Leon D Bayer

I was facing a complex financial catastrophe. I spoke to several different bankruptcy lawyers who were reluctant to take my case. Some said they felt they lacked the experience to handle it for me, others said it was too challenging. Another lawyer suggested that I consult Leon Bayer. I did just that.... With his wealth of knowledge and experience, Leon effortlessly unravelled the complexities of my case, and was able to simplify the issues. He relished my case that other lawyers were afraid to handle. Happy and relieved to receive this level of service, I retained him to handle my Chapter 7. Every nuance of the case went smoothly; with no problems, and it all worked out just as he had predicted the first time I met with him. Even with my many questions, Leon was always there by my side to accurately advise me. It's unbelievable, but Leon is a lawyer that actually returns calls promptly, fairly charges, and most especially, really cares about his clients. If all the lawyers were just like Leon, nobody would ever tell another "lawyer joke." I couldn't be happier with the service, attention to detail and consideration I received during this very difficult period. I highly recommend Leon and his exceptional staff of trained professionals.

Bankruptcy is a difficult process. I was in a situation where I needed clear, strategic advice about the fubar mess I faced. It was a unique case, because there was personal credit at stake as well as entrepreneurial businesses crashing in the Great Recession. I needed an attorney who would be abl...e to look at the whole picture and make a considered recommendation. This is a little different than simply saying "I'll file for you, give me a fee." What is it like to seek bankruptcy advice as a businessperson right now? Not fun. A typical example is a bankruptcy attorney I was professionally recommended to in the Valley (I won't name his location out of totally undeserved professional respect). He had great bookshelves. He took $350 to look things over and recommend I give him a lot more money. He was very, very reluctant to answer even the most fundamental initial questions for fear that I was simply trying to get "free" information out of him. "Free"? I just paid you $350! Such was my experience, on top of the obvious stress. Then I said, screw the professional recommendations, let's do some good old-fashioned Googling. And there was Leon. Now, I brought my headache to Leon, I explained the complexities of the situation, and I explained what I had experienced prior among his professional brethren. Leon gave me, a hardened skeptic who just wants some no-bull professional advice, hope that it could be done, and hope that I could afford it. He provided exactly enough details to convince me he knew what he was doing and could provide ongoing strategic advice, which IMO is the sign of a good, judicious attorney. And he did that much for FREE. So I went with Leon, and he ended up handling a handful of cases for me and providing the advice and roadmap I needed to get through the experience. He did exactly what I needed, and he was smart enough and had a good enough sense of humor to make it all less stressful than it needed to be. Looking back I'm glad I decided not to file myself. I strongly considered it, but I gambled that a good attorney's services would be worth the hard questions that needed to be answered right now. I bet on Leon and it paid off! I guess some would consider it professional suicide to even review a bankruptcy attorney. But in this day and age it's rare to find a guy who's truly competent and does what he says he'll do. I recommend Leon.

Of course I felt terrible facing a bankruptcy. Leon Bayer changed that. He gave me hope and was warm and kind. He also did a Whopping great job of helping me to keep my home and discharge (in 5 yrs) my credit card and other mortgage debts. Why 5 yrs? Leon Bayer recommended that I file a Chap...ter 13 and mine takes 5 yrs to discharge. And it is worth it because my second and third mortgages were also included in the Chapter 13 and treated as an unsecured debt – same as a credit card. Not only that, I had borrowed against my work related 401K type retirement earlier, when I was trying to pay my bills and stave off a bankruptcy. Every month, my work deducts a payment from my paycheck to pay off the loan. With the Chapter 13 that Mr. Bayer presented to the court, the 401K type loan payments are allowed to be included in the bankruptcy budget. That’s good because my work takes the money right out of my paycheck. If the loan payment was not included in my Chapter 13 budget, then I’d have less money for food and utilities and my mortgage. With a Chapter 13, the court will look at your income and decide how much is to be used to pay back your creditors and how much the individual debtor can have each month. I usually have too much money deducted from my paycheck for income taxes and then use that tax return extra money as a type of ‘savings account’ every year. From that money, I pay my property tax. In a Chapter 13, the court keeps all monies that are tax return refunds. Well, this year with the Chapter 13, I had already overpaid the income tax that my work collects from my paycheck. Mr. Bayer was able to persuade the court to let me keep this year’s refund to pay my property taxes. Of course, it’s better to manage one’s financial affairs in a way to avoid bankruptcy. But life happens. In my case, I had a home fire and a large medical expense that just pushed me over the edge into a snowballing mess. I am very grateful to Leon Bayer for his excellent advice and very skillful legal help. Additionally, he was generous with his time in responding to my many questions. I highly recommend him to anyone seeking legal help with a bankruptcy.

This is the Team you want for your Bankruptcy Case. My wife and I went for the first appointment filled out paperwork and spoke with Leon Bayer. We had to go to the office One (1) more time to drop off some paperwork. Went to our hearing it was a breeze and that was it. I tell you this is my secon...d bankruptcy in my life and I am 51 yrs old I wish I went to Leon the first time. They are the World Class of Bankruptcy Attorneys go and you case is CLOSED!

Mr. Bayer is not just a fine attorney; he is a considerate and compassionate human being. I never thought I would go through a bankruptcy and my self esteem was at a low ebb, even though the bankruptcy was the result of caring for my senior Mom, the loss-of-equity in my home, and the inability to sel...l the home. He told me I was being too hard on myself. There was never a time when he did not quickly answer my questions. I always felt I was working with an attorney with an impeccable reputation, who would provide me with expert advice. (Submitted by B.W.S.)