Lauren L. Stricker

Honors

• The Best Lawyers in America® (2019–2026)
  • Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights
  • Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Litigation – Bankruptcy
  • Commercial Litigation
• Florida Super Lawyers® (2017–2026)
  • Business Bankruptcy
• AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review (2017–2026)
  • Highest Possible Peer Rating
• Florida Trend's Legal Elite (2020)
  • Up & Comer, Bankruptcy Law
• Outstanding Pro Bono and Community Service Award, Shutts & Bowen LLP (2019) 
• American Inns of Court — Outstanding Program Award (2016)
  • "To Thine Own Self Be (Ethically) True," Hon. Charlene Honeywell's Pupillage Group, J. Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court
• Pro Bono Service Awards (2015–2019)
  • Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
  • Florida Supreme Court
  • Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division

Education

University of Tampa, B.A., 2008, cum laude 

• Chancellor's List and Academic Honors

Stetson University College of Law, J.D., 2011, cum laude

• Judge Alexander L. Paskay Bankruptcy Scholarship Award
• William F. Blews Pro Bono Award

Bar Admissions

The Florida Bar 

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

All Florida State Courts

Experience

Creditor, Lender & Secured Party Representations

• Commercial Landlord Representations — Regularly represent national and regional landlords in Chapter 11 retail and hospitality cases, including ongoing representation in Sailormen Inc. (~130-location Popeyes franchisee), coordinating multi-jurisdictional lease strategy and resolving contested cure, assumption, rejection, and damages disputes.
• D.A.B. Constructors, Inc. (Ch. 7) — Counsel to the Florida Department of Transportation in the liquidation of a prime infrastructure contractor, advising on claims, contract rights, bond exposure, and coordination with completion surety to protect state infrastructure interests.
•  Rosser Reserve, LLC (Ch. 11) — Counsel to senior secured creditor in a high-profile residential development case. Filed and confirmed a competing liquidation plan; directed court-supervised auction and collateral disposition.
• Magnum Construction Management, LLC (Ch. 11) — Counsel to affordable housing stakeholders in a complex multi-party case involving large-scale construction projects and contested contract termination. Negotiated global settlement resolving bond, defect, and payment exposure.
• National Gold Exchange, Inc. (Multi-Forum) — Represented the senior secured lender — itself a victim of the enterprise's fraudulent collateral scheme — in directing forensic collateral investigation, obtaining emergency replevin relief, coordinating parallel Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 strategy, and leading multi-forum guarantor enforcement and civil and criminal referral strategy against responsible parties.

Official Unsecured Creditors' Committee Representations

• Commercial Landlord Representations — Regularly represent national and regional landlords in Chapter 11 retail and hospitality cases, including ongoing representation in Sailormen Inc. (~130-location Popeyes franchisee), coordinating multi-jurisdictional lease strategy and resolving contested cure, assumption, rejection, and damages disputes.
• iCoreConnect Inc. / iCore Midco Inc. (Ch. 11) — Committee counsel in the restructuring of a publicly traded healthcare SaaS platform. Led fiduciary investigation, DIP financing analysis, and plan negotiations.
• Sterling Credit Corp. (Ch. 11) — Committee counsel in the restructuring of a specialty finance company with $700M+ in historical receivables acquisitions.
• Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company, LLC (Ch. 11) — Committee counsel in the restructuring of a multi-location craft brewery and retail operator.
• C & D Fruit and Vegetable Co., Inc., et al. and Trio Farms, LLC (Ch. 11) — Committee counsel in the restructuring of a 300+ acre agribusiness operation, directing fiduciary oversight and plan negotiations across affiliated entities.

Trustee, Fiduciary & Avoidance Litigation

• iCoreConnect Inc. / iCore Midco Inc. (Ch. 11) — Represented the Post confirmation Trustee, establishing and managing creditor trust administration, claims analyses and disputes and avoidance and recovery investigations.
• Land Resource, LLC, et al. (Converted Ch. 7) — Counsel to Chapter 7 trustee in the liquidation of a 26-entity, multi-state real estate development platform. Directed coordinated estate litigation strategy involving alleged insider transfer claims exceeding $17 million across a heavily contested Chapter 7.
• Telligenix Corporation (Ch. 7) — Counsel to Chapter 7 trustee in the liquidation of a nationally marketed consumer education enterprise. Directed coordinated avoidance and insider transfer litigation across 21 adversary proceedings.
• Regularly represent trustees, defendants, assignees, lenders, and insiders in preference and fraudulent transfer litigation and Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors (ABCs) involving multi-million-dollar disputes.

Chapter 11 Debtor Representations

• Bravo Brio Restaurants, LLC (Ch. 11) — Counsel to debtors operating approximately 50 Bravo! Italian Kitchen and Brio Italian Grille locations with 4,000 employees. Directed operational stabilization, cash collateral and DIP financing negotiations, multi-jurisdictional lease rationalization, and a comprehensive plan of reorganization.
• Celebration Pointe Holdings, et al. (Ch. 11) — Counsel to debtor affiliates restructuring a ~$200M mixed-use real estate platform with a complex capital stack and investor litigation. Directed stabilization strategy including appointment of a Chief Restructuring Officer, negotiated insider DIP financing, and filed a liquidation plan positioning the enterprise for exit.
• Bertucci's Restaurants, LLC (Ch. 11) — Represented the debtor in two successive restructurings of this iconic restaurant platform, addressing secured and unsecured claims, landlord and lease matters, affiliate debt, and capital structure realignment through confirmed plans.
• Hawkers, LLC, et al. (Ch. 11) — Counsel to a 15-location, seven-state restaurant enterprise ($71.7M annual revenue) in jointly administered cases centered on a contested lender-control dispute. Structured a consensual loan restructuring resulting in dismissal of the cases and preservation of going-concern value.
• PB Restaurants, LLC; Planet Express (LAX), LLC; Times Square Buffet, LLC (Subchapter V) — Counsel to affiliated debtors tied to the Planet Hollywood brand in jointly administered Subchapter V cases. Secured contested cramdown confirmation and restructured approximately $30 million in secured insider debt.
• Jerry Harvey Audio, LLC (Ch. 11) — Counsel to a globally recognized audio manufacturer in restructuring secured debt following lender-initiated foreclosure litigation. Negotiated a secured lender resolution and confirmed a plan preserving proprietary intellectual property and going-concern value.

Community & Professional

• Business Law Section of the Florida Bar
  • Vice Chair, Pro Bono Committee
  • Member, Executive Council
  • Fellow (2019-2021)
• Central Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association (CFBLA)
  • Board of Directors (2024-2026)

• Federal Court Practice Committee to the Florida Bar
  • Chair, Judicial Guide and Federal Corner Subcommittee
  • Chair, Pro Bono Subcommittee
  • Chair, Federal Judicial Roundtable

• Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association (TBBBA)
• Turnaround Management Association (TMA)
• International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC)
• American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI)
• Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee to the Florida Bar (2019-2022)
• Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court (multiple terms)
• Crisis Center of Tampa Bay — Circle of Hope Supporter and volunteer (2018–2022)
• Junior League of Tampa — Co-Chair, Kids Connect Committee (2009–2014)
• Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA — Volunteer Reader, Sulphur Springs Elementary School (2009–2013)
• The Producers Group, Straz Center for the Performing Arts (2007–2010)