Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Attorney

Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code is the reorganization tool Congress designed for businesses that need breathing room, a neutral forum, and a court-approved framework to restructure secured debt, reject burdensome leases and contracts, sell assets free and clear, and emerge as a viable going concern. Done well, it preserves going-concern value, protects jobs, and delivers a recovery to creditors that liquidation could not match. Done poorly, it becomes the most expensive way imaginable to liquidate a business. Michael H. Moody Law focuses on doing it well.

Michael H. Moody spent four years at Berger Singerman — one of Florida’s leading bankruptcy and reorganization firms — and seven years at Greenberg Traurig handling complex commercial litigation and cross-border collections. That pedigree is unusual outside BigLaw and is the reason the firm takes on Chapter 11 representations that generally would not fit at a small practice. When the other side of the table is Kirkland, Weil, or Skadden, the client needs a lawyer who has already been there.

Where the Firm Handles Chapter 11 Cases

The firm is admitted in Florida and files Chapter 11 cases in the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida. For Chapter 11 matters in other jurisdictions — most commonly the District of Delaware, the Southern District of New York, the District of New Jersey, the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, and the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee — the firm works with experienced local co-counsel in each district. There are no fee-sharing arrangements; the engagement is structured so clients get the benefit of Michael’s direct involvement alongside local counsel who know the judges, trustees, and clerks in that district.

What Chapter 11 Actually Does

• Automatic stay halts collection actions, foreclosures, garnishments, and most litigation on the petition date
• Debtor in possession — existing management continues to run the business, subject to fiduciary duties and court oversight
• Debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing with superpriority and priming lien protection to fund operations through the case
• Use of cash collateral with adequate protection and court-approved budgets
• Rejection or assumption of executory contracts and unexpired leases under § 365, turning long-term liabilities into general unsecured claims
• Sales under § 363 of assets free and clear of liens, claims, and interests, often with stalking-horse bidders and competitive auctions
• Claims reconciliation and treatment of secured, priority, and general unsecured creditors in classes
• Plan of reorganization or plan of liquidation, confirmed consensually or through cramdown
• Discharge of pre-petition obligations at confirmation (or plan completion in cramdown SubChapter V cases)

Who Files Chapter 11?

Chapter 11 is used by companies across the size spectrum, from single-location operating businesses to multi-billion-dollar enterprises. The firm handles Chapter 11 representations that include:

• Operating companies restructuring funded debt or distressed credit facilities
• Real estate entities needing to restructure CMBS or single-asset real estate loans
• Healthcare, hospitality, and retail operations with lease portfolios that need to shrink
• Manufacturing, distribution, and supply-chain businesses working through trade debt and contract exposures
• Family-owned enterprises where succession or shareholder disputes are tangled up with creditor pressure
• Energy, construction, and infrastructure projects with layered secured debt
• Sponsor-backed portfolio companies navigating a hold-or-sell decision under distress

Chapter 11 vs. Subchapter V

Small businesses with aggregate noncontingent, liquidated debts of $3,424,000 or less may qualify for the streamlined Subchapter V track, which eliminates creditors committees, shortens timelines, and lowers professional fees dramatically. For a full walkthrough of Subchapter V eligibility and mechanics, see the firm’s Subchapter V page. Clients who do not qualify for Subchapter V — or whose situation calls for the broader toolkit of traditional Chapter 11 — are handled under the standard Chapter 11 procedures described above.

An Integrated Approach

Chapter 11 almost never happens in isolation. Personal guarantees, equity holder claims, executive compensation and retention plans, tax consequences, critical vendor treatment, pre-filing asset transfers, and the owner’s personal estate and asset protection picture all interact with the corporate case. Michael H. Moody Law handles all of those pieces under one roof — integrating corporate reorganization with personal asset protection planning, individual Chapter 7, or Chapter 13 relief for the principals where appropriate.

Direct Attorney Access

Every Chapter 11 engagement is handled directly by Michael H. Moody. For clients used to BigLaw staffing pyramids, that means no partner hand-offs, no associate teams, and no billable hour inflation from overlapping lawyers in every meeting. Call (850) 739-6970 or use the contact form to schedule a confidential consultation in Tallahassee or by video conference anywhere in Florida.

Related Practice Areas

If you are a small business with aggregate debts under $3,424,000, consider the faster, cheaper Subchapter V track. If liquidation makes more sense than reorganization, see Chapter 7 or business bankruptcies. Owners and principals often pair a Chapter 11 filing with Florida asset protection planning and updated estate documents.