Stichter, Riedel, Blain & Postler PA

Founding Partners: Don M Stichter, Harley E Riedel
Number of partners: 12
Number of other lawyers: 4

Firm Overview:
Stichter, Riedel, Blain & Postler, PA specializes in the representation of parties in bankruptcy cases, insolvency matters, out-of-court work-out arrangements, negotiations to restructure loans, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and related civil litigation and corporate transactions. The firm’s shareholders have more than 250 years of cumulative experience in the insolvency practice and bring this experience and expertise to bear in all types of insolvency and loan work-out matters. The firm also handles complex transactional matters involving stock and asset sales, mergers, and financing.

The firm is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, and all of the firm’s shareholders are also individually rated as ‘AV Preeminent Lawyers’ by Martindale-Hubbell. Seven of the firm’s shareholders have served as President of the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association. Barbara Hart (President-elect) and Daniel Fogarty currently serve on its Board of Directors. Harley Riedel, Russell Blain, Edward Peterson, and Chris Meyer (Past Chair) are Fellows of the American College of Bankruptcy. The firm received the Florida Supreme Court Commendation for pro bono work in 2014. Scott A Stichter was awarded the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Professionalism Award in 2008. Don Stichter, Harley Riedel, and Russell Blain each received the TBBBA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Stephen Leslie received the Alexander L Paskay Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwest Florida Bankruptcy Professional Association in 2016. Mr. Blain was the Chair of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar in 2008-09 and remains a member of its Executive Council. He is also a past president of the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation and of the Ferguson-White American Inn of Court. Elena Ketchum served as Chair of the District-Wide Steering Committee for the Middle District of Florida Bankruptcy Court from its inception in 2012 to the end of 2016, Barbara Hart served as the Chair in 2020 and 2021. Amy Mayer currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Florida Network of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation. Barbara Hart is a past President and past Chair of the Florida Network.Jodi Dubose, immediate past Chair of the Gulf Coast Network, currently sits on the Executive Board of IWIRC International. Jodi Dubose is past President of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association and The Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association. Edward Peterson is the Immediate Past President of the Florida Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association. Barbara Hart was the recipient of the IWIRC Florida Network’s 2021 Trailblazer Award, and under her leadership, the Florida Network received the Ryan Award in 2020 for best exemplifying IWIRC during the past calendar year.

Firm lawyers frequently speak and write on insolvency issues and have lectured for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, The Florida Bar, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute. Several firm members serve on advisory boards for the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Main Areas of Practice:
SRBP advises clients faced with insolvency or bankruptcy issues or faced with potential loan defaults. It regularly represents parties in cases pending in all of the bankruptcy courts in Florida, as well as in other states. It represents parties to Assignment cases under Chapter 727 of the Florida Statutes and federal receiverships. It also regularly represents borrowers and guarantors in foreclosure and deficiency actions pending in the state courts of Florida. The firm has offices in Tampa, Fort Myers, Destin, and Pensacola. As a ‘boutique’ firm, Stichter Riedel begins many of its engagements as a result of referrals from other professionals who have a long-standing attorney-client or accountant-client relationship with the client. The firm also handles complex transactional matters involving stock and asset sales, mergers, and financing.

Clients:
The firm has represented numerous debtors in Chapter 11 cases as well as substantial creditors, purchasers, defendants, committees, trustees, or other parties in interest in many significant Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 cases. The largest segment of its practice consists of the representation of corporate debtors in Chapter 11 cases. Most cases involve companies with assets, liabilities, or annual revenues in excess of $5 million, ranging in size to companies with assets and liabilities of more than $3 billion. Among the more significant debtor representations are: Hillsborough Holdings Corp (assets and liabilities of more than $3 billion); Koger Properties, Inc. (New York Stock Exchange company with assets and liabilities of more than $500 million); The Koger Partnership, Ltd. (publicly traded limited partnership with assets and liabilities of more than $200 million); Bicoastal Corporation (f/k/a The Singer Company, with assets in excess of $500 million and over $2 billion in asserted claims); Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., Inc. (third largest US Flag international shipping company with assets and liabilities in excess of $300 million); Jumbosports Inc.(publicly traded national retailer of sporting goods with 59 stores in more than 20 states and assets and liabilities of more than $300 million); Moltech Power Systems, Inc. (Gainesville based manufacturer of rechargeable batteries with annual revenues of $140 million and assets and liabilities of approximately $80 million); Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp. (once the largest privately owned mortgage company in the country with assets and liabilities in excess of $1 billion); Ocala Funding LLC (wholly-owned subsidiary of Taylor Bean which originated and sold loans to Taylor Bean with assets and liabilities in excess of $1 billion); and more than 15 real estate entities in the Odyssey Family of Companies (more than $200 million in debt). Among numerous creditor and purchaser representations are: Official Creditors Committee in 1 Global (merchant advance company with over $300 million in debt); Official Fontainebleau, Banyon 1030-32, and Banyon Income Fund, involving in excess of $9.9 billion, $520 million, and $220 million, respectively. After the economic recession of 2008, a large part of the firm’s work was devoted to the resolution of billions of dollars in real estate loans, often in out-of-court negotiations. An extensive list of other public representations is set forth on the firm’s website. Lawyers with Stichter, Riedel, Blain & Postler, PA, have been involved in more than 400 reported decisions, including matters in the US Circuit Courts of Appeals, the US District Courts, and the US Bankruptcy Courts.Creditors’ Committee in Anchor Glass (third largest US glass manufacturer with liabilities of more than $600 million); Outback Steakhouse, Inc., the successful purchaser of the designation rights to 76 restaurants in the Delaware Chapter 11 case of Chi-Chi’s, Inc.; and a class of consumer creditors in the New Jersey case of American Family Publishers. The firm represents chapter 7 trustees and assignees under Chapter 727 of the Florida Statutes. Those representations include the assignee in the ABC for Laser Spine Institute involving more than $400 million in debt and the chapter 7 trustees for