Luis E. Rivera Attorney At Law

Luis E. Rivera is a shareholder in GrayRobinson’s Fort Myers office and focuses his practice on business litigation, bankruptcy, creditor’s rights and insolvency counseling. He is one of only 13 attorneys in Florida who is Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy Law and Consumer Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification. Since 2010, Luis has also served as a U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee for the Middle District of Florida. As a panel trustee, Luis is one of the two court-appointed fiduciaries who administer Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases filed in Southwest Florida.

His bankruptcy experience includes representation of lenders, landlords, individuals and financial institutions in both consumer (Chapter 7 & 13) and Chapter 11 reorganization cases, as well as involuntary and discharge proceedings. As a trustee, he is also routinely involved in liquidation of business enterprises, including the recovery and sale of assets; the investigation, development and prosecution of litigation to recover funds for creditors; and the reconciliation and payment of claims held by creditors.

In addition to his bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters, Luis has extensive experience in a variety of business and general civil litigation matters, including contract disputes, real property litigation, mortgage foreclosure, land/tenant disputes and title insurance litigation.

Active within the legal community, Luis serves as Chair of The Florida Bar’s Grievance Committee for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit. Luis has also served on the Bench-Bar Fund Committee of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the District-Wide Steering and Local Rules Committees of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. Luis is also a past-president of the Southwest Florida Bankruptcy Professional’s Association.

In 2017, Luis was named to the American Bankruptcy Institute’s (ABI) inaugural 40 under 40 class. This initiative was launched to identify top insolvency professionals in the country under the age of 40. Luis was one of four Florida honorees and the only insolvency professional to receive this honor from a small market. He was also recognized as Florida Trend’s Legal Elite for Bankruptcy and Workout in 2017 and 2020. 

• Education
  • Loyola University, B.A. (magna cum laude, 2001)
  • Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D. (2005)
    • Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights, Editor-in-Chief
• Admissions
  • Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeal, Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida
• Professional Associations & Memberships
  • The Florida Bar
    • Twentieth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee "C," 2018-2021
  • U.S. District Court
    • Bench Bar Fund Committee
  • Supreme Court of Florida
    • Mediator Qualifications and Discipline Review Board, 2021-2024
  • Lee County Bar Association
    • Law Week Committee
      • Blood Drive, Chair
  • Southwest Florida Bankruptcy Professionals Association
    • Past-President
  • The Middle District of Florida Pro Se Bankruptcy Legal Assistance Clinic, Inc.
    • Board of Directors
  • Bankruptcy Law Educational Series Foundation, Inc.
    • Board of Directors
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida
    • District-Wide Steering Committee
    • Local Rules Committee
  • Hispanic Institute at Hodges University
    • Past-Chair of the Advisory Board
  • Lee County Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board
    • Past-Chair
  • Lee County Charter Review Committee
    • Former Member
• Civic
  • Chamber of Southwest Florida Leadership Lee, 2010 Class
• Awards & Recognitions
  • AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Chambers USA, Bankruptcy/Restructuring
    • Up and Coming, 2020-2021
  • Best Lawyers in America, 2021-2022
    • Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Bankruptcy
  • Florida Super Lawyers, 2009-2021
  • Florida Trend, Legal Elite, Bankruptcy & Workout, 2020-2021
    • Up and Comer, 2017
  • Naples Illustrated, Top Lawyers, 2019-2021
  • American Bankruptcy Institute, 40 Under 40, 2017 (inaugural class)
  • Southwest Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association, Alexander L. Paskay Professionalism Award, 2015
• Reported Cases
  • In re Daughtrey, 896 F.3d 1255 (11th Cir. 2018)
  • In re Rodriguez, 430 B.R. 694 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2010)
  • PNC Bank, N.A. v. Rolsafe Int'l, LLC (In re Rolsafe Int'l, LLC), 477 B.R. 884 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2012)
  • In re Pearlman, 462 B.R. 849 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2012)
  • In re Dowdell, 406 B.R. 106 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2009)
  • Redeker-Barry v. United States, 2008 WL 859009 (M.D. Fla. Jan. 18, 2008), aff'd 2008 WL 976609 (M.D. Fla. April 9, 2008)
  • OneSource Facility Services, Inc. v. Mosbach, 508 F. Supp. 2d 1115 (M.D. Fla. 2007)
• Articles & Publications
  • "Student Loans — Economic Shackles — Present Looming Heartache," Business Observer, June 2018
• Presentations & Seminars
  • "Antiquated or Adequate? An Overview and Examination of Florida’s Bankruptcy," The Florida Bar Business Law Section Webinar, May 27, 2021