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Bankruptcy

Top-Ranked Bankruptcy Lawyers in Gainesville, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.211 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked bankruptcy lawyers in Gainesville, Florida are Kenneth Martin Hesser (LexRank 82.60), Barbara Ann Cusumano (80.00) and Eric Steven Ruff (80.00).

This ranking lists 11 bankruptcy lawyers in Gainesville, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 4 to 46 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
11
Fully verified
11 of 11

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    Kenneth Martin Hesser

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #1 with 82.60: strongest in Reputation (4/20) and Experience (30/30).

    Strongest

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.4)

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

  2. No change

    Barbara Ann Cusumano

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #2 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20). 2.60 points behind #1, mostly reputation.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)

    2.60 points behind #1 (Kenneth Martin Hesser): Reputation −4.

  3. No change

    Eric Steven Ruff

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #3 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
  4. No change

    Lawrence Joseph Marraffino “Larry”

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #4 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
  5. No change

    Thomas Gerard Pye

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #5 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
  6. No change

    Sharon T Sperling

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #6 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
  7. No change

    Terri N Thomas “Terri”

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #7 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
  8. No change

    James Walter Kirkconnell “Jim”

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #8 with 74.00: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (0/20). 6.00 points behind #7, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)

    6.00 points behind #7 (Terri N Thomas “Terri”): Experience −6.

  9. No change

    John Eric Hope “Eric”

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

    Verified
    • 17 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 69.00: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (20.4/30). 5.00 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.7)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
    • Experience 20.4/30 (ranking avg 25.4)

    5.00 points behind #8 (James Walter Kirkconnell “Jim”): Experience −3.6, Data quality −1.4.

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

  10. No change

    Niles B Whitten

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

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

    Ranks #10 with 65.25: strongest in Local relevance (5/5) and Practice-area relevance (20/20); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (20.4/30). 3.75 points behind #9, mostly professional credentials.

    Strongest

    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 20)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
    • Experience 20.4/30 (ranking avg 25.4)

    3.75 points behind #9 (John Eric Hope “Eric”): Professional credentials −3.8.

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

  11. No change

    Michael R. Merhar “Mike”

    Independent practice · Gainesville, FL

    Verified
    • 4 years experience
    • Bankruptcy
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #11?

    Ranks #11 with 54.80: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (4.8/30). 10.45 points behind #10, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.4)
    • Experience 4.8/30 (ranking avg 25.4)

    10.45 points behind #10 (Niles B Whitten): Experience −15.6.

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 · 11 profile pages110 facts for 11 lawyers

Bankruptcy market in Gainesville

LexRanked tracks 11 lawyers in bankruptcy law in Gainesville, Florida. 11 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 19, 2026.

Lawyers
11
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
11 of 11
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
26 years11 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 Gainesville

What sets these Gainesville 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 11 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 4 to 46 (median 26)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law (7 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Gainesville office address and bankruptcy as a practice area on record. It compares 11 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 Alachua County is in Florida's Eighth 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.

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 Gainesville?

State court cases in Alachua County are heard in Florida's Eighth 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?

11 of the 11 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Kenneth Martin Hesser, Barbara Ann Cusumano, Eric Steven Ruff, Lawrence Joseph Marraffino “Larry” and Thomas Gerard Pye and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

Kenneth Martin Hesser scores 82.60 and Barbara Ann Cusumano 80.00, a gap of 2.60 points, mostly in reputation. 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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