About Our Firm

The Law Offices of Albert Goodwin, PA is a boutique bankruptcy and debt-relief law firm located in the heart of Coral Gables, Florida. Since our founding in 2008, we have helped individuals, families, and small businesses across South Florida resolve overwhelming debt, save their homes from foreclosure, and rebuild financially through the federal Bankruptcy Code.

Direct Attorney Representation

When you hire the Law Offices of Albert Goodwin, PA, you work directly with lead attorney Albert Goodwin. Bankruptcy mills hand cases off to paralegals and only meet the client briefly at the 341 meeting, if at all. We take the opposite approach. Attorney Goodwin conducts the initial consultation, drafts and reviews the petition and schedules personally, appears with you at the 341 meeting of creditors, and handles any contested matters that arise.

Our Practice Areas

Our firm concentrates on bankruptcy and debt relief, which lets us go deeper than a general-practice firm in the areas that matter most for our clients:

• Chapter 7 Bankruptcy – Liquidation cases for individuals and married couples whose income falls within the means-test limits.
• Chapter 13 Bankruptcy – Three-to-five-year repayment plans for clients who need to save a home, restructure a car loan, or pay tax debt over time.
• Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Subchapter V – Reorganization for small businesses, real estate investors, and high-asset individuals who do not fit into Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.
• Foreclosure Defense – Defending Florida foreclosure lawsuits and stopping foreclosure sales through bankruptcy when appropriate.
• Creditor Harassment Defense – FDCPA and Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act claims against abusive collectors.
• Wage Garnishment and Bank Levy Defense – Emergency filings to stop garnishments and unfreeze bank accounts.
• Debt Settlement and Negotiation – Out-of-court settlements with credit card issuers, medical providers, and judgment creditors when bankruptcy is not the right answer.

Serving South Florida

From our office in Coral Gables, we represent clients throughout Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County. Bankruptcy cases for our clients are filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida and may be heard in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or West Palm Beach divisions depending on the client's residence. We appear in all three.

Our Philosophy

Bankruptcy is a legal tool, not a moral failing. The Bankruptcy Code exists because Congress decided more than a century ago that honest debtors deserve a fresh start. We treat every client with respect, regardless of how the debt accumulated, and we give straight answers about whether filing is the right choice. We will tell you when bankruptcy is not the answer just as readily as we will tell you when it is.

Media Appearances and Recognition

Attorney Albert Goodwin has been recognized for his knowledge in debtor-creditor law and has been featured in various national media outlets discussing consumer rights and financial recovery. These appearances reflect our commitment to educating the public about the realistic costs and benefits of bankruptcy and debt relief options.

What to Expect When You Hire the Firm

Working with a bankruptcy lawyer should be predictable. Clients of the firm move through a defined sequence:

1. Initial consultation. A working session, usually 45-60 minutes, in which Attorney Goodwin reviews income, asset, and debt information; identifies any emergency that requires immediate action; recommends a chapter or, where appropriate, a non-bankruptcy alternative; and quotes a fee in writing.
2. Document collection. The firm provides a checklist covering pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, retirement-account statements, real-estate documents, vehicle titles, life-insurance declaration pages, and any pending lawsuits or judgments. Most cases proceed once 60 days of pay stubs and two years of tax returns are in hand.
3. Pre-filing credit counseling. Every individual debtor must complete an approved pre-filing credit-counseling course within 180 days before filing under 11 U.S.C. § 109(h). The course takes about an hour online.
4. Petition and schedule preparation. Attorney Goodwin drafts the petition, schedules of assets and liabilities, statement of financial affairs, schedules of income and expenses, the means test form, and the related disclosures. Drafts are reviewed with the client before filing.
5. Filing. The case is filed electronically in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. The automatic stay takes effect at the moment of filing, immediately halting collection activity.
6. 341 meeting of creditors. Approximately 30-45 days after filing, the client appears with Attorney Goodwin at the 341 meeting, currently conducted by Zoom for consumer cases.
7. Post-filing financial-management course. The client completes a second approved course on debtor education before the discharge can enter.
8. Discharge or plan confirmation. In Chapter 7, the discharge ordinarily enters about 60 days after the 341 meeting. In Chapter 13, the plan is confirmed and the client begins making payments to the trustee for 36 to 60 months.

South Florida-Specific Knowledge

Bankruptcy is federal law, but South Florida practice has its own conventions:

• Florida exemptions. Florida is an "opt-out" state, meaning Florida debtors use the Florida exemptions rather than the federal exemptions. The Florida homestead exemption is unlimited in value (subject to acreage limits and the federal cap in 11 U.S.C. § 522(p) for property acquired within 1,215 days before filing) and is one of the most powerful asset-protection tools in the country.
• Wildcard exemption. Florida debtors who do not claim the homestead exemption are entitled to an additional personal-property exemption under Article X, Section 4 of the Florida Constitution and Section 222.25(4), Florida Statutes – valuable for renters.
• Head-of-household wage garnishment exemption. Section 222.11, Florida Statutes, exempts the wages of the head of household from garnishment. This is the single biggest reason that many wage garnishments in Florida are improperly issued and need to be challenged.
• SDFL local rules. The Southern District of Florida has its own Local Rules, standing orders from each judge, and specific forms (LF-31, LF-32, the chapter 13 model plan, and others) that govern day-to-day practice.
• Spanish-language clients. A significant portion of the South Florida population is Spanish-speaking, and the firm regularly works with Spanish-speaking clients and interpreters as needed for 341 meetings.

What Filing Will – and Will Not – Accomplish

Honest expectation-setting is the foundation of the firm's practice. Filing bankruptcy will, in the right case:

• Discharge personal liability on credit cards, medical bills, deficiency balances, old utility debts, payday loans, personal loans, and most older judgments
• Stop foreclosure sales and create breathing room to cure mortgage arrears in Chapter 13
• Stop wage garnishments and bank levies the moment the petition is filed
• Strip wholly unsecured second mortgages in Chapter 13
• Cram down certain vehicle loans to the collateral's fair market value
• Discharge older income tax debt that satisfies the three-year, two-year, and 240-day rules
• Eliminate ongoing collection harassment and reset the credit-rebuilding clock

Bankruptcy will not, by itself, discharge:

• Recent income tax debt or trust-fund tax obligations
• Domestic support obligations (alimony and child support)
• Most student loans absent a successful undue-hardship adversary proceeding
• Debts incurred through fraud or willful and malicious injury when timely challenged
• Most criminal restitution and fines
• HOA and condominium assessments that accrue after filing

For deeper discussion of specific debt categories, see the pages on medical debt, student loans, and tax debt.

Costs, Fees, and Payment

The firm is transparent about cost. Each engagement involves three categories of cost: (1) the attorney's fee, which is set in writing under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2016; (2) the court filing fee, set by the Bankruptcy Court; and (3) the credit-counseling and debtor-education course fees, which are nominal. For most consumer Chapter 7 cases, fees are flat and quoted at the consultation. For Chapter 13 cases, the Southern District of Florida uses a no-look fee structure that allows additional fees to be requested for contested matters. For Chapter 11 and Subchapter V cases, the firm uses a retainer and court-approved compensation under 11 U.S.C. § 330.

The firm also handles FDCPA and FCCPA matters and certain foreclosure-defense matters on a contingency or fee-shifted basis where the statute allows recovery of attorney's fees from the violator.

Rebuilding After the Case

Filing bankruptcy is the start of the rebuilding process, not the end of the financial story. See the credit after bankruptcy page for an honest discussion of credit-score recovery timelines, secured credit cards, the relevance of the discharge to employment and housing applications, and the typical path back to conventional credit within two to four years post-discharge.

Schedule a Consultation

If you are dealing with overwhelming debt, a pending foreclosure, a wage garnishment, or persistent creditor harassment, we encourage you to contact our office to discuss your situation. Attorney Albert Goodwin is ready to give you a candid assessment of your options. Initial consultations cover not only whether to file but which chapter fits, what alternatives – including debt settlement and non-bankruptcy alternatives – deserve consideration, and what the realistic timeline and cost look like.

The office is located at 121 Alhambra Plaza, Suite 1000, Coral Gables, FL 33134, with convenient access from the Miracle Mile and from the major Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach corridors. Call us today at 786-522-1411 or email [email protected] to schedule your consultation. More information about Attorney Goodwin is available on the our attorneys page, representative outcomes are described on the case results page, and the firm's general contact information is on the contact us page. Consultations are confidential and there is no obligation to retain the firm after the meeting.