office?
No. Cases can be handled entirely by phone, email, video, and online chat, and 100% virtual consultations are available. In-person meetings are available if you prefer.
Can a debt collector sue me for a very old debt?
A written-contract debt generally has a four-year limit for suit, and oral contracts two years. The deadline is a defense you must raise in writing, and a payment will not revive a debt that is already time-barred. Never ignore a summons assuming the debt is too old.
My creditor already has a judgment. Is bankruptcy still an option?
Yes. A judgment can often be addressed in bankruptcy, and filing stops garnishments and bank levies. Judgments in California last ten years and can be renewed, so waiting does not make them disappear on their own.
Does California law give me protection against abusive collectors?
The Rosenthal Act covers original creditors as well as third-party collectors. A consumer can recover actual damages, plus an additional amount of $100 to $1,000 if the collector acted willfully and knowingly, along with reasonable attorney fees. Suits under the Act must be brought within one year.
Will my employer find out I filed?
Not automatically. They may learn if they are a creditor, if a garnishment must stop, or if Chapter 13 payments come out of your paycheck. California and federal law bar an employer from firing you solely because you filed.
Why not use a document preparer or notary to file?
A petition preparer can type information into forms but cannot give legal advice, choose your exemptions, or represent you if a trustee or creditor raises a problem. An error can cost you property or your discharge.
Is bankruptcy always the right answer?
No. The firm also handles debt settlement, loan modification, IRS representation, and second mortgage settlements, and will tell you honestly when a non-bankruptcy path makes more sense.
Serving Los Angeles Bankruptcy Clients Across Southern California
Wadhwani & Shanfeld represents clients throughout Los Angeles County, starting in the city of Los Angeles and extending through Hollywood, the Westside, and Santa Monica. In the San Fernando Valley, that includes Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Encino, Woodland Hills, Reseda, Northridge, Granada Hills, North Hollywood, North Hills, Mission Hills, San Fernando, and Sylmar. To the north, the firm serves Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley, including Lancaster, Palmdale, and Acton. In the south and southeast parts of the county, the firm helps clients in Long Beach, Lakewood, Torrance, Compton, Inglewood, Gardena, Norwalk, Bellflower, Paramount, Cerritos, Cypress, Signal Hill, and Huntington Park.
The firm’s reach continues east into the Inland Empire and eastern San Gabriel Valley, including Pomona, Claremont, Glendora, West Covina, Montclair, Chino, Chino Hills, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Fontana, and San Bernardino, plus Riverside and the Coachella Valley. In Orange County, clients come from Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Westminster, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Tustin, La Habra, Placentia, Mission Viejo, and Laguna Niguel.
Speak With a Los Angeles Board-Certified Bankruptcy Attorney Today
You do not need to wait for a sale date or a levy notice to find out where you stand. A Los Angeles board-certified bankruptcy attorney at Wadhwani & Shanfeld can review your income, property, and debts, explain every option inside and outside of bankruptcy, and tell you plainly which path gives you the best fresh start. Call today for a free consultation and talk directly with an attorney, in person or entirely online.
