DELUCA & ASSOCIATES - Key Persons

Anthony DeLuca grew up in Atlantic City, NJ. After graduating from law school, he passed the bar exam in New Jersey. However, Mr. DeLuca could not get a job as an attorney. In fact, the only offer he almost received was part-time employment for $16,000 per year. He never did get that phone call. In New Jersey, law offices are plentiful - there is one on every corner. After seven years of higher education, he was unwilling to accept a job as a lawyer that paid less than his summer employment as a Blackjack dealer at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. In response, he: Purchased a Places Rated Almanac and Searched for the best cross-section of growth, job opportunity, and sunny weather. Came up with Las Vegas, Nevada, which, in 1997, was exploding with growth and had a small number of attorneys per capita. Sent his resume to law firms he was interested in and set up seven interviews in a two-day period. Flew to Las Vegas for the interviews and received six job offers. Accepted the seventh offer, which came two months later. Within a matter of weeks, he was packed and moving to Las Vegas. Earlier that year, he began dating his now wife, who had been his boss at the Taj Mahal. Not much has changed over the years - she is still his boss. At the time he planned his move to Las Vegas, he had only been dating his wife for about seven months. He very bluntly said, "I'm moving to Las Vegas. Are you coming?" She immediately resigned her job, and they drove across the country with a car packed so heavily that the rear of the car looked like it would spray sparks as it dragged across the highway (On a side note, he would not recommend anyone driving cross-country for a week in a crowded compact with their significant other). Nevertheless, they are still together after seventeen years, two children, and many ups and downs. DeLuca practiced law for a short period of time before he realized that the firm partners were no smarter than he was. More importantly, he had an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire for independence, which meant he was never a very good employee. In 2001, he decided to go out on his own to practice law as a bankruptcy attorney in Las Vegas. He and his wife made their preparations. The idea was that he would build the law firm while she provided a stable income at her job as a dealer at the Rio Hotel Casino. Without exaggeration or poetic license for dramatic effect, his wife came home from work the night before he was to give his resignation and, in tears, told him that she was laid off. The timing could not have been worse. The safety net was gone. He decided to make the leap anyway, and DeLuca & Associates was formed out of a single 8' x 10' office suite in the Sunwest Bank Building. The entire "firm" consisted of 80 square feet, a desk he bought at Walmart and put together himself, a phone, a fax machine, and his wife as a receptionist, even though she was initially terrified to speak to the clients. In the span of a decade, the firm grew to become the highest-volume consumer bankruptcy firm of any single-location law firm in the entire United States. He and his wife are still working together at the office today (On another side note, there are days he also does not recommend anyone working with their significant other). Mr. Deluca and his team are happy to answer questions about the following: Filing bankruptcy in Las Vegas Process of bankruptcy Nevada Debt Relief Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy