Law Office of William Waldner: The Midtown Solo Who Works Every Case Himself, With No Paralegals or Clerks

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. See our Methodology and Publisher Disclosure below.

At a Glance

Founded by	William W. Waldner, a bankruptcy attorney licensed in 2008 who has practiced bankruptcy law in New York since that year (per the firm and Super Lawyers)
Focus	Consumer bankruptcy exclusively — Chapter 7 fresh-start filings and Chapter 13 repayment plans, plus related foreclosure and garnishment relief (per the firm)
Office	469 7th Avenue, Suite 1225, New York, NY 10018 (Midtown Manhattan), with an additional Brooklyn location at 300 Cadman Plaza West
Signature results	No published itemized outcomes table; the firm states it has successfully discharged hundreds of bankruptcy cases (per the firm)
Distinctive edge	The firm states Waldner personally handles every case without delegating work to paralegals or legal clerks — an unusual structure even among solo consumer bankruptcy practices
Fee model	Free initial consultations; the firm markets itself on affordable rates and identifies itself as a debt relief agency in its own disclosures (per the firm)
Known for	Hands-on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 consumer filings for individuals and small businesses across Manhattan and the outer boroughs (per the firm)

Origin and Background

William W. Waldner became a licensed attorney in 2008 and has spent his entire career since in one practice area: consumer bankruptcy. His firm states that its work is devoted exclusively to bankruptcy and debt relief under Chapters 7 and 13, filed primarily in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and that Waldner is familiar with the local trustees and court procedures those districts use. From a Midtown office at 469 7th Avenue — a deliberate central location the firm says draws clients from Manhattan, the outer boroughs, and nearby counties — the practice also offers fully virtual filings for clients who prefer to handle the process from home.

What Makes This Firm Structurally Different

Consumer bankruptcy is a volume business at most firms, with paralegals preparing petitions and attorneys appearing at hearings. Waldner’s firm states it is built the opposite way: he personally works each case from intake through discharge, without delegating to paralegals or legal clerks. That structure caps the number of cases the office can carry at once, but it means the person preparing the schedules, answering client questions, and appearing at the meeting of creditors is the same attorney throughout — a meaningful difference for filers whose cases involve wrinkles a form-driven process can miss.

Practice Areas

• Chapter 7 consumer bankruptcy
• Chapter 13 repayment-plan bankruptcy
• Foreclosure prevention through bankruptcy
• Wage garnishment and creditor-harassment relief
• Small business debt relief

Track Record

The firm states it has successfully discharged hundreds of bankruptcy cases since 2008, though it does not publish an itemized outcomes table, which is typical for consumer bankruptcy practices where success is measured in completed discharges rather than dollar verdicts. Awesome Attorneys did not independently audit case counts. Past results in any matter do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.

Client Voice

Client reviews published on the firm’s own site and on Avvo describe Waldner as responsive and patient through difficult filings; one Avvo reviewer called him “a knowledgeable and meticulous lawyer” with over a decade of experience. The record is not uniformly glowing, however: as of the research date, the firm’s Facebook page showed a 60 percent recommend rating across a small set of five reviews — a thinner and more mixed signal than its Avvo and Yelp presence. Awesome Attorneys reports both because a balanced picture serves readers better than a curated one.

Beyond the Courtroom

Waldner has been quoted as a personal finance and credit commentator in national and regional outlets including U.S. News, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsday, The Daily News, and CBS New York, per the firm.

Recognition

Waldner received the Super Lawyers Rising Stars designation each year from 2013 through 2018, a peer-influenced selection the platform states covers no more than 2.5 percent of eligible attorneys, per his Super Lawyers profile. New York does not maintain a state board-certification system for bankruptcy law, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify a national specialty-board certification for this attorney, so no “specialist” language is applied in this profile.

New York Legal Backdrop

Bankruptcy is federal law: Chapter 7 liquidation and Chapter 13 repayment plans proceed under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, and filing triggers the automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362, which generally halts most collection activity, wage garnishments, and foreclosure sales while the case is pending. New York debtors choose between the state exemption scheme (drawn from CPLR § 5205 and Debtor and Creditor Law §§ 282–283) and the federal exemptions, a choice New York law has permitted since 2011 amendments. None of this is legal advice; whether and how to file should be evaluated by a licensed attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Waldner’s clearest differentiator is structural: a consumer bankruptcy practice where the attorney of record personally does the work usually delegated to staff, at rates the firm markets as affordable. The honest trade-offs follow directly from that structure. A one-attorney office has finite capacity and no bench if the case turns unusually complex or contested; the firm publishes no itemized outcomes record; the practice has no documented board certification; and its public review record, while largely positive on Avvo and its own site, includes a small, mixed Facebook rating disclosed above. For an individual or small business owner with a reasonably standard Chapter 7 or 13 filing who values working directly with the attorney at every step, this practice is a reasonable one to have on a shortlist; a filer with a large, contested, or business-entangled case may prefer a deeper bench or a certified practitioner.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from the Law Office of William Waldner’s own website, including its About, Manhattan office, and client review pages, Waldner’s Super Lawyers profile, Avvo and Yelp listings, and the firm’s public Facebook page, cross-referenced for consistency on licensure year, office locations, and review signals.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by the Law Office of William Waldner prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any profiled firm, and inclusion in this directory is not a paid placement. “Awesome Attorneys” is a brand name only and does not constitute a rating or ranking claim. Facts stated are current only as of this profile’s research date.

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