Elena Paras Ketchum

Elena Paras Ketchum

Elena Paras Ketchum, named by SuperLawyers as one of the top fifty women attorneys in the State of Florida, joined the firm in 2001 and became a shareholder in 2007. Ms. Ketchum is heavily involved in the firm’s transactional, commercial litigation, and insolvency practices.

On the transactional side, she has represented numerous buyers and sellers in connection with complex stock and asset sales and borrowers and guarantors in commercial loan transactions. Ms. Ketchum has been lead counsel in successful out-of-court workouts of loans totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars and regularly represents clients in negotiating and documenting complicated transactions such as workout and loan modification agreements and agreements related to asset sales.

In the insolvency arena, Ms. Ketchum brings a solid knowledge of bankruptcy law and substantial courtroom experience to her cases. She is chiefly noted for her representation of debtors in possession in Chapter 11 cases – successfully reorganizing debtors involved in industries as diverse as manufacturing, retail, restaurant, healthcare, printing, grocery and construction. She has served as President and Chair of the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, serves as Chair of the District-Wide Steering Committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, has lectured on bankruptcy topics, and has served as a guest instructor in advanced bankruptcy classes at the University of Florida College of Law and at the Stetson University College of Law. Ms. Ketchum also heads up the firm’s practice under Chapter 727 of the Florida Statutes dealing with “Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors” or “ABCs”. ABCs occassionally offer a quicker and less expensive alternative to Chapter 11 cases for business borrowers.

Finally, Ms. Ketchum defends borrowers in state court litigation, bringing with her the courtroom experience she gained as an Assistant State Attorney with the State Attorney’s Office for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County, where she was assigned to the Felony division.

HONORS & DISTINCTIONS

• Rated “AV Preeminent” in Martindale-Hubbell
• Listed, Chambers & Partners, in the area of Bankruptcy/Restructuring Practice in Florida
• Listed, Florida’s Legal Elite, Florida Trend Magazine
• Listed in “Florida Super Lawyers” in the area of bankruptcy/insolvency practice as “Super Lawyer” in 2014 and “Rising Star,” 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions.
• Recipient of the 2006 James M. “Red” McEwen Memorial Award presented annually by the Hillsborough County Bar Association to the individual who contributed the most to the HCBA during the year. Ms. Ketchum co-chaired the Community Service Committee of the HCBA.
• Member of Phi Beta Kappa
• While in law school, Ms. Ketchum received book award in Comparative Tort Litigation and Rules of Procedure.

MEMBERSHIPS & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association
   ° Chair (2011-2012)
    ° President (2010-2011)
   ° Vice- President (2009-2010)
   ° Treasurer (2008-2009)
   ° Chair of the Credit Abuse Resistance Education program (2007-2010)
   ° Membership Chair (2006-2007)
   ° Member, Board of Directors (2006-2012)
   ° Chair of District-Wide Steering Committee
• The Florida Bar, Business Law Section
• Hillsborough County Bar Association (Co-chair of the Community Service Committee, 2006)
• Board Member, Community Tampa Bay

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Speaker, American Bar Association Business Law Section Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C. (April 2013)
• Speaker, Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association Annual Bankruptcy Seminar (September 2012)
• Speaker, American Bankruptcy Institute’s 17th Annual Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop (July 2012)
• Speaker, Bankruptcy UCC Session, Florida Bar’s Annual Meeting (June 2012)
• Guest Lecturer, Advanced Bankruptcy Course University of Florida College of Law (2011)
• Speaker, Hillsborough County Bar Association (2011)
• Speaker, Hillsborough County Bar Association (2010)

REPRESENTATION
In addition to being lead counsel in numerous out-of-court workouts for loans involving hundreds of millions of dollars, Elena Paras Ketchum has headed up or had significant involvement in the firm's representation of numerous matters, including:

• RGR Watkins, LLC
• Cypress Health Systems, Inc., d/b/a Tri County Hospital-Williston
• Teltronics, Inc.
• American Environmental Container Corp., Aqua Environmental Container Corp., Arizona Environmental Container Corp., JOKI Leasing, LLC, KITO Leasing, LLC, STKI Leasing, LLC, and TOKI Leasing, L.C.
• Royal Floors Inc.
• Valco Enterprises, Ltd., Shutter Enterprises Group, Inc., Roll-a-Way, Inc. and Valco Group, Inc.
• Nature's Harvest Market & Deli, Inc.
• Taylor Brothers, LLC
• Performance Line Hardware, LLC
• Target Graphics, Inc.
• Apollo Construction & Engineering Services, Inc.
• Dunkin Diamonds, Inc. (closing of exit financing transaction)
• Sun Coast Hospital, Inc.
• Linc.net, Inc.
• Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Lee Wetherington Development, LLC (ABC)
• Immersion Digital (ABC)

Numerous other ABC cases, including GKK Hisland, Ltd., MSM Orange Avenue, Ltd, OFP Titusville, Ltd, PDG Titusville, LLC, South Orange, Ltd, WIN Estero, Ltd, WIN Ocoee, Ltd, and WIN Suncoast, Ltd., Wilmington Retail, Ltd., ENG Gadgets, Inc., Transition Sportswear, LLC, and representing Assignee in Security Compliance Associates, LLC, MUDD Construction, Inc. and HFS-USA, Inc. and eight related entities.

Position

Shareholder

Education

• Agnes Scott College, B.A., with high honors
• University of Florida, J.D., 1997, with honors

Bar Admissions

• The Florida Bar (all State courts)
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida