Free Consultation: (541) 972-3351Tap to Call This Lawyer
Lara Gardner

Lara Gardner

Payment plans and free consult. Years of experience.
  • Bankruptcy
  • Oregon, Washington
Review This Lawyer
Lawyer Rating and Reviews
Legal Knowledge
5.0/5.0
Legal Analysis
5.0/5.0
Communication Skills
5.0/5.0
Ethics and Professionalism
5.0/5.0
Kathleen Profitt
Kathleen Profitt April 5, 2021
Rating: 10 Lawyer Rating - 10 out of 10
Lara aims to provide her clients with the best, most efficient and effective bankruptcy representation for chapter 7 and chapter 13 clients that she reasonably can. She is dedicated to helping her clients.
Client Reviews
Ava R. March 29, 2021
Caring and Responsive Bankruptcy Lawyer I hired Lara to help me with a bankruptcy. She was kind and thorough. She answered every question and answered every call and email. I had gone to another lawyer who acted like I was a criminal for filing bankruptcy. Lara helped me to see its not something to blame myself for. She also had an affordable payment plan and didn't make me pay all up front like the other lawyer wanted me to. I highly recommend her.
Badges
Claimed Lawyer ProfileOffers Video ConferencingQ&AResponsive Law
Biography

Lara Gardner is one of the founding attorneys of the Columbia River Law Group. She represents consumer and small business debtors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases.

See Lara's reviews here: https://tinyurl.com/4fnp97hs

Lara has been an attorney since 2003, focusing exclusively on consumer bankruptcy. Lara was a member of the Oregon State Bar Consumer Law committee for two years. She has spoken at several CLEs on bankruptcy, and has published articles on consumer bankruptcy. She is a member of the Debtor-Creditor section of the Oregon State Bar and the Washington State Bar, and she volunteers at the Pro Bono Bankruptcy Clinic.

Lara earned her B.A. with Honors in English from the University of Oregon in 1998, and her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School in 2003. As a law student, Lara published three law review articles. She also interned at the law school’s low-income legal clinic handling bankruptcy, consumer, and landlord-tenant cases. Lara is admitted to the Oregon State Bar, the U.S. Court, District of Oregon, the Washington State Bar, and the U.S. Court, Western District of Washington.

Lara writes articles for various publications. She enjoys riding sport horses, reading, running, and spending time with her two lovely daughters.

Court Admissions:

U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington
Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Circuit Courts
Washington Supreme Court
Washington Court of Appeals
Washington Superior Courts
Washington District Courts

Practice Area
Bankruptcy
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Debt Relief
Additional Practice Areas
  • Chapter 7
  • Chapter 13
Video Conferencing
  • FaceTime
  • Skype
  • Zoom
  • Microsoft Teams
Fees
  • Free Consultation
  • Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
    I do not require all fees up front to file and have flexible payment plans.
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
Oregon
Placeholder image for jurisdictions.
Washington
Placeholder image for jurisdictions.
Languages
  • English: Spoken, Written
Professional Experience
Attorney
Columbia River Law Group
- Current
Pro Tem Professor
University of Oregon
-
Attorney
Todd Trierweiler & Associates
-
Education
Lewis & Clark Law School
J.D. (2003)
-
Lewis & Clark Law School Logo
Professional Associations
Washington State Bar  # 42443
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
Oregon State Bar  # 033206
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
Publications
Articles & Publications
A Dubious Designation: How one Simple Label Legitimizes Human Rights Abuse
14 International Legal Perspectives 16
State Employers are not Sovereign: By Analogy, Transfer the Market Participant Exception to the Dormant Commerce Clause to States as Employers
79 Chicago-Kent Law Review 725
A Step Towards True Equality in the Workplace: Requiring Employer Accommodation of Breastfeeding Women
17 Wisconsin Women’s Law Journal 259
Speaking Engagements
Legal Issues in Real Estate Foreclosure, Bankruptcy, Portland, Oregon
Websites & Blogs
Website
Legal Answers
2 Questions Answered
Q. My fiancé hired a bankruptcy attorney and filled chapter 13 2 years ago in Mar h 2020 he had to convert to a chapter 7
A: If you were in a chapter 13 it is likely you were paying non-dischargeable taxes. It is one reason people file 13 rather than 7. If you converted, the non-dischargeable taxes would remain non-dischargeable and you would still owe them. This is definitely a situation where you should contact your prior attorney and ask for assistance (although from the answer the attorney gave you it sounds like they don’t know what they are doing and you may wish to contact the bar). You should also look at the final accounting provided by the chapter 13 trustee. It will show what was paid through your chapter 13. If you weren’t paying secured debt, the taxes would usually have been paid before other unsecured debt (there are some uncommon exceptions to this). Your bankruptcy attorney should have explained all of this to you at the time. ... Read More
Q. I filed chapter 13 December 3,2020. A creditor/credit union debited my account 7 days prior.How do I recover those fund
A: It depends why the money was debited and also whether the trustee takes an interest in the funds. If the money was for a secured loan on a piece of collateral you own then the money is not recoverable. If it was not for secured collateral and the payments were over $600, the trustee has first right to claim the funds. If the trustee doesn’t, and you listed the payment and exempted it in your schedules, then you can usually demand they be refunded to you. Speak to your attorney about this. If you are acting pro se’ then you will want to contact the trustee and find out if he/she will be pursuing the transfer. If not make sure the transfer is listed and exempted in your schedules (you can make an amendment if necessary) and then make a demand on the creditor. ... Read More
View More Answers
Contact & Map
Columbia River Law Group
Eugene, OR, US
Telephone: (541) 972-3351
Cell: (503) 915-1228
Fax: (541) 972-8757
Monday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Tuesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Wednesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Thursday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Friday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Saturday: 7 AM - 7 PM (Today)
Sunday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Columbia River Law Group
Portland, OR, US
Telephone: (541) 972-3351
Cell: (503) 915-1228
Fax: (541) 972-8757
Monday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Tuesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Wednesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Thursday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Friday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Saturday: 7 AM - 7 PM (Today)
Sunday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Columbia River Law Group
Corvallis, OR, US
Telephone: (541) 972-3351
Cell: (503) 915-1228
Fax: (541) 972-8785
Monday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Tuesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Wednesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Thursday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Friday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Saturday: 7 AM - 7 PM (Today)
Sunday: Closed
Columbia River Law Group
Salem, OR, US
Telephone: (541) 972-3351
Cell: (503) 915-1228
Fax: (541) 972-8757
Monday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Tuesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Wednesday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Thursday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Friday: 7 AM - 7 PM
Saturday: 7 AM - 7 PM (Today)
Sunday: 7 AM - 7 PM