Iowa Bankruptcy Attorney
Joseph Mathias
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About Jeff Mathias
Iowa Bankruptcy Lawyer / Attorney Iowa Bankruptcy Law
Jeff grew up in Ames and graduated from Ames High School. Jeff earned his bachelors degree from Texas State University, San Marcos and his Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas. Jeff has been practicing bankruptcy law in Iowa since 1998. Jeff enjoys cycling and running.
Jeff's oldest son Joseph is an honors graduate from the Industrial Engineering Program at Iowa State University and currently serves in the Peace Corps in Uganda where he teaches high school math and science. Jeff's son Jim graduated with highest honors in Psychology from ISU and studies Industrial Psychology and teaches at University of Akron. Daughter Holly is an RN at Mercy Medical Center main campus in Des Moines and studies at University of Iowa.
Jeff is able to charge lower fees because he uses technology and does not use client packets. Jeff meets with you directly and personally prepares your petition in his office with you before you leave. Jeff will send you short audio recordings throughout your case explaining how to prepare for your office appointment, how to review your petition at home, what to expect after your case is filed, and what to keep in mind after discharge.
See Jeff's Iowa Bankruptcy Video's
Jeff will email you both a draft and final petition that you can review on your own computer before filing and archive for future reference. By emailing Jeff rather than calling you have a permanent record of the legal advice you received. Plus Jeff can often answer email quicker than phone calls since there is often a client in the office but there are short breaks for email where a call would be inappropriate. Jeff also answers email after hours and away from the office via smart phone or laptop.
Jeff handles bankruptcy and bankruptcy only. Jeff has never represented a creditor and never will. His heart is with Iowa families and individuals who need help getting their economic lives back on track. Jeff is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, attends National Continuing Legal Education and participates in national listserves to keep up on changes in bankruptcy law, share ideas and solve problems with bankruptcy attorneys from all 50 states. Jeff regularly collaborates with and refers clients to several local bankruptcy attorneys and assists attorneys throughout Iowa in preparing their bankruptcy cases. Jeff files all his cases in the Des Moines.
Jeff tends to represent "researchers", people who spend a lot of time studying before filing. If you are reading this, chances are you are a researcher. Many of Jeff's clients report spending 10 hours reading Jeff's website before going forward. Jeff loves researchers because they are more sophisticated, tend to know what issues are involved in their case, and ask great questions.
Client reviews of Jeff's work can be found throughout Jeff's site, at Google Places, Avvo and Yahoo Local. Please review Jeff! You can revise or delete your review at any time, so don't feel like you have to wait until your case is over.
Also see Jeff's IowaBankruptyGuide.com and IowaBankruptcy.blogspot.com.
You can contact Jeff at jeff@mathiaslaw.com or complete a Free Online Consultation and get some quick feedback on your case.
Feel free to email Jeff with your Iowa Bankruptcy questions anytime as Jeff checks and responds to email after office hours as time allows.
Jeff's office is at 4800 Mills Civic Parkway, Suite 218, West Des Moines, IA 50265, take exit 70 off Interstate 35, turn East and look for the Walgreens. Jeff is about 1.5 miles east of Jordan Creek Town Center.
Tel. 515-261-7526 Toll Free 1-800-997-1395
jeff@mathiaslaw.com
Jeff's accreditations - click on them for a larger version
What makes Jeff different from other Bankruptcy Attorneys?
Here are some questions you might ask other bankruptcy attorneys you are considering to assist you in filing for bankruptcy.
Do you meet with every client personally from the start?
Yes
Jeff meets with every new client one on one.
Do you draft every petition one on one with the client?
Yes
Sitting across Jeff‘s desk, you will discuss with Jeff all of your debts, assets, income and so forth and enter all of the petition information before you leave the office, so there is no confusion, no questions left unanswered and no packet to fill out.
Client Testimonial: |
"You made an otherwise horrible experience into just a tiny bump in the road of life. I applaud your overall ways of handling bankruptcy. You use humor. I'm glad that you were my lawyer. As I looked around the (hearing) room I felt sorry for the others that weren't as lucky to have found you as their attorney" – Recent client |
Do you only represent debtors?
Yes
We never have a conflict between your interests and a creditor we represent because we have never represented a creditor, and never will.
Do you personally handle your hearings?
Yes
We do not “farm out” our hearings to other attorneys. Jeff will meet with you before your hearing and answer your questions. Jeff will be sitting there next to you throughout your hearing, not an attorney you have never met.
Are you a member of the premier professional association of bankruptcy attorneys?
Yes
Jeff is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. Jeff recently attended the NACBA National Convention in Boston bringing back many ideas for improving our client service. Jeff also participates in a nationwide list-serve of NACBA bankruptcy attorneys who share ideas and solve problems based on our collective experience.
I Don’t Know Anyone (confidentiality)
I’ve had so many clients come in to my office and say; “Do you know ____________”. Unless it is another attorney I generally respond that I don’t know anyone.
If I run across a client at the Target store, they may or may not want to stop and chat, but I don’t know anyone so I don’t say anything unless they do.
If you come to me as a client and I notice that you have the same last name as another client I will never raise the issue because I don’t know anyone…
By this I mean, although your bankruptcy may be public information available from the Clerk of Court, unless there is a specific need, no one will find out about it from me.
So if you come to my office and I seem to never have met anyone that I should know, that is because some of them have come through as clients and they may or may not want folks to know about it.
The client I run into at the Target store may think I am rude, but some clients do not want to have to explain to their shopping mates how they know “the bankruptcy attorney”.
I once actually had a brother and sister as clients at the same time, and their hearing ended up set on the same day! Neither one of them knew the other one was filing until the day of the hearing; I couldn’t do anything about that.
So, fortunately, since I don’t know anyone, your friends and neighbors will not find out about your bankruptcy from me unless there is a specific need.
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