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At a Glance
| Founded by | David I. Pankin, a Brooklyn-raised, Brooklyn Law School graduate who established the firm in 1997 after working at personal injury and bankruptcy firms (per his published biography) |
| Focus | Consumer bankruptcy under Chapters 7 and 13, foreclosure defense, loan modification, and consumer protection litigation (per the firm) |
| Office | 48 Willoughby Street, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (Downtown Brooklyn), with additional New York City area locations (per public listings) |
| Signature results | The firm states it has represented more than 15,000 clients since 1997 across bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer protection matters (per the firm) |
| Distinctive edge | A nearly three-decade, high-volume consumer debt practice pairing federal bankruptcy filings with state-court foreclosure defense under one roof (per the firm) |
| Fee model | Free initial consultations, in office or by video, per the firm |
| Known for | Chapter 7 and 13 filings, stopping foreclosure sale dates, wage garnishment relief, and fair-debt-collection claims against abusive collectors (per the firm) |
Origin and Background
David Pankin’s path runs through Brooklyn at nearly every step: high school at Poly Prep, law school at Brooklyn Law School, a law-student clerkship at the personal injury firm Queller & Fisher, and, in 1997, his own firm, which today sits on Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn. In the almost three decades since, the firm states it has represented more than 15,000 clients on bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, personal injury, and consumer protection matters — a volume that places it among the busier consumer debt practices in the city. Pankin is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the Brooklyn Bar Association, and the New York State and American Bar Associations, per his published biography.
What Makes This Firm Structurally Different
Most consumer bankruptcy practices stop at the federal courthouse door; Pankin’s firm works both sides of the debt problem. It files Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases in federal Bankruptcy Court and separately defends homeowners against foreclosure lawsuits in New York State Supreme Court — regularly stopping scheduled foreclosure sale dates and, where possible, keeping homeowners in their properties through Chapter 13 payment plans or negotiated loan modifications, per the firm. The firm also brings affirmative claims against debt collectors for violations of fair-debt-collection and consumer-protection statutes, which means a client harassed by a collector may have both a shield and a sword available in the same office.
Practice Areas
- Chapter 7 consumer bankruptcy
- Chapter 13 repayment-plan bankruptcy
- Foreclosure defense in New York State Court
- Loan modifications and short sale negotiation
- Fair debt collection and consumer protection claims
- SBA and personally guaranteed business loan workouts
Track Record
The firm’s stated record is volume across nearly thirty years: more than 15,000 clients represented since 1997, including debtors facing credit card judgments, frozen bank accounts, wage garnishments, and scheduled foreclosure sales, per the firm’s own account. It does not publish an itemized outcomes table, and Awesome Attorneys did not independently audit client counts. Past results in any matter do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
The firm publishes client testimonials on its own site, including a narrative from a couple who, after a job loss and a failed experience with a debt consolidation service, described the firm’s staff as courteous and responsive and credited the filing with letting them “start our life over with our children.” These testimonials are published by the firm without full names, so Awesome Attorneys treats them as the firm’s own curated accounts rather than independently attributed reviews; independently, the firm’s Brooklyn office shows a set of public Yelp reviews as of the research date.
Beyond the Courtroom
Awesome Attorneys did not identify specific published community or pro bono activity for this firm as of the research date beyond Pankin’s bar association memberships, including the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, a debtor-side professional organization.
Recognition
Awesome Attorneys did not identify major peer-review honors, board certifications, or judicial appointments for this attorney as of the research date; the firm’s standing rests on longevity and client volume rather than credentialed distinctions. New York does not maintain a state board-certification system for bankruptcy law, and no national specialty-board certification was identified 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. Foreclosure itself is judicial in New York, proceeding as a lawsuit in State Supreme Court, which is why bankruptcy filings and state-court foreclosure defense often run on parallel tracks. 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
Pankin’s clearest differentiator is combined breadth and volume: a single Brooklyn firm that has spent nearly thirty years filing consumer bankruptcies and defending foreclosures in parallel, at a scale — 15,000-plus clients, per the firm — few local competitors claim. The honest trade-offs are the mirror image. A high-volume practice is not a bespoke one-attorney operation, and clients who want the named partner personally handling every step may need to ask directly who will work their file; the firm publishes no itemized outcomes record; its client testimonials are firm-curated rather than independently attributed; and the practice spans several areas rather than bankruptcy alone. For a homeowner facing a foreclosure sale date, or an individual with garnishments and collection suits who wants an office experienced in both the federal and state sides of the problem, this firm’s track record is a reasonable basis for a shortlist.
Methodology and Sourcing
This profile was researched from the Law Offices of David I. Pankin’s own website, including its firm overview, Brooklyn location, and attorney biography pages, Pankin’s biographies on the Cornell LII and Justia lawyer directories, and Yelp listings confirming the Willoughby Street office address, cross-referenced for consistency on founding year and client-volume claims. Where sources differed slightly on the founding year, this profile attributes the 1997 date stated in the attorney’s own biography.
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 Offices of David I. Pankin, P.C. 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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