Szabo Law Group’s Orlando office is at 37 North Orange Avenue in the downtown core, three blocks from the federal courthouse. We file Chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases in the Orlando Division of the Middle District of Florida, defend foreclosures across Orange and Osceola counties, and handle family, employment and investor immigration. English and Hungarian.
Orlando Office
37 North Orange Avenue, Suite 500
Orlando, FL 32801
Areas We Serve
Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Apopka, Lake Nona and Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties
Bankruptcy Attorneys in Orlando
Central Florida cases are filed in the Orlando Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, in the George C. Young Federal Courthouse at 400 West Washington Street — a short walk from our Orange Avenue office. The division serves Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard and Volusia counties, which is why we see clients from Kissimmee and Sanford as often as from Orlando itself.
Note that this is a different court system from South Florida: different judges, different trustees, different local rules and different chapter 13 plan practice. A lawyer who files regularly in the Middle District knows what the standing trustees here expect, and that shapes how a plan is drafted from day one.
Your 341 meeting of creditors is held by Zoom. You will need a device with a camera and microphone, photo identification and proof of your Social Security number.
Debt problems that are particular to Central Florida
Hospitality income swings
Theme park, hotel, restaurant and event work is seasonal and shift-dependent. The means test looks at a six-month average, so when you file can decide whether Chapter 7 is available at all.
Timeshare obligations
Maintenance fees and timeshare mortgages follow Central Florida owners for decades. Both can be dealt with in bankruptcy, including surrendering the interest and discharging the deficiency.
Gig and 1099 income
Rideshare, delivery and independent contract work complicates income documentation and often leaves unpaid self-employment tax. Some tax debt is dischargeable; much is not, and the distinction matters.
Small business debt
Personal guarantees signed for a shop, franchise or construction company follow the owner home. Subchapter V of Chapter 11 gives small operators a realistic path to reorganize.
Foreclosure and Creditor Defense in Orange and Osceola Counties
Florida foreclosures are judicial: the lender files suit — for most of our clients, in the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando or Kissimmee — and you generally have 20 days from service to respond. Most judgments are entered by default, simply because nobody answered. We defend the case, pursue loan modifications and short sales, and where the sale date is close, use a Chapter 13 filing to stop it and cure the arrears over a plan.
Florida’s exemptions are unusually protective. The homestead exemption covers unlimited equity in a primary residence, subject to acreage limits and the federal look-back for recent arrivals — relevant in a metro that gains tens of thousands of new residents a year. Florida Statutes § 222.25 exempts $1,000 of vehicle equity and $1,000 of personal property, with a $4,000 wildcard if no homestead is claimed, and § 222.11 protects head-of-family wages from garnishment.
Immigration Attorneys in Orlando
Orlando has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the United States, with large Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, Colombian, Brazilian and Haitian communities and a steady flow of foreign investment into hospitality and small business. Applicants here are scheduled at the USCIS Orlando Field Office, and removal cases are heard at the Orlando Immigration Court rather than in Miami.
Investor and business visas
E-2 treaty investor visas and L-1 transfers for owners buying or opening a Central Florida business, plus EB-5 and employment-based green cards.
Family-based cases
Spouse and relative petitions, adjustment of status, consular processing and removal of conditions.
Citizenship
Naturalization filings and eligibility review where there are long absences abroad, tax questions or a prior arrest.
Court and enforcement matters
Representation before the Orlando Immigration Court and analysis of the immigration consequences of criminal charges.
Because we handle both practice areas, an Orlando business owner restructuring debt and an applicant with a pending petition are advised together — a Chapter 7 filing, an unpaid judgment or a tax lien can all matter to an immigration case, and they are easier to sequence correctly than to fix afterwards.
Why Clients Choose Szabo Law Group
- Both practice areas, one firm. Debt relief and immigration are handled together, so a bankruptcy filing is reviewed for its effect on a pending petition before anything is filed.
- Bilingual representation. Aron T. Szabo is a native Hungarian speaker admitted in Florida and the District of Columbia, with earlier experience at an international firm in Budapest and postgraduate study at the University of Oxford.
- A long client record. The firm has been reviewed more than 45 times by clients on Avvo with an average of 4.8 out of 5.
- Four Florida offices. Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Orlando and Jacksonville, so representation continues if you move within the state.
Talk to a Orlando attorney about your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is my Orlando bankruptcy case filed?
In the Orlando Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, at the George C. Young Federal Courthouse, 400 West Washington Street. The division covers Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard and Volusia counties.
Can I discharge timeshare debt?
In most cases yes. A timeshare interest can be surrendered in bankruptcy and the resulting mortgage deficiency and unpaid maintenance fees treated as dischargeable debt. Fees that accrue after the filing date are handled differently, so the surrender should be structured properly.
My income changes every month because of seasonal work. Can I still file Chapter 7?
Very likely. The means test uses your average income over the six full months before filing, so a slower season can change the outcome. This is one of the few areas where waiting a month or two before filing genuinely helps.
Does the Orlando Immigration Court handle Central Florida cases?
Yes. Removal proceedings for residents of the Orlando area are generally heard at the Orlando Immigration Court, while USCIS interviews for green cards and naturalization take place at the USCIS Orlando Field Office.
Do I need to travel to your South Florida office?
No. The Orlando office handles Central Florida matters directly, and consultations can be held by phone or video if that is easier.
Our other Florida offices:
Fort Lauderdale · Hollywood · Jacksonville · All contact details
This page is general legal information about our practice in Central Florida and does not create an attorney–client relationship or constitute legal advice for your situation. Court divisions, procedures and statutory exemption amounts change; verify current details with counsel. We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.