News Release

McGlinchey Welcomes Florida Bankruptcy Litigator Edmund Whitson

March 14, 2023

McGlinchey Stafford is pleased to announce that leading financial services attorney Edmund Whitson has joined the firm’s Creditors’ Rights, Financial Restructuring, and Bankruptcy group as a member (partner). Resident in Tampa, Ed focuses his practice on complex legal matters spanning the corporate life cycle, from transactions and commercial litigation to creditors’ rights disputes, workouts, and related matters.

“McGlinchey is always focused on expanding services for our financial institution clients, and Ed represents a tremendous weapon in our arsenal to represent this industry,” said Michael Ferachi, McGlinchey’s managing member. Ed’s addition to the bankruptcy team follows the July 2022 hire of Adina Pollan, another respected creditors’ rights litigator, in Jacksonville.

Ed has considerable experience representing banks, receivers, and financial institutions in asset recovery, asset sales, and fraudulent transfer litigation. He has particular knowledge of syndicated loans and synthetic leasing deals, and also works with insurance companies and private equity groups in this area. In connection with structured finance deals, Ed prepares true sale opinions for Bankruptcy Remote Entities (BREs) and defends lenders in fraudulent transfer litigation in bankruptcy and state courts. He has represented companies in complex collection/garnishment and judgment recovery litigation and is highly experienced in creditors’ rights, landlord-tenant, commercial lending, and real estate lending and development disputes.

“Ed is well respected in the bankruptcy community, and we are excited to welcome him to McGlinchey,” said Rudy Cerone, who leads McGlinchey’s Creditors’ Rights, Financial Restructuring, and Bankruptcy team. “His deep knowledge of financial services, versatile command of the law, and experience with Florida’s judicial and legal system will serve our clients well as we expand our creditors’ rights team and portfolio in Florida and nationwide.”

Before joining McGlinchey, Ed served as capital partner at Adams & Reese LLP in Tampa, representing banks, financial institutions, and corporations in bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters in both litigation and transactional capacities and defending fraudulent transfer actions against lenders in bankruptcy and state court. He also served as U.S. counsel for litigation for a German manufacturing company and transactional matters in design/build contracts with entities such as General Electric and other U.S.-based companies.

“At the end of the day, the law is all about people,” Ed said. “I was drawn to McGlinchey because this firm takes a broad approach with an emphasis on the human element, in our client work and within the firm’s culture.”

Ed regularly publishes and presents on news and developments in bankruptcy, insolvency, and related issues for professionals across the industry and is actively involved in the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and the Turnaround Management Association (TMA).

“We are pleased to welcome Ed to our team here in Florida,” said Kim Israel, co-managing member of the firm’s Florida offices. “He is a strong addition to the firm, and his extensive creditors’ rights experience will be of tremendous value to our clients nationwide.”

Ed earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Florida and his bachelor’s degree in finance at the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce. He is licensed in the District of Columbia and Florida.