Eric Tyson Ray
Partner
Overview
Eric Ray is a bankruptcy attorney in Holland & Knight's Birmingham office. He has substantial experience in representing debtors, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, restaurants and utilities in corporate restructurings, bankruptcies, receiverships, Section 363 sales, debtor-in-possession financing and related litigation.
While Mr. Ray focuses his practice on Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, he also has extensive experience in commercial litigation proceedings throughout state and federal courts. Additionally, Mr. Ray has represented clients in complex probate proceedings with substantial assets involving multiple business ownership interests.
Representative Matters
- Represented Premier Kings Inc., a 172-unit franchisee of Burger King Corp., in a Chapter 11 case filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division, resulting in four separate sale transactions to Mosaic Gold Crown Group, Bulldog Restaurants, RRG of Jacksonville and Burger King Company; the transactions were recognized as the 2024 Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year at the 16th Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards ceremony
- Represented a franchisee with 30 quick service restaurants (QSRs) in Alabama and Tennessee, as the debtor in Chapter 11 proceedings involving a 363 sale via a stalking horse bidding process
- Served as counsel to bondholders representative facilitating deed in lieu agreement on a $7 million bond issue secured by a senior living facility in Anniston, Alabama
- Served as counsel to bondholders representative in litigation against the principals of an assisted living facility in Sarasota, Florida, with a defaulted $38 million bond indenture
- Served as counsel to bondholders representative facilitating the appointment of a federal receiver to finish construction of $42 million defaulted bond issue for a Florida senior assisted living facility
- Represented a large, multistate bank as bond trustee holding a security interest on all of the assets of a bankrupt biomass manufacturer and facilitated the bank's sale of those assets
- Served as lead bankruptcy counsel to a large Alabama-based mining company and five of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases and in negotiating a plan of reorganization
- Represented a research foundation in the negotiations and assignment of the license as part of the receivership assumption and assignment of executory contract
Credentials
- University of Mississippi School of Law, J.D., cum laude
- Auburn University, B.S.
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Alabama State Bar
- Mississippi Bar Association
- Birmingham Bar Association
- Utility Bankruptcy Conference, Executive Committee Member
- Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, 2012-2024
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2010-2025; Litigation - Bankruptcy, 2010-2025