In 1991 Gayle and I started a bankruptcy law firm in Richmond. We had one room. We couldn’t afford a desk. So we took off an inside door, laid it across two low file cabinets and made a desk that we shared.
But let me tell you how we got to the beginning. It was 1986. We were living comfortably in South Texas. Then the bottom fell out of the oil business and we lost our restaurant business in a deal that went sour.
So there we were. I was 38 years old. I watched one morning as the tow truck hauled away our car. We were behind on the mortgage. The repo people seized our daughter’s car at a gas station as she was on her way to school, leaving her stranded. I borrowed our neighbor’s car to pick her up.
I filed for personal bankruptcy. What choice did I have? And I was treated like some sort of low life loser by my attorney.
I thought: “Everyone, no matter what their financial circumstances deserve the best legal representation and to be treated with respect.” I decided then that I was going to be a bankruptcy attorney.
I attended the University of Richmond and when I passed the bar in 1991 we were $100,000 in debt. No assets and I didn’t have a job. But Gayle and I had a vision of a different kind of law firm.
Jump ahead to today. Boleman Law is the bankruptcy specialist and largest consumer bankruptcy law firm in Virginia. In the past 23 years we have helped more than 106,000 Virginians regain their financial health.
We have offices in Richmond, Hampton and Virginia Beach. Our 16 skilled, experienced attorneys work with over 35 dedicated professionals who treat our clients with the respect and compassion they deserve. Everyone receives a free consultation with our attorneys.
We’ve come a long way since our desk was a door. But our mission remains the same for everyone with overwhelming debt.
G.R. “Rusty” Boleman, III
Download PDFRussell “Rusty” Boleman III, Chairman of Boleman Law Firm, P.C. and his wife, Gayle have enjoyed almost fifty years of marriage and working together. Their early days were spent in Virginia, Illinois, Wisconsin and finally Texas, where Rusty worked as a technical recruiter in the oil industry. Then, suddenly, the American oil industry collapsed with low oil prices. Rusty and Gayle, along with thousands of American oil workers, experienced loss of jobs and income.
As Boleman Law clients know all too well, during a financial crisis, bad things can happen to anyone. The poor treatment Rusty and Gayle received as they sought solutions to financial problems led them to believe that there was a need for a change in bankruptcy law practice. At age 40, those experiences led Rusty to law school in Richmond -much later in life than most of his law school colleagues. He worked all through law school with Gayle at his side. After graduation, they founded Boleman Law Firm in 1991 with the goal of treating everyone who came to them seeking help with respect and dignity, while providing excellence in customer service and legal advice.
Rusty’s strong commitment to legal knowledge, ethics and community service has made him one of Virginia’s leading lawyers, Rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell and a Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2017 Virginia Leader in the Law. Almost 30 years later, the firm that bears his name has helped almost 110,000 Virginians regain their financial health. The 13 lawyers and 30 staff members carry on the traditions of excellence and compassion as they provide assistance to over 10,000 folks each year.
Rusty and Gayle are proud parents of one daughter and grandparents of two grandchildren. They and their two cats are now enjoying semi-retirement and spending time with their family. But, no matter where they are, they are never far from their other family, the lawyers and staff who strive every day to make Boleman Law Firm a safe and happy place for both clients and employees.
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