Experience
Leyza F. Blanco has devoted her practice to a wide range of litigation and insolvency matters, including out-of-court workouts, debt restructuring and representation of creditors, receivers, assignees, trustees and debtors in bankruptcy and complex commercial real estate matters in state and federal courts. She has also been involved in bankruptcy appeals at the district court and circuit court of appeals levels. Her practice in the area of restructuring and creditors' rights is currently focused on complex business bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters in which she represents various parties including institutional lenders and receivers in all aspects of bankruptcy and workouts. Leyza has also been appointed receiver, special master in cases in both federal and state courts throughout the state of Florida and has served as a neutral arbiter in an arbitration proceeding.
Background
Leyza received her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the University of Miami Law School. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Judicial Liaison Committee and Vice-Chair of the Diversity Committee of the Florida Bar's Business Law Section. She is the immediate past chair of the Bankruptcy/UCC Committee of the Florida Bar's Business Law Section. She also serves on the board of directors of the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation's and is immediate past chair of its Florida Network. Leyza is a past-president of the Bankruptcy Bar of the Southern District of Florida. She launched a bankruptcy clinical program at Florida International University College of Law where she serves as lead adjunct professor.
Areas of Practice
· Debtor/Creditor Rights; Bankruptcy Law
· Receiverships and Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors
· Commercial Litigation
· Workout and Loan Restructuring
· Bankruptcy Related Appellate Litigation
Representative Experience
· Lead U.S. Counsel to various court-appointed fiduciaries named in various jurisdictions throughout the Caribbean for British American Insurance Company, Ltd., in Chapter 15 proceedings, district court proceedings and pending state court proceedings in counties throughout the state of Florida
· Counsel to institutional lenders in pending foreclosure cases of undeveloped land in Collier and Manatee County and counsel to lender in pending single asset real estate Chapter 11 case involving undeveloped commercial real estate in Miami-Dade County
· Lead counsel to Receiver over office condominium in matter pending in Miami-Dade County, Florida and counsel to Receiver/Monitor over business regulated by Office of Insurance Regulation of the State of Florida
· Lead counsel to Borrower in restructuring involving construction loan and storage facility located in St. Lucie County, Florida
· Served as Receiver appointed by the District Court in the Middle District of Florida in a proceeding involved a multi-national fund and the Securities and Exchange Commission
· Served as counsel to Assignee for Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors' proceeding for a national real estate advertising company
· Served as Lead Attorney for Liquidating Trustee and Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Peninsula Mortgage Bankers Corporation and Pan American Hospital Corporation and counsel to Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in proceedings filed by Tiles & Stones, Inc.
Published Cases
· In re: Jaffe, 235 BR. 490 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. 1999)
· In re: British American Insurance Co. Ltd., 425 B.R. 883 (Bankr. S.D. Fla 2010)
· In re: British American Isle of Venice (BVI) Ltd., 2010 WL 5209232 (Bankr. S.D. Fla 2010)
Professional Associations and Memberships
· The Florida Bar, Business Law Section
- Chair, Judicial Liaison Committee, 2011-2012
- Vice-Chair, Diversity Committee, 2011-2012
- Bankruptcy/UCC Committee, Immediate Past-Chair, 2010-2011
· Past President, Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida, 2006-2007
· International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), Florida Network Co-Chair, 2008-2010; At Large Director, 2010-present
· FIU Bankruptcy Clinical Program, Lead Adjunct Professor
· American Bankruptcy Institute, Member and Steering Committee Member for American Bankruptcy Institute's Caribbean Insolvency Symposium
· Dade County Bar Association, Member
· American Bar Association, Member
· Hispanic National Bar Association, Member
· Cuban American Bar Association, Member
· Florida Fiduciary Forum, Member
Awards and Recognitions
· Recognized in Chambers and Partners, U.S.A.
· Selected by Business Leader Magazine as 2011 Women Extraordinaire Award recipient
· Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Outstanding Lawyers of Miami-Dade County, "40 Under 40," 2010
· Selected as "Top Lawyer" by South Florida Legal Guide, 2009-2012 and "Up and Comer", 2004-2008
· Florida Super Lawyers, 2010-2011 and "Rising Star," 2009
· Selected as Florida Trend's "Legal Elite," 2008-2011 and Top "Up and Comer" 2007
Recent Publications and Presentations
· Ethics and Technology, Annual Bankruptcy Seminar, Northern District Bankruptcy Bar Association (September, 2011)
· Chapter 15 - Emerging Trends from New Cases, Panel Moderator, Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, American Bankruptcy Institute (February, 2011)
· Cuba: The Ultimate Turnaround, Panel Speaker, Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, American Bankruptcy Institute (February, 2011)
· The Foreclosure & Housing Crisis; The State of the Economy & How We Got There; Panel Speaker - "Developer, Lender, Receiver Panel" (September, 2010)
· Bankruptcy Law Panel, Florida International University Law School (September, 2010)
· What Every Lawyer Should Know During an Economic Downturn; Panel Speaker -- "Bankruptcy Law Basics and Beyond," Nova Southeastern University Law Alumni Association, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (April, 2009)
· The Business Case for Diversity: Why is it Top-of-Mind to Corporate America and Beyond?; Speaker -- AIRA's 25th Annual Bankruptcy and Restructuring Conference (June, 2009)