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Brian Rich's practice includes representation of debtors, creditors' committees, bankruptcy Trustees and secured creditors.  Brian has been the firm’s primary bankruptcy counsel in numerous complex Chapter 11 cases.  He has overseen the wind-down process of several large cases wherein the claims reconciliation process involved claims ranging from $100 million to over $1.5 billion.  He services clients throughout the State of Florida and nationally.

Brian has prosecuted and defended numerous of adversary proceedings seeking the recovery of avoidable transfers in Bankruptcy Courts throughout the country.   Additionally, he has represented numerous real estate developers in real estate “work-outs” and out-of-court restructurings.  Brian has also represented bankruptcy trustees in numerous fraud related cases seeking recovery for victims of “ponzi schemes” and real estate fraud. 

During the course of the most recent severe economic crisis, Brian has devoted a substantial part of his practice to representing developers and borrowers in out-of-court restructuring matters.  These representations have included the negotiations of restructured loans, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure and settlement of guaranty claims.

Representative Experience

  • Debtor Counsel to AT& T Latin America
  • Debtor Counsel to Aloha Airlines in their two Chapter 11 cases (filed in Honolulu HI)
  • Debtor Counsel to Pharmed Group Holdings and its subsidiaries
  • Debtor Counsel to CDS Manufacturing, Inc.
  • Debtor Counsel to American Home Builders
  • Counsel to Real Estate Developers in distress situations throughout the State
  • Counsel to Bankruptcy Trustees
  • Lender counsel in Renata Resort’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case
  • Counsel to Bankruptcy Trustee in the Loraine Brooke, Inc. case in which the rights to the book “If I Did It” related to the O.J. Simpson murder trial were sold

Professional & Community Involvement

  • Tallahassee Bar Association Pro-Bono Program (2006-Present)
  • CARE (Credit Abuse Resistance Education) Program(2007-Present)
  • Board of Directors, Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida

Awards & Recognition

  • Chapter 11 Reorganization of the Year (Middle Market) for HearUSA, M&A Advisor's 6th Annual Turnarounds Awards, 2012
  • Chambers & Partners USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers, Bankruptcy Restructuring (2007-2011)
  • Florida Trend Magazine's "Legal Elite" (2005-2010)
  • Florida's Super Lawyers Magazine (2008-2011)
  • America’s Leading Business Lawyers in 2007
  • AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Articles & Presentations

Articles

  • “Providing Utility Service Post Petition and Post BAPCPA” ABI Telecommunication and Technology Newsletter (December 2007)

Presentations

  • "Landlord or Tenant Bankruptcy and Collections," Landlord-Tenant Law Update Seminar, February 2011
  • Panelist, "Hot Topics in Assignment for Benefit for Creditors," Florida Bar Business Law Section Retreat, Naples, FL, September 2010
  • Tallahassee Women’s League CLE, Bankruptcy for the Corporate Debtor, Now What, May 2009
  • Real Estate Law: Advance Issues and Answers, February 2007
  • Landlord-Tenant Law Seminar, November 2006