My name is Thomas Ford. I'm writing this as a lawyer, but I’m more than that. I'm also a husband, a father, and an Aggie. I've been Elise's husband since 2005 and a father since 2008, when Will was born. We were blessed Lainey in 2011 and Lyla in 2013.
I've been an Aggie since I was a young child. When I was five, my mom and dad left good stable jobs, sold their house, motorcycles, cars, and most of their possessions. They bought a Volkswagen Rabbit and we moved to College Station, Texas so my dad could get an electrical engineering degree at Texas A&M. He did it in three years . I would have an Aggie law degree if such a thing had existed back in the day. We raise 'em right; all of our kids could sing the War Hymn by age 2!
But, you’re reading this to learn more about what I do for a living, so let’s talk about that. I've made a career out of helping people fix their debt problems. Often that means bankruptcy. But that isn't all it is. Sometimes it means defending a lawsuit, or getting a debt settled, or getting a mortgage modified, or credit repair, or helping someone with a money management system.
After you’ve done this a while, you learn that bankruptcy isn’t just people dodging responsibility. Bankruptcy changes lives. I'm talking about a positive impact on lives that could really use a little positive impact. Lives damaged by unemployment, divorce, or illness. Lives that need a second chance to get it right. When I began to realize that bankruptcy could help get lives back on track, I was hooked.
I've been a solo practitioner since 2008. I started out with an office and a receptionist. I don't want a call center. I don't want an office with paralegals giving out bad legal advice and making mistakes. I don't want my name on the door, yet my clients never meet me. I don't want you to reach a different person every time you contact me.
I started with the same basic principle I stick with today; don't take more clients than I can personally handle. Who does the initial consultation? Me. Who gathers information from you and prepares the paperwork? Me. Who goes to the meetings with you? Me. I do it all.
Of course, there's a limited number of me to go around. So, I limit the number of cases I take each month. Never more than 15; a lot less during Aggie Football season!
Through the miracle of technology, I've evolved to where I do most of my work out of my house in Trophy Club, Texas. I don't even maintain a regular office anymore. I have office locations were we can meet, but technology allows us to do most of the work using the internet, a fax number, and an email address.
I try to keep things simple. I try to do things right. I try to give each and every client the respect they deserve, no matter what their situation.