Lawyer Bio : Rory D. Whelehan

Rory Whelehan is a bankruptcy and creditor rights lawyer with over 20 years of experience. He concentrates his practice primarily on chapter 11 cases and assorted bankruptcy litigation matters as well as out-of-court workouts and debt restructurings. Mr. Whelehan has represented all major constituents in chapter 11 cases, including secured creditors, debtors, creditor committees, trade creditors, and equity security holders. He appears regularly in bankruptcy courts throughout North Carolina (Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Durham and Asheville) and South Carolina (Charleston, Columbia an Spartanburg). In addition, Mr. Whelehan has appeared in cases pending in New York, Wilmington, Atlanta, Dallas, and Tampa.

Mr. Whelehan spent the first 10 years of his law practice in the Firm’s Winston-Salem Office and then relocated to South Carolina in 1999 upon the opening of the Greenville Office. His chapter 11 practice focuses primarily on the representation of financial institutions (banks and life companies) as well as trade creditors in connection with committee work, reclamation demands, and preference and fraudulent transfer litigation. In connection with his various bankruptcy litigation matters, he has successfully tried non-dischargeability cases, contested chapter 11 plan confirmation cases, and bankruptcy/environmental matters.

Mr. Whelehan’s chapter 11 experience has touched on numerous financially-distressed industries, including aviation, textile, big-box retail and petroleum/convenience stores. In addition to his litigation work, Mr. Whelehan has provided extensive advice and assistance in workouts and debt restructurings for various financial institutions. He has provided bankruptcy legal opinions in connection with various sophisticated financial transactions, including non-consolidation, fraudulent transfer, and automatic stay opinions. Mr. Whelehan has also represented litigations in bankruptcy appeals both at the federal district court level in North Carolina as well as appearing at the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to his bankruptcy and creditor rights work, Mr. Whelehan also represents various financial service lenders and credit providers in consumer financial services litigation.