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Top-Ranked Bankruptcy Lawyers in Brandon, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.27 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked bankruptcy lawyers in Brandon, Florida are Walter Graham Bullington Jr. “Walter” (LexRank 80.00), Richard Lawrence Trionfo (78.60) and Daniel Gene Drake (71.93).

This ranking lists 7 bankruptcy lawyers in Brandon, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 14 to 34 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
7
Fully verified
7 of 7

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    Walter Graham Bullington Jr. “Walter”

    Independent practice · Brandon, FL

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

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

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 16.4)
    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.5)
  2. No change

    Richard Lawrence Trionfo

    Independent practice · Brandon, FL

    Verified
    • 28 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 78.60: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Experience (30/30). 1.40 points behind #1, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 16.4)
    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.5)

    1.40 points behind #1 (Walter Graham Bullington Jr. “Walter”): Data quality −1.4.

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

  3. No change

    Daniel Gene Drake

    Independent practice · Brandon, FL

    Verified
    • 31 years experience
    • Bankruptcy · Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 71.93: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Practice-area relevance (13.3/20). 6.67 points behind #2, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.5)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 13.3/20 (ranking avg 16.4)

    6.67 points behind #2 (Richard Lawrence Trionfo): Practice-area relevance −6.7.

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

  4. No change

    Hildegund Pabst Wanders “Gundi”

    Independent practice · Brandon, FL

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

    Ranks #4 with 71.93: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Practice-area relevance (13.3/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.5)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 13.3/20 (ranking avg 16.4)

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

  5. No change

    Dawn M. Chapman

    Independent practice · Brandon, FL

    Verified
    • 21 years experience
    • Bankruptcy · Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 68.53: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Practice-area relevance (13.3/20). 3.40 points behind #4, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.4)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 13.3/20 (ranking avg 16.4)

    3.40 points behind #4 (Hildegund Pabst Wanders “Gundi”): Experience −4.8.

  6. No change

    Christopher Douglas Breton “Chris”

    Independent practice · Brandon, FL

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

    Ranks #6 with 66.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (16.8/30). 1.73 points behind #5, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 16.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.4)

    Held back by

    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 25.5)

    1.73 points behind #5 (Dawn M. Chapman): Experience −8.4.

  7. No change

    Ramsey William Scheuerle

    Independent practice · Brandon, FL

    Verified
    • 14 years experience
    • Bankruptcy · Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 61.80: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (16.8/30). 5.00 points behind #6, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.4)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 25.5)

    5.00 points behind #6 (Christopher Douglas Breton “Chris”): Practice-area relevance −5.

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 · 7 profile pages69 facts for 7 lawyers

Bankruptcy market in Brandon

LexRanked tracks 7 lawyers in bankruptcy law in Brandon, Florida. 7 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
7
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
7 of 7
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
28 years7 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 Brandon

What sets these Brandon 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 7 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 14 to 34 (median 28)
Languages besides English French (1), German (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Stetson University College of Law (3 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Brandon office address and bankruptcy as a practice area on record. It compares 7 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 Hillsborough County is in Florida's Thirteenth 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 Brandon?

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

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?

7 of the 7 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Walter Graham Bullington Jr. “Walter”, Richard Lawrence Trionfo, Daniel Gene Drake, Hildegund Pabst Wanders “Gundi” and Dawn M. Chapman and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

Walter Graham Bullington Jr. “Walter” scores 80.00 and Richard Lawrence Trionfo 78.60, a gap of 1.40 points, mostly in data quality. 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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