Dennis is Chair of the Firm’s Bankruptcy, Creditors’ Rights and Business Restructuring Group. His litigation practice involves representation as lender’s counsel, as well as general and commercial bankruptcy representation, including plans of reorganization; adversary proceedings, including preference defense and the prosecution of stay relief motions; and the filing of proofs of claims. His practice also specializes in creditor’s rights matters dealing with creditor’s bankruptcy, real estate receiverships, commercial collections, mechanic’s liens, attachments, and fraudulent conveyance litigation. As part of his representation, Dennis assists in commercial foreclosure as well.

Representative Matters

• Served as Virginia counsel for over $1 billion complex claim and plan confirmation litigation.
• Served as Virginia counsel for Liquidating Trustee of large commercial bankruptcy
• Served as Virginia counsel for bankruptcy of mortgage loan subsidiary whose parent was taken over by the Federal Deposit insurance Corporation
• Counsel for creditors committee in massive fraud case
• Represented creditor with respect to $1.8 million preference defense
• Initiated over 25 commercial real estate receiverships (many of which sold the property through the receivership)
• Represented site contractor in a substantial complex mechanic’s lien matter involving a residential subdivision

Recognition & Honors

• Exclusive Featured Attorney for Norfolk VA, Premier Bankruptcy Lawyers 2022
• Best Lawyers in America, 2002-2022
• Norfolk Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year”; Best Lawyers in America, 2012
• Virginia Super Lawyers; Law & Politics, 2008-2012, 2018, 2020-2021
• Virginia Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition; Law & Politics, 2009-2010
• Virginia’s Legal Elite; Virginia Business Magazine, 2008-2021
• Top Lawyers; CoVaBIZ, 2017-2021
• AV® Rated; Martindale-Hubbell
• University Scholar; University of Pittsburgh

Associations

• American Bar Association
• American Bankruptcy Institute
• The Up Center; Board of Directors
• Virginia State Bar; Past President, Bankruptcy Bar Association
• Virginia Bar Association; Past President, Bankruptcy Bar
• Tidewater Bankruptcy Bar Association; Co-Founder, Past President
• Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association

Education

• University of Pittsburgh; B.A., summa cum laude, 1979
• University of Notre Dame; J.D., 1982

Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.

Our Bankruptcy, Creditors’ Rights & Business Restructuring Group includes highly accomplished attorneys who practice exclusively in bankruptcy and have substantial years of experience. Our team includes two bankruptcy court clerks who clerked for bankruptcy court judges, two attorneys who are former Certified Public Accountants, and two attorneys who each average 40 years of experience practicing in bankruptcy and creditors rights matters.  We have learned that a practical approach to bankruptcy and creditors’ rights representation is most effective, given the costs and risks of litigation, as well as the value of a speedy resolution.

Our attorneys have overlapping experience in many matters arising under the United States Bankruptcy Code, Uniform Commercial Code and state laws governing real and personal property. Our group includes both litigators and transactional attorneys dedicated to advising and assisting parties seeking to enforce or establish rights against financially troubled companies and individuals or restructure their finances. Our lawyers have varying levels of experience, many of whom are well known experts in this field. Our lawyers have been recognized in Best Lawyers of America, Virginia Legal Elite and Virginia Super Lawyers.

We offer a full range of services to both creditors as well as companies and high net worth individuals in financial distress. Creditors seeking to protect and enforce their rights and remedies and debtors experiencing financial difficulty need an expert to guide them through the legal mazes they face. As a full service firm, our Group also has access to legal specialists in other areas of the law to provide guidance. For example, we are able to address complex tax and ERISA issues, labor, employee benefits and real estate issues.

Money is the cause of an infinite number of disputes. Successfully resolving these disputes requires an aggressive, persistent and resourceful representative.

Whether it’s a lender with mounting non-performing loans or a commercial debtor facing financial ruin because of the economic downturn, a solution begins with the selection of experienced professionals who can assess the needs and provide thoughtful, proven solutions. Our Group, and the specialty professionals with whom we work, can provide these services.

For lenders, we have extraordinary depth and experience in the making, administration and enforcement of secured and unsecured credit facilities. We provide lenders with workout and restructure solutions for a range of loans from the simple term loan with real and/or personal property collateral to complex securitized transactions. When necessary, we orchestrate receiverships with follow on or separate foreclosures of the collateral or sales, whether real or personal property.

For commercial, a multidisciplinary team of lawyers addresses each of the business entity’s needs as it navigates its way through these uncertain economic times. In addition to experienced business bankruptcy lawyers, we are able to call upon our tax, employment, benefits, environmental and commercial lawyers to address the needs of the ailing enterprise. Unlike a boutique bankruptcy practice, our group can comprehensively address the debtor’s needs.

We also have experience representing committees, trustees and receivers.

The extensive experience of our litigation department in pursuing creditors’ rights matters strengthens our firm’s ability to provide strategic advice concerning the structure and implementation of major loan restructurings and workouts. We offer working knowledge of the latest developments and techniques as well as current and practical knowledge of the national and international environment in which they are applied.