Christopher A. Jarvinen

Career

Christopher Andrew Jarvinen is a partner on the Business Reorganization Team at Berger Singerman LLP in Miami. His extensive experience has equipped him to provide clients in a diverse range of industries with value-added, cost-effective solutions for complex, business and litigation, challenges arising in the context of financially-distressed situations, corporate restructurings, and contentious bankruptcy proceedings. Mr. Jarvinen has been elected to the American College of Bankruptcy, the American Law Institute, and the International Insolvency Institute. He recently served as a Fulbright scholar at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, China. Mr. Jarvinen received his law degree from Boston College Law School, his undergraduate degree in economics from Brown University, graduate degrees in theological ethics and religion from, respectively, Harvard Divinity School and Yale Divinity School, a global EMBA from FGV-EAESP in São Paulo, Brazil, and both a postgraduate diploma in organisational leadership and a master of science degree in major programme management from the University of Oxford. He has also studied in graduate programs at Teachers College of Columbia University, the Judge Business School of the University of Cambridge and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For three years, Mr. Jarvinen taught International Legal Management to graduate business students at FGV-EAESP.

Professional Memberships

-Bankruptcy & Corporate Reorganization Committee of the New York City Bar Association

-Chairperson of the Standing Bankruptcy Lawyers Advisory Committee (LAC), U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

-Vice Chairperson of the Lawyers Advisory Committee, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

-Founder and Co-Chair of Claims Trading Committee, American Bankruptcy Institute

-Member of Advisory Board, American Bankruptcy Institute - New York City Bankruptcy Conference

-Member of Advisory Board, International Cross-Border Insolvency Program - New York

-American Bankruptcy Institute - Caribbean Insolvency Symposium

-Co-Founder and Current Member, TMA Brasil

-Member, Lambda Legal

Publications

- Jarvinen, C. A., & Stong, E. S. (2019, June 18). Letter From the Co-Chairs. Claims Trading: An ABI Committee Newsletter. http://connect.abi.org/webmail/107412/511517803/0559c3a0f45ca40da3ece0d37c4435046896802d29684271e0464b163b243950 .

-Singerman, P. S., Homer, I. M., Guso, J., & Jarvinen, C. A. (2019, May 8). United States: Restructuring & Insolvency (3rd edition). Restructuring & Insolvency (3rd edition).

- Singerman, P. S., Homer, I. M., Guso, J., & Jarvinen, C. A. (2020, June 7). United States: Restructuring & Insolvency (3rd edition). Restructuring & Insolvency (4th edition).

-Singerman, P. S., Homer, I. M., Guso, J., & Jarvinen, C. A. (2022, July 26). United States: Restructuring & Insolvency. The Legal 500: Country Comparative Guides. https://www.legal500.com/guides/chapter/united-states-restructuring-insolvency/

Work Highlights

Christopher has served as debtor’s counsel to large public and private companies, including:

-Unipharma, LLC (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a healthcare packaging company serving the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors in the development, manufacturing, and packaging of liquid, disposable and single-dose units.

-Just One More Restaurant, Inc. (Bankr. M.D. Fla.) – the owner of the intellectual property for the iconic “The Palm” – one of the most well-known steakhouse brands and high-end restaurant groups in the U.S. and Mexico.

-Simply Fashion Stores, Ltd. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a retail chain of approximately 250 stores providing affordable clothing options for urban women.

-Allen Systems Group, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del.) – a global provider of mission-critical enterprise information technology solutions (pre-filing bankruptcy counsel).

-Maguire Group Holdings, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a cross-border provider of architectural, engineering, planning, and construction management services.

-Progressive Molded Products, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del.) – a Canadian-based, international automotive interior subsystem supplier.

-Interliant, Inc. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) – a provider of information technology services.

Christopher has extensive experience representing official committees of unsecured creditors, including:

-Goodman & Dominguez, Inc. (d/b/a “Traffic Shoes”) (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a multi-regional retailer of women’s shoes and apparel.

-Stemtech International, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a direct-marketer of nutritional products.

-PJ Finance Company, LLC (Bankr. D. Del.) – the owner and operator of 33 residential apartment complexes located throughout the U.S.

-Extended Stay Inc. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) – an international chain of extended stay hotels.

-Montgomery Ward, LLC (Bankr. D. Del.) – a national retail chain.

-Filene’s Basement, Inc. (Bankr. D. Mass.) – a national retail chain.

Christopher’s significant receiver, chapter 11 trustee and plan trustee representations includes:

-the receiver appointed in In re Smerling Litigation (S.D.N.Y.) – a receivership involving the misappropriation of more than $136 million from two financial institutions.

-the plan trustee appointed in Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp. (Bankr. M.D. Fla.) – the largest independent mortgage lender in the U.S.

-the court-appointed chapter 11 trustee in Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler P.A. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a law firm in which a Ponzi-scheme in excess of $1.2 billion was run by Scott Rothstein through his operation of the debtor.

-the receiver in Florida Gaming Centers, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a casino operator.

-the plan trustee appointed in American Home Mortgage Holdings, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del.) – the 10th largest U.S. originator, servicer, and seller of mortgage loans.

Christopher regularly represents major parties involved in chapter 15 ancillary cross-border cases, including:

-a party involved in a complex multi-jurisdictional litigation in Banco Santos, S.A. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a Brazilian bank in liquidation that operated a Ponzi scheme.

-the secured lender in World Financial Group, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a holding company formed in the BVI.

-a party in Varig Logistica S.A. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a Brazilian company that was engaged in the business of providing cargo air support.

-a secured creditor in Independência S.A. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) – a Brazilian beef exporter.

-the secured creditor in W.C. Wood Corp., Ltd. (Bankr. D. Del.) – a Canadian manufacturer of refrigerators and other white goods.

Christopher has been in many other notable bankruptcy cases, including representing:

-a leading provider of integrated software, data, and analytics solutions in Ditech Holding Corporation (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) – an independent servicer and originator of mortgage loans and servicer of reverse mortgage loans.

-the prepetition agent for the first-tier lending group in One Aviation Corporation (Bankr. D. Del.) – a company that designs and manufactures very light jets.

-the hotel condominium association in Elcom Hotel & Spa, LLC (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a five-star hotel and residential condominium complex.

-the secured creditor in Decorator Industries, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – a national designer, manufacturer, and retailer of interior furnishings.

-the secured creditor in Maysville, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Fla.) – the owner of apartments and condominium complexes.

-a French hedge fund and a Canadian retirement fund in SPhinX, Ltd. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) – a hedge fund registered in the Cayman Islands.

-a corporation that had sold its automobile and industrial friction products business to a predecessor-in-interest of Federal-Mogul Global, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del.) - an international manufacturer of auto parts and systems.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

-Florida

-Massachusetts

-New York

-U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida

-U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida

-U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

-U.S. District Court, Massachusetts

-U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

-U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

-U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit

-U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit

-U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

-United States Court of International Trade

Languages Spoken

- English

- Portuguese

Education

Awards