Lecturer Bios
Chad P. Pugatch, Esq.
Chad P. Pugatch is a shareholder with Rice Pugatch Robinson & Schiller, P.A. With more than 31 years of legal experience, Mr. Pugatch has made his mark in the legal community by being recognized as one of the leading attorneys in south Florida in the areas of bankruptcy and reorganization. He has been recognized as such by numerous publications, including the Miami Herald, the Daily Business Review, the South Florida Legal Elite and The Best Lawyers in America. Before joining Rice Pugatch Robinson & Schiller, P.A., Mr. Pugatch practiced with several Ft. Lauderdale firms, focusing on commercial litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency law. He has extensive experience in state and federal courts, having represented debtors, trustees, committees and creditors, among many others. Mr. Pugatch has lectured at various CLE and other seminars, and annually speaks to the advanced bankruptcy class at the University of Florida College of Law. He recently co-wrote "The Lost Art of Chapter 11 Reorganization," 19 U. Fla. J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 39, April 2008. Mr. Pugatch received his B.A. degree from the University of Miami and his law degree, with honors, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
Kenneth B. Robinson, Esq.
Kenneth B. Robinson is a shareholder and name partner in Rice Pugatch Robinson & Schiller, P.A., and practices in the areas of bankruptcy, restructuring, creditors’ rights and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Robinson began his legal career at the law firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in New York City. He graduated with honors from Columbia Law School. After moving to south Florida, he spent the next 10 years with the law firm of Greenburg Traurig, the last six years of which he spent in Greenburg Traurig’s Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights Department. In 1996, Mr. Robinson joined with Arthur H. Rice and Lisa Schiller to form Rice, Robinson & Schiller, which became Rice Pugatch Robinson & Schiller in 2002. He has represented a vast array of creditors, debtors and bankruptcy trustees in complex bankruptcy cases. Mr. Robinson has achieved the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and has been recognized as a Top Lawyer in several publications, including The South Florida Legal Guide. He is a member of The Florida Bar, the New York State Bar Association, the Broward and Palm Beach Counties and American Bar Associations, and the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida.
Craig A. Pugatch, Esq.
Craig A. Pugatch is a partner with Rice Pugatch Robinson & Schiller, P.A. He received his B.A. degree in political science with a minor in business administration from the University of Florida in Gainesville and a J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Before joining the firm in 2003, Mr. Pugatch completed an externship with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida under the tutelage of the Bankruptcy Judge Michael Williamson and Chief Bankruptcy Judge Paul Glenn. He practices in both state and federal court with a focus on insolvency law, commercial litigation and bankruptcy reorganization. Mr. Pugatch is the author of "Involuntary Petitions Under BACPA: Much Ado About Nothing?" The Bankruptcy Strategist, May 2007; and "The Lost Art of Chapter 11 Reorganization," 19 U. Fla. J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 39, April 2008. He is a member of The Florida Bar, the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida.
Les Osborne, Esq.
Les Osborne is a partner at Rappaport Osborne & Rappaport. His practice focuses on bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, assignments for benefit of creditors and creditors’ rights litigation. Mr. Osborne is a panel trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida and a certified mediator. He represents corporate and individual debtors, trustees, creditors and creditors’ committees. Mr. Osborne has more than 19 years of experience in all aspects of bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation and appeals. A seasoned trial lawyer, Mr. Osborne has tried more than 100 cases and litigated hundreds of complex motions and evidentiary matters. He has prosecuted or defended hundreds of preference/fraudulent transfer suits, denials of discharge/dischargeability, exemptions and objections to claims. Mr. Osborne has spoken at seminars and conferences throughout south Florida on a wide range of bankruptcy topics. He has written articles for NABTalk Magazine and the Palm Beach County Bar Journal. Mr. Osborne also organized and ran a lecture series in federal court in Palm Beach. He earned a J.D. degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center and holds a B.A. degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Frances D. Sheehy
Frances D. Sheehy is a sole practitioner with the Law Office of Frances D. Sheehy in Coconut Creek, with a general tax practice focusing on tax controversy and bankruptcy. During her tenure with the Office of Chief Counsel IRS in Miami, Ms. Sheehy was a special assistant U.S. attorney, litigating tax and bankruptcy cases, and was a member of the IRS teaching staff with emphasis on the tax aspects of bankruptcy. She earned a B.S. degree with dual majors in business administration and accounting, with highest distinction, and a J.D. degree, with highest distinction and Order of the Coif, from The University of Arizona. Ms. Sheehy passed the CPA exam through the Arizona State Board of Accountancy in 1984. She is chair elect of the Tax Section of The Florida Bar, and a member of the American Bar Association and its Tax Section’s Bankruptcy and Workout Committee. Ms. Sheehy is past president of the Fort Lauderdale Tax Council. She has had numerous articles published for The Florida Bar Tax Section and CCH, and is a frequent speaker for tax organizations regarding tax controversy issues.
