11/21/2019
WEIRTON - Attorney Roger A. Isla has focused his legal career on helping people who have found themselves in difficult financial situations.
Isla said it is usually catastrophes such as, "divorce, job loss and high medical debt due to illness" that push his clients into a financial abyss.
"I became interested in bankruptcy law, initially, because it seemed interesting, almost magical, that one could erase their debt using the legal process" said Isla, whose office is at 3618 West St., Weirton.
Isla earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1989 and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law in 1992. After graduation he spent three years at a downtown Pittsburgh law firm where he did his first bankruptcy while volunteering pro bono as part of an Allegheny County Bar Association project.
In 1995 he decided to return to the Steubenville-Weirton area, where he practiced with the firm of Fisher, Brown, Scarpone, LaRue & Isla. Four years later he decided to strike out on his own in general practice which included divorce, child custody, criminal, personal injury and bankruptcy law. Later he concentrated his practice on bankruptcy, finding both a great need and the service of great assistance to his clients.
"You do not need an accounting degree to practice bankruptcy law, but I find it useful," he said, pointing out he prepares all of his clients' bankruptcy filings personally which results in greater quality control and detail.
"I enjoy the opportunity to interact more with my clients than I otherwise would," Isla said. "The traditional way of handling a bankruptcy would be to have a secretary schedule the client for an in-office consultation, where the attorney then informs the client and answers questions before an appointment is set up to complete and file their petition."
But Isla prefers to speak to all clients personally on a phone consultation and then emails the necessary disclosures and information. As a result, when they come to the office they are fully prepared to file their case that day. This process causes minimal inconvenience to the client and speeds the process overall.
Isla likens bankruptcy to "pruning a tree."
"When you prune a tree you are improving the health of the tree," he said, likening this analogy to pruning the economy. "I help prune the economic tree for everyone's mutual benefit since my clients go on to live more prosperous financial lives after being relieved from the burden of overwhelming debt."
Isla did note that some people feel guilty having to file for relief from their debts, "but I explain to them that uniform laws on bankruptcy were so important that the framers of the Constitution included bankruptcy as of one of the powers delegated by the States to Congress." Also, he noted, "one should not feel guilty when circumstances beyond your control bring you to my office."
Typically, he said his clients are working people living normal lives who usually have a home, two cars, two kids and a steady income. It is usually not until they lose their job, get divorced or become seriously ill that they may need his services.
Filing bankruptcy may seem straightforward and relatively easy but it is a serious matter. Isla warns his clients that if they file, they can not eligible to file another Chapter 7 for 8 years. His clients understand the seriousness of the filing and often view his services as a last resort.
Isla further mentioned that he has saved many homes from foreclosures through the Chapter 13 process.
Isla said there's a misconception that filing for bankruptcy is all but impossible since the Bankruptcy Reform Act took effect in 2005, "but there's nothing further from the truth." Bankruptcy reform made the process more document-intensive and required an online pre-filing class as well as some other filing requirements. But filing bankruptcy is mostly a matter of organization and producing the necessary documents such as pay stubs and tax returns.
The rest of the process is mostly a matter of a Q & A with the client, Isla said, "I try to make the process as efficient and as hassle-free as possible by taking a very hands on approach."
Isla has been voted the best bankruptcy attorney in the Reader's Choice Awards many times in the past and is grateful for this recognition and to the clients who voted for him. Isla also engages in general practice and is licensed to practice law in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He is admitted to practice in federal courts for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio and the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia.
He and his wife, Mindy, own a successful and growing non-medical home care business - Home Is Where the Heart Is Home Care, LLC. Roger and Mindy are the proud parents of two children - the eldest in his third year of medical school at NEOMED and the youngest, a junior at Franciscan University of Steubenville who has plans to complete his MBA after graduation.
