Board Member Profile: Chad Van Horn, Esq.
We are honored to welcome Chad Van Horn to the Board of Directors of Legal Aid Service of Broward County for 2022.
Chad Van Horn, Esq. is a South Florida business leader and founding partner attorney of Van Horn Law Group, P.A. headquartered in Fort Lauderdale (www.vanhornlawgroup.com.) Van Horn Law Group, P.A. is one of the top five largest bankruptcy firms in Florida and was ranked among Inc. magazine’s 5000 fastest-growing, privately held companies in 2019 and 2020. The firm’s success rests on its staff’s legal expertise and client-oriented mission: to restore peace of mind to individuals in financial distress by providing first-rate, affordable legal services with compassion, understanding, and respect. This philosophy filters down into all practice areas, including personal and corporate bankruptcy, student loan consolidation and litigation, estate planning/asset protection, LGBT estate planning/asset protection, foreclosure defense, corporate representation, debt consolidation, civil litigation, debt relief and consumer law.
Helping people, especially those facing hardship, is a way of life for Van Horn that extends far beyond his law practice into all of his community and civic efforts. He applies his resources and network to helping others through a combination of spirited entrepreneurship, dedicated philanthropy, and legal expertise.
“I believe the overall improvement of our community starts with giving our citizens – people who make up the foundation of our community – equal access to the legal system,” he said. “This serves as a stepping stone for their future accomplishment, opens doors to success, and strengthens the fabric of our society.” Chad Van Horn
Van Horn is an avid supporter of pro bono work for underserved communities, often working with Legal Aid Service of Broward County. The firm has handled 190 cases the elderly, veterans, minorities and all people in dire financial circumstances across the state translating to a contribution of services valued at $300,000. Van Horn is a board member of the American Board of Certification, and also supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County, serving as current board chair and board member since 2013.
Van Horn has been recognized for his efforts by multiple organizations. In 2021, his firm was named Law Firm of the Year by Legal Aid Service of Broward County, and Van Horn was named a Florida Legal Awards On the Rise honoree by the Daily Business Review. In 2020, he received The Russell E. Carlisle Advocacy Award from Legal Aid Services of Broward County, the Up & Comer Award from South Florida Business & Wealth, the National Philanthropy Day Individual Hero Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the Legacy Builder Award from Legacy Lives Here, Inc. In 2018, he received the prestigious 40 Under 40 award by the South Florida Business Journal and was selected for Leadership Broward Class XXXVII. In 2017, he was named Florida Big of the Year out of 15,000 mentors statewide and 2017 Attorney of the Year by Legal Aid Service of Broward County.
Van Horn’s journey to success began as a business major at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Business Management, focusing on Entrepreneurship and International Business in 2005, including a semester abroad at the American University of Rome in Rome, Italy. In 2005, Van Horn moved to South Florida and started working as a bankruptcy law clerk while attending law school at night. He earned his Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law School in 2009.
A Fort Lauderdale resident, Van Horn was admitted to the Florida State Bar in 2009 and the United States Supreme Court in 2014. He is a certified expert in both consumer and business bankruptcy by the Association of Boards of Certification and has appeared in more than 4,000 bankruptcy matters.