Alan Borden

Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney · Tampa, Florida

Most people who call me start by apologizing.

They tell me they should have been more careful. That they should have seen it coming. That they feel stupid. And then, somewhere in the conversation, I find out what actually happened — someone got sick, or laid off, or divorced. A car transmission went at exactly the wrong moment and everything after that was dominoes.

Almost nobody who calls me has anything to apologize for.

I’ve practiced consumer bankruptcy law in Florida since 2008. In that time the thing I’ve come to believe most strongly is that what stands between people and relief usually isn’t the law. It’s the shame. People wait years — losing sleep, dodging the phone, watching interest eat everything they earn — before they’ll make a call that takes twenty minutes and often ends with “you’re going to be okay.”

So that’s where I try to start. Before we talk about chapters or schedules or means tests, I want to know what’s actually happening in your life, and what you’re most afraid of losing.

How I got here

I learned this work from Richard Feinberg, who spent decades doing it in Tampa before I ever walked through the door. He’s still a friend and a mentor to me today. In 2015 I took over as owner of the firm.

What I kept from Richard was the approach: you treat someone in financial trouble the same way you’d want your own family treated. What I’ve added is a willingness to go further into court than most consumer bankruptcy firms will.

What I do

I handle Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies — the two options most people are choosing between. Chapter 7 wipes out qualifying debt, usually in a few months. Chapter 13 sets up a payment plan that can save a house from foreclosure or a car from repossession. Which one fits depends on your income, what you own, and what you’re trying to protect.

I also do work that a lot of consumer bankruptcy firms turn down:

Student loan discharge. You’ve probably been told student loans can’t be discharged in bankruptcy. That’s not quite true — it’s harder, and it takes a separate lawsuit inside your bankruptcy case called an adversary proceeding. Most firms won’t file them. I do.

Suing creditors who break the law. When a debt collector harasses you, when someone keeps calling after you’ve filed and the automatic stay is in place, when a credit report has errors nobody will fix — those are violations of federal and Florida law, and they’re worth money to you. Handled right, the creditor pays my fee, not you.

Foreclosure defense. Sometimes the answer is bankruptcy. Sometimes it’s a loan modification, a short sale, or simply making the bank prove it has the right to foreclose at all.

How I work

You will talk to me, not only to staff. Consultations are free. And for clients who qualify, you won’t need to pay attorney’s fees before we file your case — which matters, because the people who most need to file are usually the ones with the least available to pay up front.

I’ll tell you if bankruptcy isn’t your best option. Sometimes it isn’t. I’d rather lose the case than file one you didn’t need.

Admissions and education

Licensed in Florida

The Florida Bar, 2008 — member #58250

Admitted to practice before

• The Supreme Court of the United States (2026)
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas

Education

• J.D., South Texas College of Law, 2008
• B.A., Government, The University of Texas at Austin, 2005

Professional memberships

• Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association
• National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA)
• National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA)

Practicing from Tampa, serving Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Hernando counties.