Chad Van Horn

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Chad Van Horn

Van Horn Law Group, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

CHAD is a managing partner and founder of Van Horn Law Group, P.A., and his personal and corporate bankruptcy practice focuses on foreclosure defense, debt-consolidation/debt-relief, consumer law, student loan consolidation, corporate representation, civil litigation and estate-planning/asset protection. He built his firm into a top-five bankruptcy firm in Florida, based on the number of cases filed in a year (PACER.gov). In addition, he worked with Florida state representatives to put a bill before the legislature to increase the bankruptcy car exemption from $1,000 to $5,000, ensuring that more people can keep their cars. He also filed the first subchapter V bankruptcy in the Southern District of Florida and won the first U.S. case protecting past NFL players from having to relinquish NFL Concussion Settlement funds during chapter 7. In addition, he authored The Debt Life and Everything You Need to Know About Bankruptcy in Florida, and he has been featured in the Daily Business Review, the South Florida Business Journal and the Wall Street Journal.

Chad and his firm received the 2022 Spirit of Justice Award and the 2021 Law Firm of the Year award from Legal Aid Service of Broward, and the 2022 Best Companies to Work For Award from Florida Trend. He also received the 2020 On the Rise Award from the Daily Business Review, and the Up and Comer Award from South Florida Business & Wealth. In addition, he has been listed several times as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is Board Certified in Consumer and Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification.

While attending law school at night, Chad worked for a financial services firm during the day, scoping out real estate opportunities. When the real estate bubble burst 2008, he saw first-hand the desperation of those in financial distress. Since starting his law practice, he and his firm have taken on more than 200 pro bono cases, which prompted Legal Aid of Broward to name him Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. He also committed $50,000 to the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University, his alma mater, to enhance its pro bono honor program to bring up a new generation of lawyers dedicated to providing pro bono services. In his community, he has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida and recently served a two-year term as the organization’s board chair. He was named statewide Big Brother of the Year out of 15,000 Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors in Florida and served as the organization’s legal counsel for five years. In addition, he assisted food-insecure families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education

  • J.D., NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SHEPARD BROAD COLLEGE OF LAW
  • B.S., BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY

“Chad is successful, but also humble enough to realize he can always learn and improve. He is continually seeking out mentors and new information and ideas to improve himself and whatever he is pursuing.”