Attorney Elena Paras Ketchum

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

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 trucking, manufacturing, construction, retail, restaurant, healthcare, printing, and grocery.

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.

Ms. Ketchum also heads up the firm’s practice under Chapter 727 of the Florida Statutes dealing with “Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors”. 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.

Ms. Ketchum currently serves on the local Rules Lawyers Advisors committee for the Middle District of Florida, has served as President and Chair of the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, served 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 is a Tampa native.