New York Bankruptcy Lawyer - Your Fresh Start Starts Here

If overwhelming debt is keeping you up at night, you have options. Our New York bankruptcy attorneys help individuals, families, and business owners use the federal Bankruptcy Code to stop creditor harassment, halt foreclosure and wage garnishment, and obtain a fresh financial start. When you call us at 212-233-1233 during business hours, you are connected directly to the lead attorney, Albert Goodwin — never to an associate or to an assistant.

Filing bankruptcy is a major decision, and the right chapter depends on your income, your assets, your debts, and what you are trying to protect. We sit down with each client, review the full financial picture, and explain in plain English which approach — Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or a non-bankruptcy debt relief alternative — gives you the best outcome.

Our Bankruptcy Practice Areas

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Chapter 7 is the fastest and most common form of personal bankruptcy. For qualifying debtors, it wipes out credit card balances, medical bills, personal loans, deficiency judgments, and most other unsecured debt in roughly four to six months. New York's generous exemption scheme lets most filers keep their home, their car, their retirement accounts, and their household property. We handle the means test analysis, prepare and file the petition, attend the 341 meeting with you, and shepherd the case to discharge.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 is the right tool when you earn too much for Chapter 7, when you need to catch up on a past-due mortgage to stop foreclosure, or when you want to keep non-exempt property a Chapter 7 trustee would otherwise sell. You repay creditors over three to five years on terms set by federal law, often at pennies on the dollar for unsecured debt, and walk away with a discharge of any remaining balance.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Chapter 11 lets a business reorganize while it keeps operating. We represent small and mid-sized New York companies through Subchapter V and traditional Chapter 11, restructuring secured debt, rejecting unprofitable leases, negotiating with creditor committees, and confirming plans that preserve enterprise value. Chapter 11 is also available to high-income individuals whose debts exceed the Chapter 13 ceilings.

Foreclosure Defense

The moment a bankruptcy petition is filed, an automatic stay halts a pending foreclosure sale. We use that breathing room either to negotiate a loan modification, to cure the arrears through a Chapter 13 plan, or to surrender the property on your terms. If you have a foreclosure auction date on the calendar, call us today — timing in these cases is everything.

Creditor Harassment

Constant collection calls, threatening letters, lawsuits, frozen bank accounts, and garnished paychecks stop the day your case is filed. Federal law makes it a violation of the automatic stay for a creditor to continue collection activity, and willful violations expose creditors to damages. We file fast when garnishments and account freezes are draining your income.

Debt Relief Alternatives

Bankruptcy is not the right answer for everyone. In some cases, direct negotiation with creditors, a structured workout, debt consolidation, or simply defending a single collection lawsuit produces a better result. We tell you honestly whether bankruptcy or a non-bankruptcy strategy fits your situation.

Why Choose Us as Your Bankruptcy Attorneys

Direct Attorney Access

At our firm, the attorney whose name is on the door is the attorney handling your case. You will not be passed to a paralegal mill or a rotating cast of associates. Every call, every hearing, every strategic decision goes through Albert Goodwin.

Eighteen Years in New York Courts

Our firm has practiced in New York since 2008. We file regularly in the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern District (Manhattan, Bronx, Westchester) and Eastern District (Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island), and we know the local trustees, the Chapter 13 standing trustees, and the judges who will preside over your case.

Honest Advice About Your Options

Many bankruptcy mills file the same petition for every client regardless of fit. We don't. Some of our most valuable consultations end with a recommendation not to file — because a one-time settlement, a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act claim, or simply riding out a statute of limitations is the smarter play.

Bankruptcy Code Fluency

Successful bankruptcies turn on details: timing the petition to avoid the look-back periods, structuring exemptions to protect maximum value, lien-stripping wholly unsecured junior mortgages in Chapter 13, and navigating the discharge exceptions for taxes, student loans, and domestic support obligations. We handle those details so you don't have to.

Areas We Serve

We represent clients throughout the five boroughs of New York City — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — as well as Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, and Orange Counties. Most consultations can be held by phone or video; in-person meetings are available at our Midtown Manhattan office at 31 W 34th St.

To discuss your situation in confidence, call us at 212-233-1233 or email [email protected]. The initial consultation is free.