The Merna Law Group, P.C.

Bankruptcy work across eastern Virginia

The legal entity behind the Merna Law name is The Merna Law Group, P.C. John G. Merna founded the firm in 2003. Its main focus is consumer bankruptcy in the Eastern District of Virginia. The firm handles Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases.

Merna Law has offices in Virginia Beach, Newport News, and Richmond. Its website identifies a service area that includes Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, and Williamsburg. The firm also says it represents clients elsewhere in the Commonwealth. That reach includes military personnel and people who live in rural counties.

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 case work

The firm discusses the choice of a bankruptcy chapter in terms of each client's financial position. Income, debts, and assets all play a part in that review. Merna Law also addresses the Virginia bankruptcy exemptions and the means test. These are concrete subjects that prospective clients can expect to discuss when considering a filing.

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 are distinct parts of the firm's stated work. The website does not treat the choice as automatic. It ties the decision to the facts of the individual matter. In my opinion, that is one of the more useful points in the firm's description of its bankruptcy services.

Foreclosure, garnishment, and repossession

Merna Law also handles matters involving foreclosure, wage garnishment, and vehicle repossession. Each issue can place immediate pressure on a household. The firm's bankruptcy focus puts these problems within the context of a client's debts, income, and property. Its published practice areas include foreclosure defense as well as the two bankruptcy chapters.

The website says the firm works to stop foreclosure, garnishment, and repossession through the legal options available in a client's case. It does not publish a promised outcome for every matter. The stated service is tied to the facts and legal process involved. That framing keeps the emphasis on the type of work the attorneys perform.

A virtual process for bankruptcy clients

Clients can complete much of the firm's bankruptcy process without visiting an office. Merna Law operates as a fully virtual firm for consultations, document signing, and meetings of creditors. The firm uses phone calls and Zoom for these steps. Its website says clients can file through this process without an in-person office visit.

This format may matter to people who live outside the three office cities. It may also suit military personnel, rural residents, or clients whose schedules make travel difficult. The online structure covers several core steps in a bankruptcy case. The firm still identifies physical offices in Virginia Beach, Newport News, and Richmond.

Merna Law states that it has filed thousands of cases. That figure comes directly from the firm's own website. The site also says the firm has represented clients throughout Virginia. These statements describe the volume and geographic scope claimed by the firm.

Attorney backgrounds and admissions

John G. Merna

John G. Merna is the founder and senior attorney. Before opening the firm in 2003, he practiced consumer bankruptcy in the Central District of California. He joined the Virginia State Bar in 1992 and holds admissions in Virginia and California. His background links the firm's current Virginia work with earlier bankruptcy experience in California.

Merna earned his law degree at George Mason University School of Law. He also holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Arizona and a bachelor's degree in political science from Virginia Tech. Those degrees cover law, written communication, and government. The firm identifies him as the senior attorney responsible for its bankruptcy work.

Genene E. Gardner

Genene E. Gardner is an associate attorney and a Virginia Beach native. She earned her law degree at Regent University School of Law and her bachelor's degree at Longwood University. She holds admission in Virginia. Her work covers bankruptcy and family law.

Gardner belongs to the Virginia State Bar, the Tidewater Bankruptcy Bar Association, and the Virginia Beach Bar Association. These memberships connect directly to her state admission, local legal community, and bankruptcy work. The firm also names divorce among the family law matters she handles.

Family law within a bankruptcy-focused firm

Gardner's family law work gives Merna Law a defined area outside consumer bankruptcy. The website specifically mentions divorce cases. It does not present family law as the focus of every attorney at the firm. Gardner is the named attorney associated with that work.

The mix of bankruptcy and divorce may be relevant when financial and family issues occur at the same time. The available attorney information makes the division of work clear. Merna leads the firm and concentrates on its established consumer bankruptcy work. Gardner practices in Virginia and focuses on bankruptcy and family law.

What the published record establishes

Merna Law presents a clear set of named services. Those services include Chapter 7, Chapter 13, foreclosure defense, wage garnishment matters, vehicle repossession matters, and divorce. The website also explains that the firm considers income, debts, assets, exemptions, and the means test during bankruptcy work. This gives readers concrete subjects to compare with their own legal needs.

The firm's history dates to 2003 under founder John G. Merna. Two attorneys are named, and the website supplies education and admission details for both. Merna Law conducts key bankruptcy steps by phone and Zoom while retaining offices in three Virginia cities. Its stated work covers the Eastern District of Virginia and clients throughout the Commonwealth.