No. 01
Student loan bankruptcy & discharge
Adversary proceedings for private and federal student loan discharge, the Brunner undue-hardship test, and discharge standards under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8).
Press & media Stanley Tate Tate Esq · Est. 2010
Student loan law is all we do.
Fifteen years on one practice — adversary proceedings, garnishment defense, PSLF disputes, IDR strategy, and the running commentary on what the Department of Education does next. Cited regularly in national media. Reachable today.
Bios in three lengths 03 ready to copy
Stanley Tate is a student-loan attorney and the founder of Tate Esq, LLC, a law firm that represents borrowers in federal loan defaults, private student loan adversary proceedings, and income-driven repayment disputes. He is licensed to practice in Missouri.
Stanley Tate is a student-loan attorney and the founder of Tate Esq, LLC, a law firm focused exclusively on student loan law. Over more than a decade of practice, he has helped more than 10,000 borrowers in federal loan defaults, wage garnishments, PSLF denials, private student loan adversary proceedings, and income-driven repayment disputes.
He publishes weekly student-loan analysis at tateesq.com — read by more than 40,000 people a month — along with video and newsletter content explaining federal student loan policy as it changes. Tate is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) and is licensed to practice law in Missouri.
Stanley Tate is a student-loan attorney and the founder of Tate Esq, LLC, a law firm focused exclusively on student loan law. He started the practice in 2010 because he couldn't find anyone else who did only this — and more than a decade later, he has helped more than 10,000 borrowers across the full spectrum of student loan disputes.
His practice covers federal loan defaults and wage garnishments, Treasury offsets and tax refund seizures, PSLF qualification disputes, income-driven repayment plan navigation, and private student loan adversary proceedings in bankruptcy court. He is one of a small number of attorneys nationally who litigate private student loan discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8), and his law review article "Funded, Not Guaranteed: The Textual Case Against the Nonprofit Guarantee Doctrine" stakes out a position on one of the most contested questions in the field.
Tate publishes weekly student-loan analysis at tateesq.com, read by more than 40,000 people a month. He also produces a weekly YouTube series and email newsletter explaining federal student loan policy as it changes — covering court rulings, regulatory shifts, and what they mean for individual borrowers in plain English.
He is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA), has presented at NACBA's ABLI conference, and regularly comments in national media on student loan law and policy. Tate holds a J.D. from the University of Missouri and is licensed to practice law in Missouri.
Quick facts Verifiable in 5 minutes
Credentials & education
Bar Missouri Bar
Role Founder, Tate Esq.
Practice & reach
Borrowers helped 10K+
Firm Tate Esq, LLC
Founded 2010
Affiliations NACBA
Publication tateesq.com
Topics Stanley speaks to 08 areas
No. 02
Federal student loan default
Wage garnishment, Social Security offset, tax refund seizure, and the trade-offs between rehabilitation, consolidation, and other default resolution paths.
No. 03
Income-driven repayment & the SAVE litigation
IDR plan navigation, payment recalculation, the RAP transition, and what borrowers should do during ongoing legal uncertainty.
No. 04
PSLF denials & qualifying employment
Why teachers, nurses, and government workers get denied, payment count disputes, employer certification issues, and limited PSLF waiver eligibility.
No. 05
Parent PLUS loans
Repayment strategy after the OBBBA changes, double consolidation, ICR as the only income-driven option for parent borrowers.
No. 06
Private student loan disputes
Statute of limitations defense, debt buyer litigation, servicer errors, and settlement negotiation for private student loan debt.
No. 07
Student loan policy & regulation
Department of Education rulemaking, congressional proposals, federal court rulings, and their practical impact on borrowers nationally.
No. 08
Refinancing trade-offs
When refinancing makes sense, the loss of federal protections, and the risks of converting federal loans to private debt.
Recent media coverage Updated Apr 2026
Most recent · The New York Times
Student Debt Burdened Them, So They Moved Abroad and Stopped Paying
— The New York Times · Apr 2026
How to Money
Student Loan Chaos Explained w/ Stanley Tate (Ep. 1094)
Capital B News
Student Loan Garnishment Could Take 15% of Paychecks
Yahoo News
Student Loan Wage Garnishment Is Put on Hold. What Borrowers Should Know
Austin American-Statesman
Texans with Student Loans in Default: How to Stop Wage Garnishment
The New York Times
Student Loan Borrowers Are Shedding Debts in Bankruptcy
Capital B News
Trump, Student Loans, and Black Borrowers' Uncertain Future
Speaking & publications Most recent: Practising Law Institute (PLI)
Speaking
Sep 2025
Practising Law Institute (PLI)
New York, NY
Mar 2023
ABA TECHSHOW 2023
Chicago, IL
Mar 2021
ABA TECHSHOW 2021
Publications
2024
Article · Law review
Funded, Not Guaranteed: The Textual Case Against the Nonprofit Guarantee Doctrine
Headshots & press assets In progress
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Pending shoot Email for interim →
Tate Esq logo pack
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For deadline pieces
Same-day comment, on the record or background. Bring your reporting.
Stanley reads the Federal Register before he reads his email. If a story turns on what the Department of Education actually said in the rule — not the press release — start here.
Last updated
Attorney advertising. Stanley Tate is licensed to practice law in Missouri. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Tate Esq, LLC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, or any federal agency.