Thanks for getting in touch! I look forward to helping you to move you closer to solving your problems.
Here’s What Happens Next
You’ll get an email with information about how to set up an appointment to speak with me.If you gave me your phone number, you will also receive a phone call from someone in my office to help you get started.
I know this is probably a stressful time in your life, so we’ll do everything possible to make the process easy for you. That’s why I’ll also make sure you receive information and updates about the things you care most about – managing debts, maintaining and establishing good credit, and strategies to help you prosper financially. Those updates will come to you by email every 2 weeks, so look out for them.
And if there’s ever a time when you feel as if things aren’t going as smoothly as they should, just drop me an email at jay (at) sflawny (dot) com to let me know.
What You Should Know About Me
My name is Jay Fleischman, and I’ve been a lawyer for over 22 years. As the Managing Attorney at Shaev & Fleischman, I’ve worked with thousands of people struggling under the weight of student loans, credit card debts, and other overwhelming bills.
My philosophy is that each person’s solution is different, and depends on their goals and lifestyle. That’s why every client relationship begins with a deep dive into your world, your needs, and a discussion of what you want out of life. From there, we craft a plan that makes sense to you.
For some people, that plan may include filing for bankruptcy. Others may decide to tackle one debt at a time, defending against lawsuits or working with collectors to settle debts. Many of my clients need some help lowering their student loan payments so they can address other issues.
No matter what road you choose, I’ll help you get into a better financial situation so you can enjoy your life.
Answers to Some Common Questions
If I were looking to hire a lawyer, I’d have a lot of questions. Questions about fees, how my situation would be handled, and what I’d need to do in order to get the most value out of my time and money. With that in mind, here’s some information that will help you decide if we may be a good fit.
Why I don’t do free consultations. Most lawyers offer free consultations, which sounds great – until you understand that a free consultation is nothing more than a chance for the attorney to convince you to spend money on his or her services. In other words, a free consultation is just like one of those “free” vacations where they force you to attend a long sales pitch to convince you to buy a timeshare.
In contrast, our first meeting will include a complete review of your financial difficulties and a deep analysis of the solutions that may work best for you. We’ll review every possible option, and I’ll take the time to explain the details in a way that makes sense to you.
You won’t get any razzle-dazzle – just facts and information you need to make the best decision for your future.
If there’s a solution you can handle on your own, I’ll give you the steps to take as well as any forms you can use. In fact, many of the people who meet with me end up not needing any further professional assistance – which can save thousands of dollars in the long-run.
Most work is on a flat-fee retainer basis. It’s tough to narrow things down more than that because I don’t know what needs to get done for you (if anything).
As a general matter, here are some ideas on what we charge for various types of work:
- Initial Meetings: $245 for 60 minutes
- Defending Civil Lawsuits (NY and CA Cases Only): $250 – $350 per month until the case is completed either by trial or settlement, plus court filing fees (if any).
- Federal Student Loan Resolution: $65 per month with a minimum commitment period of 12 months. The fee includes:
- consolidation, rehabilitation, managing payments under an Income-Driven Repayment Plan, and monitoring for student loan forgiveness
- semi-annual check-in call
- annual loan analysis and review
- access to us for answers to new questions as they arise.
- Private Student Loan Resolution (NY and CA Clients Only): $65 per month with a minimum commitment period of 12 months. The fee includes the following:
- negotiating with debt collectors
- working to stop collection calls and letters
- assisting you with personal budget issues
- semi-annual check-in call
- annual loan review
- access to us for answers to new questions as they arise.
- Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (NY and CA Cases Only): $1,200 – $3,000 plus court filing fees, depending on the complexity of the case. There may be additional costs if we need to work with you over a longer period of time to obtain necessary documents and information for your case.
- Chapter 13 Bankruptcy (NY and CA Cases Only): $1,200 – $3,000 plus court filing fees up front, depending on the complexity of the case. There are also additional legal fees that will be paid during the course of your case, but those will usually be a portion of the monthly payments arranged through the court.
Your convenience is important. That’s why I don’t force you to travel to my office for our meetings. All client meetings are held by phone or video chat – it’s your choice.
When you schedule your appointment, you’ll be provided with a call-in number. Our meeting will be recorded and you’ll get a link to the recording after our time together so you can review it later on at your convenience. This way, you can spend our time asking questions and listening rather than scribbling notes.
We are what’s known as a “distributed firm”. Commuting to an office not only takes valuable time, it also creates stress and lowers productivity. Having a single location also means we’d be able to hire only people who live close enough to “get to work” on time.
That’s why we ditched our office a long time ago. That freed us to find the best people to work with us, not only those who were able to commute each day. I work from locations in Los Angeles and New York City, and my staff is in every time zone in the United States.
All of our files are digital, documents are scanned and accessible on our computer systems, and our phone system allows us to connect with clients no matter where we are.
We can meet face-to-face in Los Angeles or New York City. We’ve got meeting facilities in both cities and will work with you on a time and location that makes it as easy as possible for you.
We accept most types of payments. You may choose to pay using your checking or savings account, debit card, PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, or credit card. Unfortunately, we can’t take your credit card for payments if you’re filing for bankruptcy – but you may have a relative or friend pay your fees with their credit card.
We accept only US currency – no foreign funds or cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.