Jacksonville Chapter 11 Lawyer

Chapter 11 is a reorganization bankruptcy available to corporations, partnerships, and individuals that allows the filer to continue operations while establishing a fair, equitable, and feasible plan to repay creditors. The goal isn’t just to manage debt; it’s to rebuild the enterprise so it can function profitably going forward. Cases filed by Jacksonville-area businesses and individuals are heard in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, at the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Division covers sixteen counties across northeast Florida, including Duval, Clay, Nassau, St. Johns, and Flagler, so businesses throughout the region file in this same court.

A locally based Chapter 11 attorney brings direct access to the businesses, banks, and courts in the northern Florida region, which matters in a process that can be both complex and time-consuming. Lansing Roy, P.A. has practiced financial law in Jacksonville since 1996, building direct familiarity with the local court and the regional business community it serves.

For more information, call (904) 574-5499 or send a message through our secure online portal.

Chapter 11 for Businesses & Individuals: What We Handle

Chapter 11 can address different financial challenges depending on the filer’s situation. It’s available not only to corporations and partnerships but also to individuals and sole proprietors whose debt levels exceed the statutory limits for Chapter 13, including real estate investors, developers, and self-employed individuals with complex financial situations.

Business & Individual Filers We Serve

As a debtor-in-possession, the filer retains control of assets and business operations throughout the process while taking on legal obligations such as filing court reports and responding to creditor claims. During the plan exclusivity period, only the debtor may propose a reorganization plan. If that period lapses without a confirmed plan, creditors may submit their own proposals, which may not be favorable to the business.

Our attorneys handle the full range of Chapter 11 complexities. The reorganization plan may require addressing multiple issues separately through evidentiary hearings, and the outcome of each hearing can affect the others. Matters we routinely handle include:

• Relief from stay motions
• Use or sale of property, including use of cash collateral
• Assumption or rejection of contracts or leases
• IRS and tax problems
• Divorce of a principal or owner
• Judgments from lawsuits
• Property foreclosure

Related Readings From Our Blogs:

• How to File Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Florida
• Can Small Businesses Benefit from Chapter 11?

Subchapter V: Streamlined Reorganization for Smaller Jacksonville Businesses

Subchapter V, added to Chapter 11 by the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, creates a faster, lower-cost reorganization path for eligible small businesses. It removes several procedural burdens that make standard Chapter 11 expensive and time-consuming, making reorganization more accessible to businesses that might otherwise lack the resources to see the process through.

How Subchapter V Differs From Standard Chapter 11

Several key differences make Subchapter V a more manageable option for qualifying businesses:

• No official unsecured creditors’ committee is required, reducing administrative overhead
• No formal disclosure statement is required before submitting a reorganization plan
• Only the debtor may file a plan; creditors can’t propose competing plans, and their approval isn’t required
• The court appoints a Subchapter V trustee to facilitate the process, but the trustee doesn’t take control of the business or its assets
• A status conference is scheduled within 60 days of filing, and a reorganization plan is due within 90 days
• The repayment period spans three to five years based on the business’s projected disposable income

Eligibility depends on meeting a current debt threshold under 11 U.S.C. §1182, which is subject to periodic adjustment. Because that threshold can change, businesses should confirm with our attorneys whether they qualify before filing.

What Chapter 11 Requires & What It Offers

Filing Chapter 11 places legal obligations on the filer, but it also provides meaningful protection. At the time of filing, an automatic stay goes into effect, shielding the debtor’s assets from continued collection actions, lawsuits, foreclosures, and other creditor efforts. The bankruptcy court then oversees adequate protection for creditors, compensation, and limited management of the debtor’s operations while the case is active.

Protections & Tools Available to the Debtor

Chapter 11 gives the debtor tools that aren’t available in other proceedings:

• The debtor can obtain financing on favorable terms because new lenders receive priority on earnings.
• The debtor may reject or cancel contracts.
• Secured obligations may be restructured based on the actual value of the collateral rather than the loan balance.
• Unsecured creditor claims may be structured based on what creditors would recover in liquidation or on the debtor’s projected future income.

Creditors are placed into classes by priority, and a reorganization plan must treat each class consistently. Creditors may vote on the plan, and the court can confirm a plan it finds fair, equitable, and feasible.

Contact Our Jacksonville Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Lawyers

Jacksonville businesses face real financial pressures: market competition, rapid growth that outpaces revenue, and economic shifts that can push debt beyond what operations can sustain. For a business that remains viable at its core, Chapter 11 reorganization may provide the court protection needed to restructure on its own terms. We’ve been part of this community since 1996, and we bring direct familiarity with the Jacksonville Division and the businesses that file there.

We tell clients upfront that Chapter 11 takes time and effort. For businesses with simpler financial situations, a third-party debt restructuring may be a more appropriate alternative. That less formal process still requires cooperation with creditors and lenders but can be the right fit when the circumstances allow. For more background on how Chapter 11 works, visit our frequently asked questions page. We offer a free initial consultation to evaluate your situation and walk through your options.

Call our Chapter 11 bankruptcy attorneys in Jacksonville at (904) 574-5499 or contact our firm online to schedule your free initial consultation.