Our team

Everyone at Bridgers, Peters & Kleber is committed to two goals: achieving excellent returns for our clients, and conducting ourselves with the highest degree of professionalism.

Daniel F. Bridgers Managing attorney, Savannah office Dan has practiced in collections and creditors' rights since 1977. In 1982, he founded the firm that is now Bridgers, Peters & Kleber. Dan is highly regarded in the creditors' rights community. He is a member of the Commercial Law League of America, the American Alliance of Creditor Attorneys, and the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys. He also is a member of the Decatur/DeKalb Bar Association. Dan was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1976 after earning his J.D. degree at John Marshall Law School. Upon graduation, Dan became a law clerk to Chief Justice H.E. Nichols of the Georgia Supreme Court. In 1977, Dan pursued further legal training in the masters program at the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. At the same time, he entered private practice in collections. Dan holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia, which he earned in 1970. Born in Atlanta, he served on active duty during the Vietnam War. He later joined the Georgia Army National Guard and earned the rank of major in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps before retiring in 1991.

David A. Kleber Managing attorney, Atlanta office David has practiced law since 1993 and has specialized in collections since 1998. He joined Bridgers, Peters & Kleber in 2000. Prior to joining the firm, David was an attorney with the collections firm of Goodman & Neustadt. David is board certified as a creditors' rights specialist. He is one of only two attorneys in Georgia to hold this certification. He also is the only Georgia attorney who has been specially trained and certified by ACA International as an expert in HIPAA. David is an active member in such professional organizations as Commercial Law League of America, National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys, and ACA International. He served as the 2008-09 president of the Georgia Collectors Association, a unit of ACA International. He also is a member of the creditors' rights section of the State Bar of Georgia. David earned his J.D. degree from the University of Georgia and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1993. He immediately established a private practice, handling a diverse caseload including civil and criminal litigation. In addition, David has served as a Certified Mediator since 1995. David earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 1990 from the University of Georgia, where he was named the Georgia winner of the prestigious Harry S Truman Scholarship in 1988.

Oliver D. Peters, Jr. Attorney In memoriam Oliver was part of Bridgers, Peters & Kleber from 1994 until his death in 2009 after 35 years of practicing law. Oliver was a graduate of the Emory University School of Law. He also was a retired colonel from the JAG Corps of the U.S. Army.

J. Curtis Tootle, Jr. Attorney Curt has practiced in the field of collections litigation since 1995. He joined Bridgers, Peters & Kleber in 2007. Previously, he worked 10 years in the offices of Frederick J. Hanna & Associates. Curt was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1994 after his graduation from the University of Georgia School of Law. He earned his bachelor's degree at Emory University in 1991. Curt is a member of the creditors' rights section of the Georgia Bar Association, the Commercial Law League of America, and the DeKalb Bar Association.

Philip J. Botwinik Attorney Phil joined Bridgers, Peters & Kleber in 2008. He has practiced law for more than 14 years, with five years experience in collections law. Prior to joining the firm, Phil's work experience included positions in private litigation practice, corporate law and the public sector, where he worked as an assistant attorney general for the State of Georgia. Phil was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1994. He earned his J.D. at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Albany. Phil has served in the Georgia Army National Guard as a Judge Advocate General and member of the JAG Corps. He continues to serve as a reserve JAG. He was called to active duty in 2004, and in 2005 he was deployed to Iraq as a JAG for the 48th Brigade Combat Team. Phil is a member of the DeKalb Bar Association and the Creditors Rights Section of the Georgia Bar Association.

Robert Fierman Attorney Bob has been practicing law for more than 33 years, including 25 years specializing in creditor's rights. He joined Bridgers, Peters & Kleber in 2009. During the course of his career, Bob has represented such creditors as Citicorp, Discover Card, Capital One Bank, John Deere Company, Credit Acceptance Corporation, NCO and other national and local entities. He owned and managed his own practice for 28 years, and also has worked for Jones, Morrison & Womack, P.C., and Zwicker & Associates, P.C. Early in his professional years, his practice included domestic relations, criminal, personal injury, tort and contract litigation; business transactions, such as real estate sales and financing, business sales, contract drafting, corporate work, wills and estate work and debt collection. Bob attended the University of Florida and Georgia State University, graduating from GSU in 1971. He graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1974.

Larry Rush Collections manager Larry supervises the collections department at Bridgers, Peters & Kleber. He oversees both pre-judgment and post-judgment collection activity. Larry joined the firm in 1990. Larry has worked in the credit and collections field since 1971. For nearly 20 years, he worked at Liberty Service Corporation, where he managed the company's second largest office, trained staff, and served as zone manager. He gained extensive experience in the financing and collection of loans for household goods, automobiles, small loans and real estate mortgages. Born in Marion, Ohio, Larry served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

Andy Smith Administrative manager Andy supervises the asset, claim entry and court correspondence departments at Bridgers, Peters & Kleber. He has been with the firm since 1997. Andy attended Reinhardt College. He is a native of Decatur, Ga.

Candace Roberts Office manager Candace is the operations manager for Bridgers, Peters & Kleber. She joined the firm in 2000, and is responsible for office personnel, budgeting, employee training, EDI, information systems and client relations. Candace has more than 20 years of experience in credit, collections and customer service. She has worked with many areas of debt collection, including consumer, commercial, medical, third-party, return check and educational debt. She has extensive management experience in collection litigation firms, collection agencies, and retail credit recovery departments. Candace holds a bachelor's degree in personnel management from the University of South Alabama, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1984.

Betsy Long Accounting manager Betsy has been the accounting manager at Bridgers, Peters & Kleber since 2008. She has more than 20 years of experience in accounting, with 15 years in accounting management. She received awards of excellence for her work at both Ford Lincoln Mercury and Nissan Infiniti.