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Top-Ranked Bankruptcy Lawyers in Bradenton, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.29 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked bankruptcy lawyers in Bradenton, Florida are Richard Vernon Lee (LexRank 80.00), Melanie Archer Newby (75.00) and Ryan Norman Singleton (74.00).

This ranking lists 9 bankruptcy lawyers in Bradenton, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 1 to 41 years in practice. 2 of the 9 list Spanish on their Florida Bar profile.

Lawyers ranked
9
Fully verified
9 of 9

The ranking

Ordered by organic LexRank score; paid placements are labelled and never affect a position. How we rank

  1. No change

    Richard Vernon Lee

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 31 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 19.6)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.7)
  2. No change

    Melanie Archer Newby

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 35 years experience
    • Bankruptcy · Consumer Protection
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15). 5.00 points behind #1, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 19.6)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.6)

    5.00 points behind #1 (Richard Vernon Lee): Practice-area relevance −5.

  3. No change

    Ryan Norman Singleton

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 20 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 74.00: strongest in Experience (24/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 1.00 points behind #2, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 24/30 (ranking avg 19.6)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.7)

    1.00 points behind #2 (Melanie Archer Newby): Experience −6.

  4. No change

    David Joseph Tipton

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 41 years experience
    • Bankruptcy · Consumer Protection
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 73.33: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Practice-area relevance (13.3/20). 0.67 points behind #3, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 19.6)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.6)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 13.3/20 (ranking avg 18.7)

    0.67 points behind #3 (Ryan Norman Singleton): Practice-area relevance −6.7.

  5. No change

    Janelle Louise Esposito

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 19 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 72.80: strongest in Experience (22.8/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 0.53 points behind #4, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 22.8/30 (ranking avg 19.6)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.7)

    0.53 points behind #4 (David Joseph Tipton): Experience −7.2.

  6. No change

    Patrick Groover Bryant

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 17 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 70.40: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (20.4/30). 2.40 points behind #5, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.7)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 20.4/30 (ranking avg 19.6)

    2.40 points behind #5 (Janelle Louise Esposito): Experience −2.4.

  7. No change

    Elyssa Harvey Tenenblatt

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 10 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 58.25: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (12/30). 12.15 points behind #6, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.7)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Experience 12/30 (ranking avg 19.6)

    12.15 points behind #6 (Patrick Groover Bryant): Experience −8.4, Professional credentials −3.8.

  8. No change

    Amy Christine Merrill

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 5 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 54.60: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (6/30). 3.65 points behind #7, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.7)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 6/30 (ranking avg 19.6)

    3.65 points behind #7 (Elyssa Harvey Tenenblatt): Experience −6, Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  9. No change

    Hillary Cherisse Borjas

    Independent practice · Bradenton, FL

    Verified
    • 1 year experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 51.20: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (1.2/30). 3.40 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.7)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 1.2/30 (ranking avg 19.6)

    3.40 points behind #8 (Amy Christine Merrill): Experience −4.8.

Data sources behind the scores

Every score on this page is calculated from facts backed by these sources. Each profile shows which source supports which fact and when it was last checked.

  • floridabar.org · Official / regulatory · 9 profile pages94 facts for 9 lawyers

Bankruptcy market in Bradenton

LexRanked tracks 9 lawyers in bankruptcy law in Bradenton, Florida. 9 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
9
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
9 of 9
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
19 years9 lawyers

Calculated by LexRanked from its own records on ; data verified . Ratings and review counts count only when backed by a source; figures from fewer than three profiles are withheld. All lawyers in Bradenton

What sets these Bradenton lawyers apart

Every lawyer in this ranking has a The Florida Bar license verified as eligible to practice, and every fact shown links to its source. The figures below come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile.

Fact about the 9 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 1 to 41 (median 19)
Languages besides English Spanish (2)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Stetson University College of Law (2 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Bradenton office address and bankruptcy as a practice area on record. It compares 9 bankruptcy lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in bankruptcy, so the practice area is the one each lawyer lists on their Florida Bar profile, which The Florida Bar does not review. How we rank.

Florida rules to know

Bankruptcy is federal law, but Florida decides what property a debtor keeps: filing stops most collection at once, and Florida protects a homestead and a vehicle worth up to $5,000.

Rule What it means
Automatic stay Filing a bankruptcy petition stops most collection actions and lawsuits against the debtor (11 U.S.C. § 362(a))
Credit counseling An individual must take a budget and credit counseling briefing from an approved agency within the 180 days before filing (11 U.S.C. § 109(h))
Repeat Chapter 7 No Chapter 7 discharge if the debtor received one in a case filed within the previous 8 years (11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(8))
Chapter 13 plan A repayment plan runs for at most 5 years (11 U.S.C. § 1322(d))
Meeting of creditors The U.S. trustee holds a meeting of creditors in every case (11 U.S.C. § 341)
Florida homestead A home is protected up to one-half acre inside a city or 160 acres outside one (Fla. Const. art. X, § 4)
Florida vehicle and property A vehicle up to $5,000, and other personal property up to $4,000 if no homestead exemption is claimed (Fla. Stat. § 222.25)
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Manatee County is in Florida's Twelfth Judicial Circuit

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask whether the lawyer you meet will handle your matter personally, and how many matters like yours they have handled recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.
  4. If you prefer to work in another language, check the languages listed on each profile.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

Does filing bankruptcy stop collection calls and lawsuits?

Yes, in most cases. Under 11 U.S.C. § 362(a), filing the petition stops most collection actions and lawsuits against the debtor at once, with the exceptions the statute lists.

Do I need credit counseling before filing bankruptcy?

Yes. An individual must receive a budget and credit counseling briefing from an approved nonprofit agency within the 180 days before filing, under 11 U.S.C. § 109(h), unless an exception applies.

Can I keep my house if I file bankruptcy in Florida?

Florida protects a homestead from forced sale up to one-half acre inside a city or 160 acres outside one (Fla. Const. art. X, § 4). In bankruptcy, federal law caps the protection for home equity acquired in the 1,215 days before filing (11 U.S.C. § 522(p)), so ask a lawyer about your dates.

How often can I file Chapter 7?

A Chapter 7 discharge is denied if you received one in a case filed within the previous 8 years (11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(8)).

How long does a Chapter 13 plan last?

At most 5 years. A debtor whose income is below the Florida median usually has a 3-year plan, which the court may extend to 5 years for cause (11 U.S.C. § 1322(d)).

Which court handles cases in Bradenton?

State court cases in Manatee County are heard in Florida's Twelfth Judicial Circuit. Bankruptcy cases are filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the federal district that includes the county instead.

Are there Spanish-speaking bankruptcy lawyers in Bradenton?

Yes. 2 of the 9 ranked lawyers list Spanish on their Florida Bar profile. Each LexRanked profile shows the languages on record.

How is this ranking ordered?

By the LexRank score, calculated only from facts with a cited source: experience, practice-area relevance, awards on record such as board certification, professional credentials, data quality and location. Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Payment never changes a position.

Do client reviews affect the LexRank score?

Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Reviews are shown on profiles for information only, and Reputation counts only awards on record, such as board certification. How we rank

Which lawyers are verified?

9 of the 9 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Richard Vernon Lee, Melanie Archer Newby, Ryan Norman Singleton, David Joseph Tipton and Janelle Louise Esposito and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

Richard Vernon Lee scores 80.00 and Melanie Archer Newby 75.00, a gap of 5.00 points, mostly in practice-area relevance. Compare them side by side

About this ranking

Last updated
Methodology
LexRank v1.2 - deterministic, reproducible scoring
Editorial review
LexRanked editorial team,
Independence
Positions are never sold. Paid placements, if any, are labelled and do not affect scores.

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