Founding attorney · Salinas Law Group
Tara Gaschler Salinas
I have practiced consumer bankruptcy law in Colorado for twenty-five years, focusing on Chapter 7, Chapter 13, and the discharge of federal student loans through bankruptcy.
This work matters deeply to me. People come to me at some of the hardest moments of their lives, and I am honored that they trust me with their stories. Some of those stories still move me to tears. My job is to meet that trust with care and with careful, skilled legal work. Over the years I have filed more federal student loan discharge cases in Colorado than every other attorney in the state combined, my clients have discharged more than $2 million in student loan debt, and I serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. For you, that experience means I can tell you early and honestly what is possible, and I know how to get it done.
When you work with my office, you work with me and with a team that knows your file. We will explain your options clearly, answer every question, and help you make the decision that is right for you and your family.
Who I work with
People who have done everything they could
Most of the people I work with are capable, responsible people who have done everything they could to avoid being my clients. They run departments, raise children, care for parents, hold professional licenses, and make payroll. Many have tried every alternative for a year or more before calling, and many believe they are the only ones this has happened to.
They aren't. Neither are you.
Before any legal work begins, I want you to be able to set down some of the guilt and worry you have been carrying. The legal side is what I have done for twenty-five years, and I know it well. Helping you feel steady again is the reason I am passionate about it.
They are not. Neither are you.
Personal
My own experience with bankruptcy
Years ago, uninsured medical bills and credit card debt overwhelmed my young family, and I filed for bankruptcy. I know what it feels like to run the numbers a fourth time, hoping for a different answer. I understand what it is like to sit on the client's side of the table.
That experience is part of why I practice the way I do. I prepare carefully, I explain everything, and I never judge anyone for how they got here. I have been there too.
The practice
Small on purpose
I keep my firm small on purpose. Your file is never handed to an associate you have not met, and no intake department decides your path. You will always have an experienced attorney reviewing your situation. I stay with you from the first conversation through the discharge.
Small does not mean you will only ever speak with me. My team handles a lot of day-to-day conversations with clients, and they are very good at it. They work alongside me, they know your case, and they know you.
I take fewer cases than I could, on purpose. I don't want to move people through a pipeline or treat you like a number. This is a complex legal process and I ensure every client gets real attention. It matters.
Experience you can rely on
- years practicing consumer bankruptcy in Colorado
- 25years practicing consumer bankruptcy in Colorado
- in federal student loan debt discharged for clients
- $2M+in federal student loan debt discharged for clients
- continuing legal education programs presented
- 100+continuing legal education programs presented
- Board of Directors, elected 2025
- NACBABoard of Directors, elected 2025
In full
Experience and recognition
- Twenty-five years practicing consumer bankruptcy in Colorado.
- Three published bankruptcy court decisions.
- More federal student loan discharge cases filed in Colorado than every other attorney in the state combined, with over two million dollars discharged.
- Elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys in 2025. I chair the membership committee.
- K. Colleen Nunnelly Award, 2024, for service to consumer debtors.
- More than 100 CLE programs presented. I speak nationally on artificial intelligence in legal practice.
- Sponsor of the Colorado Debtors' Counsel Listserv.
- Member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees.
After twenty-five years, my favorite moment in a case is still the same. Partway through a first conversation, people stop apologizing. They realize nothing they have told me surprises me, and that I am not going to judge how they got here. Their shoulders relax. They allow themselves to breathe. That is when the real work begins, and when we start moving them toward the relief they deserve.
In clients’ words
“More than providing legal [counsel], she is a truly empathetic person, who offered compassion, warmth, and understanding in a very difficult time. I felt cared for, as well as prepared for the proceedings.”
You do not have to figure this out alone.
From the first call, you will be treated with kindness and respect, and without judgment. You can call my office or book a Strategy Session yourself, and no one will pressure you.