John G. Merna — Virginia Bankruptcy Attorney | Merna Law
John Merna is the founder and senior attorney of Merna Law, a consumer bankruptcy firm serving the Eastern District of Virginia since 2003. He has filed thousands of bankruptcy cases across California and Virginia, holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has been recognized by Coastal Virginia Magazine as a top bankruptcy attorney. If you’re considering bankruptcy in Virginia, you’re talking to someone who has seen nearly every situation — and knows how to navigate it.
Credentials & Memberships
- Virginia State Bar — admitted 1992
- California State Bar — admitted (inactive)
- Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) — admitted
- AV Preeminent® Rating — Martindale-Hubbell (highest peer rating for legal ability and ethical standards)
- National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) — member
- Better Business Bureau — A+ accredited
- Former President, Tidewater Bankruptcy Bar Association — 2010
Background
John Merna’s path to bankruptcy law is anything but conventional.
Before law school, he was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency — a vetting process that, from initial contact to acceptance, spanned nearly three years. During that time he completed a Master’s degree in Journalism at the University of Arizona and began law school at George Mason University. He served with the Agency in a clandestine capacity, completed his JD during that time, and passed the Virginia Bar in 1992.
After leaving federal service in 1995, he joined the Los Angeles legal market and became a partner at Lozano & Merna — a consumer bankruptcy firm with multiple offices throughout the Central District of California, practicing in all of the Central District’s bankruptcy courts. In 2003, he returned to Virginia with his family to be closer to his parents and extended family — and founded what is now Merna Law.
Over the past two decades, he has filed thousands of bankruptcy cases in the Eastern District of Virginia, helping working families in Virginia Beach, Newport News, Richmond, and across the EDVA stop garnishments, eliminate debt, and start over.
Why Bankruptcy Law?
Bankruptcy sits at the intersection of federal statute, state exemption law, means testing, judicial discretion, and the financial reality of real people’s lives. Getting it right requires understanding how the Bankruptcy Code interacts with Virginia law, how trustees in the Eastern District think, which assets are protected and which aren’t, and how to structure a case — Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 — so it actually works for the client’s specific income, debt, and asset picture. The math has to be right. The strategy has to hold up under trustee scrutiny. And the attorney has to understand that behind every set of schedules is a family that has run out of options and needs someone who takes that seriously. That combination — technical precision and genuine regard for the people involved — is what John Merna has built his practice around for more than two decades.
Education
- JD — George Mason University School of Law, 1991
- MA, Journalism — University of Arizona, 1986
- BA, Political Science — Virginia Tech, 1981
Working with John Merna
Merna Law operates as a fully virtual firm. Consultations, document signing, and case management all happen remotely — by phone, secure portal, and Zoom. Clients across the EDVA, including deployed military personnel and rural Virginia residents, file bankruptcy without ever visiting an office.
John Merna personally oversees every case filed at Merna Law. If you have questions about whether bankruptcy is right for your situation, schedule a free consultation.
