A practicing attorney since 1979, Leon Bayer is a founding partner in the law firm of Bayer Wishman & Leotta (1989) serving clients in the Los Angeles, California area and surround...view moreA practicing attorney since 1979, Leon Bayer is a founding partner in the law firm of Bayer Wishman & Leotta (1989) serving clients in the Los Angeles, California area and surrounding counties. Jeffrey Wishman, co-founder of Bayer Wishman & Leotta, is the co-author of their book, A HUMAN GUIDE TO BANKRPUTCY. Mr. Bayer and Mr. Wishman have practiced bankruptcy law, side-by-side, for 33 years. More information about Mr. Wishman is available at the firm's website.
Leon Bayer and Jeffrey Wishman are Certified Specialists in Consumer and Small Business Bankruptcy Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.
With decades of experience, Mr. Bayer, Mr. Wishman and their law firm provide immediate solutions to people struggling with debts by using a simple and consistent approach to providing quality service—every person that contacts their firm for advice gets a free consultation and an honest assessment of their legal rights whether or not they decide to hire Bayer Wishman & Leotta to handle their legal matter.
Mr. Bayer is a highly sought-after speaker, writer and editor on legal topics including bankruptcy, debt relief, credit, consumer credit fraud, loan modification scams, foreclosure rights, the bankruptcy means test, Chapter 13 practice and procedure, Chapter 7 and avoiding mistakes before and after filing bankruptcy.
As a consumer rights advocate, Mr. Bayer has many years of experience writing “tips” and “help” articles as well as fielding questions from and providing answers to people with debt, foreclosure and money questions. In addition to his law firm’s blog, Mr. Bayer writes a bankruptcy advice column—called “ASK LEON”–for the legal publishing powerhouse, the Nolo Network. You can find Mr. Bayer’s advice column at the Nolo Bankruptcy, Debt & Foreclosure Blog.
Mr. Bayer’s latest writing project for legal publisher Nolo is The New Bankruptcy: Will It Work for You?, 5th Edition, May 2013. Mr. Bayer’s publications include Best Practices for Filing Chapter 13: Leading Lawyers on Analyzing Today’s Chapter 13 Filings, Preparing Clients, and Implementing Effective Strategies (Inside the Minds), Thompson Reuters, Aspatore Books, 2011 ed.; and Trends in Consumer Bankruptcy Filings: Leading Lawyers on Understanding the Current Bankruptcy Landscape, Navigating the Filing Process, and Educating Clients (Inside the Minds), Thompson Reuters, Aspatore Books, 2010 ed. Other publications are “The Essentials Of Chapter 13,” Daily Journal Report, December 18, 1987; Contributing Editor, Basic Bankruptcy-California Practice Handbook, Matthew Bender 1992, 1993, and as Reviewer and Contributor for CEB –Bankruptcy Practice Guide (2003).
Mr. Bayer has been a frequent law lecturer for numerous programs, including the semi-annual Bridging the Gap program for the Los Angles Lawyer’s Club and the Daily Journal Corporation, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004, State Bar of California Annual Meetings, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989; California Bankruptcy Forum, and programs presented by the United States Trustee. Media appearances include TELEVISION: KCAL9-Various interviews as Bankruptcy expert for 2 part series with Reporter Alan Mendelson, How to Survive the Recession, 3/2002; also Unmasking a Debt Negotiation Scam, 5/2002; 11/2003, EXTRA - various interviews as legal expert regarding celebrity bankruptcy cases including Burt Reynolds, Anna Nicole Smith; RADIO: Frequent guest as the bankruptcy expert on the Benjamin Dover Show, KFI; Sunday Edition, public affairs program-1/03, 97.1 FM, and frequent appearances on Your Legal Rights (2/04) on KALW-FM (91.7), San Francisco, California, KGIL AM.
Mr. Bayer has also been an active member of professional associations related to his practice including the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum, the Los Angeles County Bar Association Committee on Commercial Law & Bankruptcy and the Law Advisory Commission-Personal & Small Business Bankruptcy Law of the State Bar of California. From 1995 to 1996, Mr. Bayer served as the President of the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum.view less