Mariah Cabrera
Supervisor
Owns escalations and team supervision. Keeps every matter on schedule end to end.
About Tate Esq · Founded 2014 · National practice
A student-loan firm built remote on day one.
Tate Esq is a national student loan law firm. We help borrowers resolve federal and private loan problems: forgiveness, repayment, settlement, default, and bankruptcy. The work happens by phone, by video, and through secure document exchange. Founded by Stanley Tate in 2014.
Federal court admissions 5 direct · 6 PHV
Directly admitted 05
E.D. Mo. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
W.D. Mo. U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
D. Md. U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
N.D. Ind. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
W.D. Tenn. U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
State bar Missouri (Mo. Bar #66564), admitted 2014
Pro hac vice 06
N.D. Ga. Northern District of Georgia
M.D. Ga. Middle District of Georgia
S.D. Ga. Southern District of Georgia
C.D. Cal. Central District of California
N.D. Cal. Northern District of California
E.D. Va. Eastern District of Virginia
Pro hac vice on request. The firm appears pro hac vice in any U.S. district where local rules permit, with appropriate local counsel arrangements. The list above will grow over time.
A note from the founder Written Mar 2026
The student-loan rules change every year. The federal programs that decide whether you owe $0 or $2,400 a month, IDR, PSLF, SAVE, RAP, Borrower Defense, are written in Washington and litigated in federal court. Where you happen to live almost never decides what your repayment looks like.
That is why Tate Esq has been a remote-first firm since 2014. Our office is in St. Louis. Our clients are in every U.S. state, plus U.S. citizens living abroad. Most of the work, the analysis, the StudentAid.gov walkthrough, the servicer letters, the appeal, happens by phone, video, and a secure portal. For matters that need a federal court appearance, Stanley is directly admitted in five districts and regularly appears pro hac vice in others. Private student loan settlement and bankruptcy adversary work run the same way, with local counsel arranged where the matter requires it. For state-court collection lawsuits, we connect you with qualified counsel in your state.
The work is technical, but the way we do it is plain-spoken. You should always know what we're doing on your file, what it costs, and what comes next.
What the firm does 6 practice areas
No. 01
Student loan forgiveness
PSLF, IDR forgiveness, TPD discharge, Borrower Defense.
No. 02
Repayment strategy
IDR, SAVE/RAP, IBR, PAYE, ICR, and Parent PLUS.
No. 03
Default resolution
Rehabilitation, consolidation, garnishment defense.
No. 04
Private student loan settlement
Negotiating reductions when full payment is not realistic.
No. 05
Student loan bankruptcy
Adversary proceedings under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8).
Outcome depends on case-specific facts. Bankruptcy discharge of student loans is not guaranteed.
No. 06
Lawsuit defense (referral)
State-court collection suits, referred to local counsel.
Aggregate outcomes, 2014–present As of March 2026
No. 01 · Managed
$1.4B+
in student debt managed
Federal and private portfolios across all fifty states.
No. 02 · Forgiven
$800M+
in forgiveness obtained
PSLF, IDR forgiveness, TPD discharge, and Borrower Defense.
No. 03 · Settled
$36M+
in private balance reductions
Negotiated reductions with private lenders and debt buyers.
Substantiation. Aggregate figures reflect cumulative client outcomes from June 2014 through March 2026. Outcomes are confirmed through StudentAid.gov account records, servicer correspondence, and balance documentation maintained in the firm's case management system. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.
“Student loans don’t care where you live. They care what plan you’re in and what the lender or servicer is doing. Both are fixable from anywhere.”
How the firm runs Tools + AI policy
Tate Esq runs on a set of internal tools the firm built to handle student-loan analysis, legal research, and content production at scale. They help us move faster and stay accurate, but every piece of legal advice, every filing, and every client communication is reviewed by a human attorney.
For details on how the firm uses AI in client work, see the firm’s AI Policy →
The team behind every file 7 on staff · plus referral counsel
Andrea Gomez
Document Specialist
Owns intake, conflict checks, and the document file on every matter.
Roland Djon Diaresco
Advanced Client Support
Handles complex client questions, recertifications, and post-settlement follow-ups.
Kiko Invencion
Client Support
First voice most clients hear. Triages questions and routes work to the right person.
John Mark Cepida
Lead Nurture
Stays in touch with returning callers and long-cycle borrowers between consultations.
Chad Martin Natividad
Writer
Drafts borrower-education articles in the firm's voice. Every piece is attorney-reviewed.
Patrick Kevin Angeles
Video & Social
Produces the firm's YouTube and short-form education library.
Local counsel
Across U.S. jurisdictions
Tate Esq partners with vetted local counsel anywhere a federal matter or state-court referral requires it.
Tate Esq has been cited or quoted in
The New York Times The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post NACBA PLI
Specific citations are catalogued on the press page. The firm does not pay for placement.
Where we can help 50 states · U.S. citizens abroad
Tate Esq serves borrowers across the United States and U.S. citizens living abroad. Federal student loan work, including repayment, forgiveness, default, consolidation, and federal student loan bankruptcy, runs from anywhere with a phone, video, and a secure portal.
Private student loan settlement and adversary proceedings happen in jurisdictions where Stanley is directly admitted or appears pro hac vice, in coordination with local counsel as required. If you are being sued in state court for a student loan, you need a lawyer admitted in your state. Tate Esq can help you understand the lawsuit and connect you with qualified state counsel, but cannot represent you in state-court litigation outside Missouri.
Office and contact 3 ways in
General inquiries support@tateesq.com
For questions about your matter, scheduling, and document exchange.
Mailing address St. Louis, MO
222 S Meramec Ave, Suite 202-1096, St. Louis, MO 63105.
Subscribe to the Monday Brief.
One email. Mondays. What's new in student-loan policy and what it means for borrowers.
The Brief is general legal information, not legal advice for your matter. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Consultation: $200, 20 minutes with Stanley. Book when you are ready.
Last reviewed March 2026 · Maintained by Stanley Tate (Mo. Bar #66564)