Samantha Najvar Kehl

Samantha joined the firm as an attorney after graduating from Baylor Law School in early 2008. Samantha became an attorney because she loved how the law is fluid.  Every couple of weeks there is something new to learn.  No individual or business is the same.  Everyone who comes in the office presents unique situations that require unique solutions.  She has found a home at Erin B. Shank, P.C. because it allows her the time to find those unique solutions.  The attorneys at Erin B. Shank, P.C. pride themselves on knowing that they spend one-on-one time with every client who has a bankruptcy filed with the firm.

It is fun to use new approaches to try to find unique solutions.  For example, Samantha spends a significant amount of her time filing home modifications under the Home Affordable Modification Programs (HAMP) recently passed to face the current mortgage crisis.  Under HAMP, your monthly mortgage payment can be lowered to 31% of your gross income.  This can be done as part of a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  Using HAMP can help homeowners who would fail under Chapter 13 saves their homes.  Erin and Samantha have given talks to bankruptcy bars around the state teaching attorneys how to do HAMP in conjunction with a bankruptcy case.  Samantha has been very successful getting both Waco HAMP modifications and Killeen HAMP modifications.

Samantha grew up in Gonzales, Texas on a chicken farm.  Samantha settled in Waco as her adopted hometown after law school with her husband, Stephen, who is a native Waconia.  Although Samantha grew up further South in Texas, she has grown to love Waco and her parents and aunt have decided to move up here too.

She finally convinced Stephen, her husband, to join the firm himself in 2010 as a paralegal in the Waco office.  Samantha loves knowing that her family is taking care of other Waco families at the firm.  We get to help local businesses, members of the Waco community, and farmers from the surrounding area including as far as Freestone County.  Farmers always have a special place in Samantha’s heart since she grew up on a farm.

Samantha and her husband share their home with two dogs, two cats, and tons of fish. In a previous life, Samantha worked for the Texas Youth Commission as an Associate Psychologist counseling incarcerated teenagers with mental illness. She received her Masters in Psychology from the University of Houston-Victoria. She has a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M. Whoop!

Waco, Texas

Associate Attorney

Areas of practice:

100% Bankruptcy Law

Bar Admissions:

• Texas, 2008
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court Western District of Texas, 2008
• U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 2008

Education:

• Baylor Law School, Waco, Texas, 2008J.D.
• University of Houston-Victoria, Victoria, Texas, 2000Masters Degree in Psychology
• Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 1998Bachelor of ScienceMajor: Psychology

Samantha is a proud member of the NACBA.