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Attorney Advertising. This profile is independent editorial content produced by Awesome Attorneys and is not a paid placement. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship.
A San Antonio Bankruptcy Attorney Who Is Also a CPA and a Dual Board-Certified Tax and Estate Planning Specialist
J. Raymond Karam brings a genuinely unusual combination of credentials to bankruptcy work: a Certified Public Accountant license, a Master of Laws in Taxation, and dual Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification in both Tax Law and Estate Planning & Probate Law. He has practiced continuously in San Antonio since 1985 — 40 years — with bankruptcy as a documented, ongoing part of his practice rather than an incidental add-on.
At a Glance
| Attorney | J. Raymond Karam |
|---|---|
| Firm | J. Raymond Karam, P.C., Attorney at Law |
| Office | El Hidalgo Law Offices Building, 110 Sprucewood, San Antonio, TX 78216 |
| Practicing Since | 1985 (40 years) |
| Certification | Board Certified, Tax Law and Estate Planning & Probate Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization (not bankruptcy; disclosed explicitly since bankruptcy is a genuine but non-certified part of his practice) |
| Other Credentials | Certified Public Accountant; LL.M. in Taxation (St. Mary’s University School of Law, 1986) |
| Law School | St. Mary’s University School of Law (J.D. 1982); B.B.A. Accounting, St. Mary’s University (1982) |
| Practice Focus | Tax planning and IRS disputes, estate planning and probate, business entity formation, and bankruptcy |
Career History
Karam has served the San Antonio community continuously since 1985, building a practice that pairs his CPA credential and tax LL.M. with a J.D. — a combination that shows up directly in his bankruptcy work, where debt, tax liability, and IRS collections frequently intersect. Awesome Attorneys independently confirmed his current office address and current practice-area list directly against his own site, which explicitly lists bankruptcy among his active service areas alongside tax and estate planning.
Practice Concentration
Per Avvo’s own case-history breakdown, Karam’s practice splits roughly evenly across Wills and Living Wills (34%), Bankruptcy and Debt (33%), and Tax (33%) — a genuine, substantial bankruptcy caseload rather than an incidental sideline, even though his TBLS board certifications are specifically in Tax Law and Estate Planning & Probate Law rather than bankruptcy itself. He is admitted to practice before the Texas Western Bankruptcy Court and the U.S. Tax Court, a combination that directly supports cases where tax debt and bankruptcy relief intersect — IRS tax liens and collections are a specific, recurring theme in his published legal writing.
Track Record
As with most bankruptcy practices, there is no comparable jury-verdict or settlement-figure table — a discharge or confirmed repayment plan is the outcome, not a monetary award. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published bankruptcy case count and is not substituting an estimate; four decades of continuous practice combined with dual TBLS certification in adjacent, genuinely relevant fields (tax and estate planning) is the clearest available signal of depth.
Client Voice
A peer endorsement from a fellow professional of more than 30 years’ acquaintance describes Karam as exceptionally knowledgeable in both his legal and business expertise, specifically citing estate and will planning as well as bankruptcy matters, and states that “very few are as well qualified as Raymond Karam to represent you.” Awesome Attorneys did not locate a large independent client-review sample on Avvo specifically and discloses that gap directly rather than overstating available signal.
Beyond the Practice
Karam has authored public-facing legal guidance on topics spanning tax planning through life insurance, estate planning basics, how to settle an estate, and IRS Collection Financial Standards as they interact with the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 — the specific 2005 federal bankruptcy reform law that introduced the current means test. This body of writing reflects genuine, sustained engagement with the tax-and-bankruptcy intersection rather than a general practice dabbling in the area.
Recognition
Karam’s TBLS Board Certifications in Tax Law and Estate Planning & Probate Law are genuine, verified credentials — but Awesome Attorneys is explicit that neither certification is in bankruptcy specifically, and does not apply “board certified” language to his bankruptcy work on the strength of certifications earned in adjacent fields. His CPA license and tax LL.M. are additional, independently verifiable credentials relevant to the tax side of bankruptcy matters.
Texas Bankruptcy Backdrop
San Antonio bankruptcy cases fall under the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas, with the Chapter 7 creditors’ meeting typically held at the Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building downtown. Texas’s homestead exemption protects a debtor’s primary residence at unlimited value on up to 10 acres in a city (100 acres, 200 for a family, in the country), and exempts up to $50,000 in personal property for a single filer ($100,000 for a family). The 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act introduced a mandatory means test based on IRS Collection Financial Standards — the exact intersection of tax and bankruptcy law that is central to Karam’s practice. This is general background information, not legal advice, and current figures and eligibility should be confirmed with a licensed attorney.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Karam’s clearest differentiator is a genuinely unusual credential stack — CPA, tax LL.M., and dual TBLS board certification in Tax Law and Estate Planning & Probate Law — applied to a documented, substantial bankruptcy practice, particularly relevant for a debtor whose situation involves IRS tax debt alongside other creditors. The honest limitation: his board certifications are not in bankruptcy itself, and Awesome Attorneys located only a thin independent review sample. This is a strong fit for a client whose bankruptcy matter is complicated by tax liens, IRS collections, or estate-planning considerations; a client with a straightforward consumer Chapter 7 filing and no tax complications may be equally well served by one of the bankruptcy-certified specialists elsewhere in this directory.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was compiled from J. Raymond Karam’s own website (raymondkaram.weebly.com), Avvo (including its case-history breakdown and peer endorsements), the Cornell LII attorney directory, and LinkedIn. Awesome Attorneys prioritized the firm’s current site address over an older, differently-formatted address found on one State Bar of Texas self-report.
Publisher Disclosure & Independence
Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, sponsored, or reviewed prior to publication by J. Raymond Karam, P.C. or any affiliated party. Inclusion in this directory does not constitute a referral, endorsement, or guarantee of outcome, and nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice.