31 Reinhart Attorneys Recognized by Super Lawyers
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- Peter C. Blain
With more than four decades in practice, Pete Blain is of counsel and the former chair of Reinhart’s Business Reorganization Practice. He shares his wealth of knowledge and experience with the Reinhart team across a wide variety of practices to support creative solutions for clients. As part of the firm’s Associate Training Program, he teaches negotiation strategies to young lawyers and mentors their development.
Pete is one of the most experienced bankruptcy and creditors’ rights attorneys in Wisconsin. Throughout his career, he worked with clients in many industries, including manufacturing, airlines, real estate, energy, trucking and food and beverage. He has significant expertise in the purchase and sale of troubled businesses and has written extensively on distress mergers and acquisitions in bankruptcy and state court receiverships.
In addition to numerous publications and recognition, Pete was selected by the American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic to lead a team to Prague. He addressed Czech judges and lawyers on the reorganization proceedings in light of the Czech bankruptcy statute.
Pete stays very active in the community while serving as of counsel, having volunteered extensively with the Wisconsin Literacy Center. Currently, he advises indigent and disenfranchised clients at the Marquette Law School Volunteer Legal Clinic. He is also part of a local bicycle club and book club, takes guitar lessons and travels.
Education
- J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
- B.S., cum laude, Wisconsin State University-Stevens Point
- Lieutenant, United States Army, 1972-1974
Bar Admissions
Wisconsin
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Practices
Services
- Represented financial institutions, creditors, debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees and others in bankruptcy proceedings, receiverships and workouts
- Used the skills and knowledge acquired in 40+ years of practice to achieve uniquely successful results for his clients in complex business and commercial matters
- Successfully mediated complex commercial disputes
Honors
- Elected a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy
- Best Lawyers in America, Since 1987 (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law)
- Best Lawyers’ 2011 Milwaukee Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Lawyer of the Year
- Selected for inclusion in Wisconsin Super Lawyers since 2005
- Selected for inclusion in Top 50 Wisconsin Super Lawyers (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
- Selected for inclusion in Leading Lawyers, M: Milwaukee’s Lifestyle Magazine
- Received the Hon. Dale E. Ihlenfeldt Bankruptcy Award from the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association
- Wisconsin Top Rated Lawyer Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated since 1989
- Who’s Who Legal USA: Insolvency and Restructuring
Affiliations
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- Turnaround Management Association
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Eastern District of Wisconsin Local Bankruptcy Rules Committee
- State Bar of Wisconsin’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Creditors’ Right Section (former chairman)
- Milwaukee Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section (former chairman)
- Milwaukee Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Bench/Bar Committee (former co-chair)
- Milwaukee Bar Association’s Pro Bono Project Committee (former co-chair)
- Bankruptcy Committee of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association (former co-chair)
- American Criminal Law Review (former editor)
- City of Mequon’s Open Space Planning Commission
- City of Mequon’s Ethics Committee (former member)
News & Insights
36 Reinhart Attorneys Recognized by Super Lawyers
Press Releases
40 Reinhart Attorneys Recognized by Wisconsin Super Lawyers
Press Releases
Peter Blain Named Reinhart Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
Press Releases
43 Reinhart Attorneys Recognized by Wisconsin Super Lawyers
Press Releases
93 Reinhart Attorneys Named 2020 Best Lawyers in America
Press Releases
46 Reinhart Attorneys Recognized by Wisconsin Super Lawyers
Press Releases
97 Reinhart Attorneys Named 2019 Best Lawyers in America; 13 are “Lawyers of the Year”
In the News, Press Releases
- September 2018, “I Only Wish I Had Known,” Ninth Annual American College of Bankruptcy Seventh Circuit Education Committee Seminar
- September 2018, “Structuring Forbearance Agreements and Strengthening Lender Collateral Position,” Strafford Webinar
- August 2017, “Structuring Forbearance Agreements and Strengthening Lender Collateral Position,” Strafford Webinar
- March 2017, “So You Thought You Had a Senior Lien – Losing Priority Under State and Federal Law (And Other Lender Nightmares),” Clear Law Institute
- November 2016, “So You Thought You Had a Senior Lien – Losing Priority Under Wisconsin and Federal Law (And Other Lender Nightmares),” Reinhart CLE Series
- November 2016, “The Forbearance Agreement,” Clear Law Institute
- November 2017, November 2016, November 2015, November 2014 & November 2013, “Supreme Court Bankruptcy Decisions: A Review, Eastern District of Wisconsin,” Lou Jones Breakfast
- August 2016, “Structuring Forbearance Agreements and Strengthening Lender Collateral Position,” Strafford Webinar
- February 2016, “A Primer on How Bankruptcy Affects Trusts,” Milwaukee Mid-Winter Estate Planning Clinic
- November 2015, “Buying and Selling Businesses in Insolvency Proceedings,” Reinhart CLE Series
- September 2015, “Exploring the Outer Limits of Avoiding Powers,” American College of Bankruptcy – 7th Circuit Annual Educational Program
- August 2015, “Structuring Forbearance Agreements and Strengthening Lender Collateral Position,” Strafford Webinar
- May 2015, “Associated Bank, N.A. v. Collier and Judgment Liens in Personal Property,” Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association Annual Meeting
- January 2015, January 2014, “Structuring Forbearance Agreements and Strengthening Lenders Collateral,” Stafford Publications
- May 2014, “Sales of Assets in Bankruptcy Proceedings,” Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association Annual Meeting
- November 2012, “The Great Debate: Asset Sales in Bankruptcy,” Turnaround Management Association
- September 2012, Panel Discussion on U.S. Trustee Fee Guidelines, American College of Bankruptcy – 7th Circuit Annual Educational Program
- March 2012; September 2011; “Alternative to Bankruptcy: Chapter 128,” State Bar of Wisconsin
- May 2011, “Pacific Lumber and Indubitable Equivalent Standard,” Seventh Circuit Bar Association Annual Meeting
- June 2009, 7th Annual Commercial Real Estate Update,” State Bar of Wisconsin
- May 2009, Bankruptcy and Economic Trends, Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association Annual Meeting
- Multiemployer Pension Plan Withdrawal Liability Claims—Discharge and Bar Dates: When Is a Claim a Claim?, Employee Benefit Plan Review (Volume 73; Number 5; June 2019)
- The U.S. Supreme Court Will Decide the Future of Trademark Licenses in Bankruptcy, Corporate LiveWire, Expert Guide, Bankruptcy & Restructuring, May 2019
- Bankruptcy & Restructuring 2018 Virtual Round Table, Corporate LiveWire (December 2018)
- Contingent Withdrawal Liability in Multiemployer Pension Plans in Bankruptcy – Claims, Discharge, Solvency, and Avoidance Actions! – Part II, Employee Benefit Plan Review, September 2018
- I Lease Real Estate to Bon Ton – Now What?, Summer 2018
- Contingent Withdrawal Liability in Multiemployer Pension Plans in Bankruptcy – Claims, Discharge, Solvency, and Avoidance Actions! – Part I, Employee Benefit Plan Review, July/August 2018
- Circuit Courts Clash Over the Post-Rejection Use of Trademarks, Corporate LiveWire, Expert Guide, Bankruptcy & Restructuring, May 2018
- The Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Guarantors Are Not Bound by Fair Value Determined at a Confirmed Foreclosure Sale,The Real Estate Finance Journal, Spring 2018
- Circuit Dissonance: Does Retention of Collateral Seized Prepetition Violate the Automatic Stay?, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., February/March 2018
- Bankruptcy Code Section 503(b)(9) and E-Commerce: Seller Protections May Not Be As They Appear, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., January 2018
- May Real Property Be Sold Free and Clear of Leasehold Interests Under Bankruptcy Code Section 363? The Ninth Circuit Joins the Seventh and Says “Yes”, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., October 2017
- Retention of Jurisdiction in Bankruptcy Sale Orders: The First Circuit Says Not So Fast, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., September 2017
- Can a Chapter 11 Liquidating Trustee Pursue Claims under the Debtor’s D&O Insurance Policies? The Sixth Circuit Says No!, Eye on the Experts, FC&S Legal: The Insurance Coverage Law Center (July 2017)
- Is Pre-Petition Termination of an Executory Contract a Fraudulent Transfer in the Seventh Circuit? Maybe . . . Maybe Not!, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., July/August 2017
- Jevic Holdings Corp. The Death Knell For Structured Dismissals, Corporate LiveWire, Expert Guide, Bankruptcy & Restructuring, June 2017
- Considering Service on a Creditors’ Committee? The Ninth Circuit Provides Barton Protection to Committee Members, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., June 2017
- Considering Service on a Creditors’ Committee? The Ninth Circuit Provides Barton Protection to Committee Members, LexisNexis.com Emerging Issues, May 2017
- Trademarks and Distribution Rights in Bankruptcy: The Dissonance Continues, Intell. Prop. & Tech. L. J., March 2017, at 10
- Timing Is Everything The Seventh Circuit Clarifies the Ordinary Course of Business Preference Defense LexisNexis.com Emerging Issues, February 2017
- Timing Is Everything: The Seventh Circuit Clarifies the Ordinary Course of Business Preference Defense, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., January 2017 (Co-Author)
- Bankruptcy Remote Special Purpose Entities Are Not Necessarily Bankruptcy Proof, LexisNexis.com Emerging Issues, October 2016
- The Seventh Circuit Rules on Perfection of Liens on Land Contract Vendor’s Interests, Real Est. Fin. J., Spring/Summer 2016, at 58
- Bankruptcy Remote Special Purpose Entities Are Not Necessarily Bankruptcy Proof, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., July/August 2016
- Caesars Entertainment: The Seventh Circuit Expands the Reach of Code § 105 15 ABI Business Reorganization Committee Newsletter 3 (June 2016)
- So You Thought You Had a Senior Lien? Losing Priority under Wisconsin and Federal Law (and Other Lender Nightmares), Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., June 2016
- The Rise of Receiverships (And the Decline of Chapter 11) in Creditors’ Rights in Chapter 11 Cases (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds series 2016)
- Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code: As It Was; As It Is; and As It May Be in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Restructuring Strategies (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds series 2016)
- Collateral Interests in Insurance: Confusing Territory, Law360, Expert Guide, July 2, 2015
- The Eleventh Circuit Wallops Involuntary Petitioners, Law 360 Bankruptcy, Expert Analysis, May 4, 2015
- Trademarks in Bankruptcy Sales: One Court Provides Guidance, Intell. Prop. & Tech. L. J., Mar. 2015, at 20
- The Banker’s Dilemma: A Tale of Two Cases, Corporate LiveWire, Expert Guide, Bankruptcy & Restructuring 2015
- Turned Upside Down: The Wisconsin Supreme Court Reverses the Rules on Judgment Liens, Pratt’s J. of Bankr. L., Jan. 2015, at 11
- Break-up Fees in Bankruptcy Sales, 12 ABI Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee Newsletter 3 (October 2014)
- When Worlds Collide: Bankruptcy, State Law, and Unemployment Insurance, 70 Employee Benefit Plan Review 29 (July 2015)
- Buying & Selling Businesses in Insolvency Proceedings, Journal of Taxation and Regulation of Financial Institutions, May/June 2014, at 5 (Co-Author)
- Stretching The Limits To Avoid Fraudulent Transfers – Equitable Tolling Under Section 546 of the Bankruptcy Code, Corporate LiveWire, Expert Guide, Bankruptcy & Restructuring 2014
- Substantive Consolidation: Adding Assets to the Bankruptcy Pot, Wisconsin Lawyer, at 24 (January 2014) (Co-Author)
- Section 1129(a)(10) and Artificial vs. Economic Impairment of Claims, 11 ABI Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee Newsletter 3 (June 2013)
- Chapter 11 Venue: The Interest of Justice, Corporate LiveWire, Expert Guide, Bankruptcy & Restructuring 2013
- A Bankruptcy Court Can’t Force You To Provide Service To A Third Party – Or Can It?, Pers. e danno, 2012, Nov, sub Dir. comm.
- Members Beware! LLC Members Will Be Insiders for Bankruptcy Preference Purposes, The Real Estate Finance Journal, Spring 2012
- The 7th Circuit Considers the Indubitable Equivalent Standard- Again!, Corporate LiveWire (Mar. 15, 2012)
- Recent Issues in Creditor Rights, in Creditors’ Rights in Chapter 11 Cases (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds Series 2012) (Co-Author)
- Bankruptcy 2011: A Brave New World, in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Restructuring Strategies (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds Series 2011)
- ‘Recovery’ Looks a Lot Like Recession, The Journal of Corporate Renewal (October 2011)
- State Law Offers an Alternative to Chapter 11, National Law Journal: (Special Report) (Nov. 29, 2010) (Co-Author)
- Security Agreements Line by Line: A Detailed Look at Security Agreements and How to Change Them to Meet Your Needs (Aspatore Books 2010) (Co-Author)
- Let’s Make a Deal: Sale of Distressed Businesses in Insolvency Proceedings, in Buying and Selling Distressed Businesses (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds Series 2010)
- Forbearance Agreements Line By Line: A Detailed Look at Forbearance Agreements and How to Change Them to Meet Your Needs (Aspatore Books 2009)
- Overview of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Today, in Creditors’ Rights in Chapter 11 Cases (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds Series 2009) (Co-Author)
- Financial Restructurings: A Lawyer’s View of the Process, Challenges, and Opportunities, in Bankruptcy Restructuring Strategies (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds Series 2008)
- Reorganization Cases in a Volatile Marketplace, in Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Law 2008 (Aspatore Books, Aspatore Thought Leadership Series 2008)
- The Growth of Prepackaged Chapter 11s and the Alternatives, in The Increase in Prepackaged Chapter 11s, Aspatore Special Report, (Aspatore Books 2008)
- Steps to Helping the Client Define and Achieve Their Objectives, in Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Settlements and Negotiations (Aspatore Books, Inside the Minds Series 2006)
- Creditors’ Committees Under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code: Creation, Composition, Powers and Duties, 73 Marquette Law Review 581 (1990) (Co-Author)