Both
Don M. Stichter and Harley E. Riedel have been associated with
the firm since 1974. At that time, although he conducted a general
business and litigation practice, Don Stichter was widely recognized
as one of the few Tampa lawyers with expertise representing
debtors under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act of 1898. When
the "stagflation" and high interest rates of the late 1970s
drove many Florida borrowers into default, the volume of cases
caused the firm to focus its practice and to specialize in insolvency
and bankruptcy law. Russell M. Blain, Richard C. Prosser, and
Charles A. Postler joined the firm as partners in 1985, 1990,
and 1992 respectively.
The
firm's offices are located in downtown Tampa, in close proximity
to the bankruptcy and federal district courthouse. The professional
accomplishments of the firm and its members include the following:
- The firm is listed in Martindale-Hubbell's Bar Registry
of Preeminent Lawyers.
- In 2001, Don M. Stichter was named "Outstanding Lawyer
in Hillsborough County" by the Hillsborough County Bar Association
- a 3,000 member bar association encompassing the City of
Tampa and all of Hillsborough County.
- In 2004, Don Stichter was named the initial recipient
of the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association's highest award
- the Douglas P. McClurg Award - which recognizes a lawyer
for his outstanding effectiveness in judicial proceedings
through preparation, civility and courtesy, to counsel and
parties, and highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
- Messrs. Don Stichter and Harley Riedel are both Fellows
of the American College of Bankruptcy and have been listed
in "Best Lawyers in America" since that publication began
a nationwide listing of attorneys in the late 1980's, and
Messrs. Russell Blain and Richard Prosser are also now listed
in "Best Lawyers in America."
- The firm was one of only four firms in Florida (the only
one in Tampa) to receive a top-tier ranking in the Insolvency
and Corporate Recovery category in the 2004 Chambers USA
Guide to the Best U.S. Business Law Firms and Attorneys.
In addition, Don Stichter, Harley Riedel and Russell Blain
were recognized in that publication as among the top insolvency
and bankruptcy lawyers in Florida.
- Three members of the firm, Harley Riedel, Russell Blain
and Scott Stichter, were recognized in Florida Trend's Florida
Legal Elite, a peer selected group of the top 1.6 of Florida
lawyers. No other firm in Tampa, or in the entire Middle
District of Florida, had three bankruptcy lawyers listed
as "Legal Bests."
- The four name partners, as well as Charles Postler, Scott
Stichter, Wanda Hagan Golson, and Stephen Leslie
have been given the highest "AV" rating by Martindale-Hubbell.
- Don Stichter, Harley Riedel, Russell Blain and Richard
Prosser have each served as president and as chair of the
Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association. Scott Stichter recently
served a four-year stint as a director of that association.
- Five of the firm's lawyers, the name partners and Wanda
Hagan, are listed in "Leading Florida Attorneys" for expertise
in bankruptcy and insolvency law.
- Harley
Riedel, aided by other firm members, authored the chapters
on representation of Chapter 11 debtors in possession in
the Norton Handbook for Trustees, Debtors in Possession,
and Committees published by West Publishing Company.
- Firm
members have spoken on bankruptcy topics for the American
Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, The
Florida Bar, and numerous other professional and business
groups.
- Russell
Blain has been active in the Business Law Section of The
Florida Bar and currently serves as Chairman of the Bankruptcy/UCC
Committee of the Business Section.
- Don
Stichter has served as President of the Hillsborough County
Bar Association and was named outstanding Local Bar President
by the Florida Bar. Other activities and awards appear in
the attorney biographies section of the website.
- The
firm has acted as counsel for parties in over three hundred
published decisions.
- On
March 15, 2005, Scott A. Stichter was honored as the recipient
of the 2005 Jimmy Kynes Pro Bono Award. The award is given
annually to an outstanding pro bono attorney selected by
the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Thirteenth
Judicial Circuit's pro bono program, H.A.V.E. A Heart. It
is dedicated to the memory of former general counsel for
the Jim Walters Corporation, Jimmy Kynes.
The firm handles numerous consumer matters on a pro bono basis
for deserving clients who cannot afford to pay for legal services.
In recognition of these activities, in March 2002 the firm
was given the "Have a Heart Award" by the Hillsborough County
Bar Association for "outstanding pro bono service by a law
firm." In addition to the services to organized bar associations
described above and elsewhere, the firm's lawyers serve on
boards and committees for a variety of charitable, civic,
religious, educational, and service organizations. It sponsors
the Stichter, Riedel, Blain and Prosser Book Award for the
Advanced Bankruptcy Course at the University of Florida College
of Law.
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Significant
Cases
The
firm has represented numerous debtors in Chapter 11 cases including
Hillsborough Holdings Corp., f/k/a The Jim Walter Corporation,
and its 32 subsidiaries, which had combined assets and liabilities
of more than $3 billion; Koger Properties, Inc., a New York
Stock Exchange company at the time of filing with assets and
liabilities of more than $500 million; The Koger Partnership,
Ltd., a publicly traded limited partnership with assets and
liabilities of more than $200 million; Bicoastal Corporation,
f/k/a The Singer Company, a corporation with assets in excess
of $500 million and over $2 billion in asserted claims; Lykes
Bros. Steamship Co., Inc., the third largest U.S. Flag international
shipping company with assets and liabilities in excess of $300
million; JumboSports Inc., a major national retailer of sporting
goods with 59 stores in more than 20 states and assets and liabilities
of more than $300 million; Linc.net, Inc., a Miami-based construction
company with annual revenues and liabilities in excess of $300
million; Viasource Communications, Inc., a Ft. Lauderdale-based
company with annual revenues and assets exceeding $100 million;
Moltech Power Systems, Inc., a Gainesville-based manufacturer
of rechargeable batteries with annual revenues of $140 million
and assets and liabilities of approximately $80 million; Wm.
G. Roe and Sons, Inc. and Wm. G. Roe and Company, Inc., the
largest packer and shipper of tangerines in Florida; The American
Ship Building Company, a New York Stock Exchange company at
the time of filing; and Trust America Service Corp., an American
Stock Exchange company at the time of filing.
The firm also represents mid-size and smaller businesses and
individual debtors on a regular basis and with a high degree
of success. Formulating a strategy at the outset of these cases
and implementing that strategy is key to handling these cases
on an economical basis.
The firm has also represented substantial creditors, purchasers,
defendants, committees, or other parties in interest in a number
of significant Chapter 11 cases, including those of The Celotex
Corp. (a manufacturer of home building products with annual
revenues of $400 million), Silas Creek Retail, L.P., d/b/a Piece
Goods Shops and d/b/a Northwest Fabrics (the fourth largest
retail fabric chain in the nation with 195 locations throughout
the United States), Murray Chris-Craft (a leading recreational
boat manufacturer), American Family Publishers (a Time, Inc.
subsidiary), The Eli Witt Company (a large food and tobacco
distributor), Braniff Airlines and Grand Union Co. (cases in
which the firm represented a member of the Official Creditors'
Committee), Fabric King, Inc. (a 74-store retail fabric chain),
Gardinier, Inc. and Mulberry Phosphates (each a large phosphate
and fertilizer processor), and the W.T. Grant Co. (a large national
retailer). |