A deadbeat, according to the dictionary I consulted, is an idle, feckless and disreputable person. In nearly 20 years of representing debtors I have yet to meet a client resembling this description.

While some may have suffered temporary unemployment, or a medical catastrophe for which they were uninsured or underinsured or did not have disability insurance, or were entrepreneurs whose business failed, or lacked financial sophistication and were taken advantage of by their creditors or someone else, never have I met a “deadbeat”.

The people I experience daily are regular middle class folks who work hard, are trying to raise their families and do their best at making ends meet. When circumstances make that no longer possible, for a variety of reasons, they come to see me or another professional who can help them get back on their feet.

However, the debt collectors who are hounding you will do everything in their power to make you feel like a deadbeat because they have one thing and one thing alone in mind: To shame you into opening your checkbook and making a payment --right now --no matter what it means to your family in the short run or long run. They get paid or promoted based upon their monthly collections, so for them this particular debt is their only concern.

Bankruptcy is the law. It is federal law which anyone can use if they need to do so. I am a lawyer practicing the law. I am not helping deadbeats escape their obligations. I am helping hard working people get back on their feet financially. I’m proud of my ability to do that job well, and I care about the people that I do that for.