The Law Offices of Donald E. Petersen represents debtors in all phases of Bankruptcy and also represents debtors and other consumers in disputes against credit reporting agencies, lenders, mortgage servicing companies, and collection agents. Mr. Petersen and the law firm's staff are committed to their Bankruptcy and consumer clients and do not represent any interests that are opposed to the firm's consumer clients and their families.
Since 1992, Mr. Petersen and his staff have helped hundreds of Floridians discharge debts, save their homes, prevent IRS seizures, stop lawsuits, and prevent garnishments through the protection available in Bankruptcy Court under Chapters 7, 11, and 13. Mr. Petersen also actively represents consumers who benefit from representation in litigation in state and federal trial court rather than Bankruptcy. The law firm's Bankruptcy practice includes representing many clients' consumer claims in Bankruptcy Court although many of our clients' cases did not arise under Bankruptcy law. Many of these cases involve novel or cutting edge issues of Bankruptcy and consumer protection law that have not been previously litigated in our local Bankruptcy Court.
The law firm also has a varied and sophisticated trial practice which provides the experience and resources to represent debtors who have legal rights to obtain damages from their creditors. Mr. Petersen believes this commitment to vindicating consumer rights through litigation and, if necessary trial provides many of his clients with benefits that they would not have received if their attorney had not investigated potential relief arising under non-bankruptcy law.
The law firm also brings actions in state trial courts, federal trial courts, and Bankruptcy Court to obtain compensation for debtors from creditors who have overreached by engaging in fraudulent lending practices, illegal collection practices and violating lending disclosure requirements, lending laws, or Florida's False and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The law firm also represents consumers against credit reporting agencies and companies that furnish information for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act for refusing to investigate and failing to correct false credit reports. These clients include victims of "identity theft" and mismerged information. The law firm also represents consumers against third parties who illegally obtained their consumer credit reports.
Mr. Petersen is available for consultations at the following locations:
| Orlando |
Clermont |
Tavares |
Lady Lake & Villages |
| (407)648-9050 |
(352)394-0302 |
(352)-742-7444 |
(352) 753-2667 |
| Directions |
Directions |
Directions |
(courtesy telephone only) |
If you are a Florida resident, this site contains a general summary of law. Both state and federal law may vary greatly, even within Florida, depending upon which type of court or even which division of the Bankruptcy Court your case is filed in. Even for cases within the Middle District of Florida's Bankruptcy Courts, the judges often disagree about the law governing many important issues. Where such conflicts occur, this site has attempted to summarize Mr. Petersen's observations of the Orlando Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Obviously, the law is often extremely dynamic and unpredictable.
This site is intended to provide general, background information to Mr. Petersen's clients and potential clients in order to enhance their general understanding of the Bankruptcy process or other consumer law issues. Mr. Petersen encourages clients and potential clients to review this site before their initial consultation. Mr. Petersen and his staff have found that it assists the clients in identifying their needs and understanding some of the terminology and general issues that Mr. Petersen discusses with them. Mr. Petersen believes that, by assisting his clients in understanding the issues involved in their case, the clients can make better informed choices based upon their individual circumstances.
This site is not intended to provide legal advice or substitute for our consultations, information, instructions, and advice that Mr. Petersen provides to his Bankruptcy and consumer clients. It is simply impracticable to summarize all of the complex interrelationships of the Bankruptcy Code and the other statutes addressed in this site.
Unless you have retained the law firm by entering into a written contract with the firm and retained the firm to represent you in Bankruptcy or consumer litigation, the law firm has not agreed to provide you with any legal advice. Each Bankruptcy and court case depends upon the facts of a particular client's case and applicable law often changes.
Debtors who have only a superficial understanding of the Bankruptcy Code often place themselves and their property at risk. Mr. Petersen emphasizes that consumers should obtain advice of experienced counsel in order to evaluate the considerations applicable to his or her case.
Mr. Petersen believes that his law firm's emphasis on combining a consumer law trial practice along with protection in Bankruptcy offers many of his clients benefits which they would not obtain if Mr. Petersen limited his services to Bankruptcy law. Many of Mr. Petersen's clients do not even suspect that they have the right to sue one or more of their creditors (often including mortgage companies) for substantial damages until they bring their mortgage (or other documents) to a follow-up consultation and Mr. Petersen explains their rights to them. This is especially true about persons who are considering filing Bankruptcy. When many attorneys say that they limit their practice to Bankruptcy, they mean it. But, many clients who experience financial difficulties also need to discuss or even bring a lawsuit based upon other consumer protection laws. The fields of non-bankruptcy consumer law are vast and include Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth In Lending Act, and Homeowner Equity Protection Act, to name a few prominent statutes. To effectively use these consumer protection laws requires a lot of work.
Mr. Petersen is admitted to practice in the State of Florida's trial court and federal Bankruptcy and trial courts throughout the Middle District of Florida (i.e., greater Tampa, Orlando, Ocala, and Jacksonville areas). If you are not a Florida resident, it is likely that much of the Bankruptcy information in this website would be misleading or would not apply to the law in your state.