Bryan Minier is the Partner in Charge of Lathrop GPM’s Chicago office and concentrates his practice on corporate reorganizations, creditors’ rights and bankruptcy. He also handles a variety of commercial litigation matters.

Bryan regularly represents clients in Chapter 11 reorganization cases, Chapter 7 liquidation cases, commercial foreclosures, sales under the Uniform Commercial Code, assignments for the benefit of creditors, preference and fraudulent transfer actions, and all aspects of both in-court and out-of-court workouts, restructurings and liquidations.

His clients include financially troubled entities, secured lenders, trustees, receivers, unsecured creditors, official creditor and equity committees, commercial landlords, sellers, purchasers, shareholders and investors.

Bryan also represents clients in federal and state courts across the country in a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. In every case, Bryan works proactively with his clients to identify viable solutions aimed at achieving a favorable, swift and cost efficient resolution.

Areas of Focus

Services

Sectors

Experience

  • Successfully represented a national bank as a defendant in a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme and related fraudulent transfer clawback action. The trustee’s original complaint contained a demand for over $181 million. The case was dismissed, with prejudice, as a result of the defendant bank’s motion for dismissal.
  • Provided substantive non-consolidation opinions for major transactions and refinancings involving the redevelopment of an 80-year-old downtown Chicago office building. The transactions involved numerous aspects, including $92 million of new equity, a $218 million first mortgage and $29.5 million of junior mortgages on the hotel portion, a $50 million first mortgage on the office portion and a $35 million mezzanine loan.
  • Represented a federal receiver for a steel tank fabricator and construction company with operations throughout the continental United States. The company was sold to a strategic buyer within four months.
  • Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Midwest Theatres Corporation bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota.
  • Represented the Official Committee of Retired Employees in the Hostess Brands, Inc. bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
  • Represented an unofficial committee of retired employees in the Edison Mission Energy bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
  • Represented the receiver in seven related foreclosure cases scattered over Northern Illinois and Wisconsin involving a national home builder and $40 million of multiple-unit residential development collateral. Completed receiver sales in state court to third-party purchasers.
  • Represented a second-tier automobile industry supplier in its out-of-court workout. Successfully defended an involuntary bankruptcy case filed by unsecured creditors. After trial, the bankruptcy court abstained in favor of the out-of-court workout.
  • Represented a mezzanine lender in a foreclosure and subsequent single asset real estate Chapter 11 involving a historic downtown Chicago building. Forced a 363 sale of the property at which our client was the winning credit bid.

Credentials

Education

  • Tulane University School of Law (J.D., 2001)
  • Columbia University (B.A., 1997)

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

Recognitions

  • Illinois Super Lawyers, 2014

Professional Activities

  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • American Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Turnaround Management Association