Brian G. Rich
Berger Singerman LLP
Recognized for
Bankruptcy & Restructuring
The Elite Counsel Perspective
Brian’s exceptional bankruptcy and restructuring judgment is evident in his lead-counsel work on Chapter 11 cases with claims above $1.5 billion and his bankruptcy bar presidency.
Brian’s exceptional bankruptcy and restructuring judgment is evident in his lead-counsel work on Chapter 11 cases with claims above $1.5 billion and his bankruptcy bar presidency.
Overview
Mr. Rich’s bankruptcy and restructuring practice spans complex Chapter 11 proceedings, out-of-court restructurings and matters involving court-appointed fiduciaries. He represents distressed companies, commercial debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees, receivers, secured and unsecured creditors, and institutional lenders. As the firm’s lead bankruptcy counsel in numerous Chapter 11 cases, he has overseen reorganizations and, where appropriate, wind-downs involving claims ranging from millions of dollars to more than $1.5 billion. Those matters have involved clients in Florida and nationally across the healthcare, real estate, retail and hospitality industries.
Outside bankruptcy court, Mr. Rich represents real estate developers in restructurings, particularly developers of multifamily, student housing and hospitality projects. He also represents bankruptcy trustees, assignees, court-appointed receivers and other fiduciaries in complex matters seeking recoveries for victims of financial fraud, including Ponzi schemes. His practice has extended through successive periods of economic growth and contraction, including the Great Recession and the global pandemic, and includes longstanding relationships with clients represented by Mr. Rich and the firm.
Mr. Rich has served on the board and as president of the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Northern District of Florida. He has also served on the board and as executive vice-president of the Hang Tough Foundation, a nonprofit supporting families in the Big Bend region navigating childhood illness and special needs. He earned his J.D. from the University of Miami and his B.S. from Temple University.
Representative Experience
- Debtor Counsel to National Automobile Lenders, Inc.
- Debtor Counsel to Campbellton-Graceville Hospital Corporation
- Debtor Counsel to Bermo Enterprises
- 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 Home Bancshares Inc in its acquisition of Premier Bank Holding Company
- 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
Education
- J.D., University of Miami School of Law
- B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, Temple University
Admissions
- Florida
- U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida
Honors & Recognition
- Legal 500's "US Elite: Miami and Florida"
- Finance and Restructuring, 2026
- Chambers & Partners USA, America's Leading Business Lawyers, Bankruptcy Restructuring, 2007-2026: Bankruptcy Litigation 2025, 2026
- The Best Lawyers in America®, 2014-2024; 2026-2027
- Best Lawyers, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Lawyer of the Year (Tallahassee), 2020
- Lawdragon 500, named among the nation's 500 Leading Lawyers in Bankruptcy and Restructuring, 2023-2026
- Florida Super Lawyers, 2008-2026
- Florida Trend, Legal Elite, 2005-2013, 2015-2016
- Chapter 11 Reorganization of the Year (Middle Market) for HearUSA, M&A Advisor's 6th Annual Turnarounds Awards, 2012
- America's Leading Business Lawyers in 2007
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Preeminent™ rated
Professional Associations
- Board Member for Hang Tough Foundation (2022-2024)
- Member, Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors
- Steering Committee for AIRA Newport 39th Annual Conference - Panel: Real Estate Workouts
- Tallahassee Bar Association Pro-Bono Program
- President of the Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association (2012-2013)
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida
- Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Northern District of Florida
Publications
Physicians Practice, “What Practice Owners Need to Plan for in a Bankruptcy”
October 23, 2026
August 20, 2018
South Florida Legal Guide, "What to Watch Out For – Diagnosing a Distressed Hospital"
January 7, 2018
Becker's Hospital Review, "What to watch out for – Diagnosing a distressed hospital"
June 28, 2017