With a grant from the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation, Legal Aid was able to revive the Bankruptcy Clinic at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.  The clinic meets at the Office of the Clerk of the Court, 215 Dean A. McGee Ave., Room 147, Oklahoma City, the THIRD FRIDAY of every month from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Any pro se bankruptcy litigants needing help must make an appointment with the clinic by calling Melissa Elaroua, Legal Aid Pro Bono Coordinator for the Oklahoma City Law Office, for an appointment.  Melissa Elaroua (left), attorney and Oklahoma City Law Office Pro Bono Coordinator and Melanie Cox, OU law student and Bankruptcy Clinic intern.

Several private bankruptcy attorneys volunteer their time providing legal advice for pro se litigants involving the decision to file for bankruptcy protection or assisting with the pleadings and filings.  This month, Legal Aid recognizes these OKC Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic as our May 2017 Featured Volunteers .

Tim Barbour:
Oklahoma City attorney Tim Barbour is one of our more involved private attorney volunteers. Tim was admitted to practice in Oklahoma in 1986 and is also licensed to practice in California.  He practices in the areas of  bankruptcy, family, taxation and commercial law. Mr. Barbour not only helps with the Oklahoma City Bankruptcy Clinic but has also been an active pro bono lawyer with Legal Aid for many years, handling clients with bankruptcy and divorces.  He helps pro se litigants at the Clinic by reviewing and helping to revise court papers and assisting with adversary proceeding filings. We've heard it said about Tim that "he is always very busy, however, he has an ability to create an opening in his schedule for anyone that needs him."
 

Mark Toffoli:
Mark Toffoli is an experienced lawyer at the Andrews Davis law firm who primarily represents receivers, bankruptcy trustees, and debtors/creditors in all chapters under the Bankruptcy Code.  He also practices in the areas of business reorganizations, loan restructuring, and business transactions.  Mark has been a judicial law clerk to United States Bankruptcy Judge Robert L. Berry and United States Bankruptcy Judge Paul B. Lindsey, and served as an attorney with the Office of the United States Trustee for the Western District of Oklahoma from 1987 to 1997.  He is also an adjunct professor of Oklahoma City University School of Law. Mr. Toffoli has also volunteered with the Clinic since it began in February 2017.  Mark has advised several clients on how to start filing a bankruptcy and has helped file several complete bankruptcy cases. With the help of a translator, Mark has also worked with Spanish-speaking client to review and explain the bankruptcy process and the meaning of documents.  Mark is also a volunteer with Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, is a member of the Montana State University Alumni Association and the Pride Parents (Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band Parents' Association). Mark has received an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell.
 

Elizabeth Pickens:  
Elizabeth Pickens was born and raised in Oklahoma City. She currently resides in Edmond with her husband and two young sons. She graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University in 2003 with her Bachelors in English Literature, and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma in 2007. Elizabeth limits her practice to Bankruptcy Law. She is licensed to practice in the State of Oklahoma and in Federal Court in the Western District of Oklahoma. She is also a member of the bankruptcy section of the Oklahoma County Bar Association and now works for Bankruptcy Legal Counseling Center of Oklahoma. Ms. Pickens meets with Clinic clients including recently helping a cancer survivor with medical debt who ultimately determined it was best to attempt to work with her creditors before making a decision to file bankruptcy. 
 

Margaret Travis:
Margaret Travis received her J.D. from the University Of Oklahoma College Of Law and her M.H.A. from the University Of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.  She has been in private practice since 1991 and currently focuses her practice on bankruptcy.  Margaret was the Oklahoma Lawyers for Children Lawyer of the year, has worked the Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma Pro Se Waiver Divorce docket and the Bankruptcy Clinic, as well as being a volunteer for the Oklahoma Lawyers for America Heroes before being hired as coordinator.  Margaret is a foster care “flunky” with the Heartland Lab Rescue, volunteers at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City, and at St. Joe’s Old Cathedral in downtown Oklahoma City.  Margaret lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, David and her son, Jacob.  At the Clinic, Ms. Travis recently helped a client file a complete Chapter 7, working with her for several hours.  The Ms. Travis not only met with the client in the clinic but also volunteered several more hours completing the petition and required schedules at the Oklahoma City Legal Aid Services Office.