Corali Lopez-Castro concentrates her practice on bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters. Cori’s practice reflects her extensive experience and expertise with bankruptcy reorganizations and liquidations, receiverships, and restructuring. She has been involved with the liquidation of four significant bank holding companies in bankruptcy courts around the country and state court.   Cori served on the panel of Trustees for the Southern District of Florida between 1998 and 2002, during which she was responsible for the liquidation of assets in bankruptcy cases filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Cori has been a partner at Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton since 1998 and has served as Managing Partner three times.

In 2006 Cori was elected the second woman president of the Cuban American Bar Association, the largest voluntary bar association in Florida.  She also served as President of the Florida Association of Managing Partners from 2019-2021.  As of 2020, she has been serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the University of Miami School of Law.

In 2014, Cori was inducted as a Fellow into the 25th Class of the American College of Bankruptcy. The College recognizes individuals for their professional excellence and contributions to the field of restructuring and insolvency.  In 2018, she was inducted as a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.  In 2021, Cori received the  Lawyer of the Americas Award by the University of Miami InterAmerican Law Review.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

I love being a lawyer.  I have been involved with the Cuban American Bar Association for over twenty-five years.  I applaud the continuing efforts of the organization to provide pro bono legal services to the Hispanic community.  Helping create The Florida Bar’s “ONE” campaign to encourage lawyer participation in pro bono efforts is one of the projects of which I am most proud.

RESULTS

BANKRUPTCY

Cori led the team that confirmed the Chapter 11 plan of one of the largest distributors of smart phones, tablets and accessories to Latin America.  The confirmation of the plan occurred within eight months of filing the petition. Cori also led the team that represented the owner of a luxury hotel in Bal Harbour, Florida.  She was able to confirm a plan a year after filing the Chapter 11 case.  The case had been preceded by years of litigation among the various associations with an interest in the property.  She also represented the corporate owner-operator of a prestigious golf facility on the west coast of Florida.  The company required a debt restructuring in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and the accompanying downturn in Florida real estate values.  She was instrumental in bringing about a consensual Chapter 11 plan that enabled the company to continue operations and emerge with a healthy balance sheet.

RECEIVERSHIPS

Cori has been appointed receiver and represented receivers in several cases pending in state court and  federal court.  She is currently serving as equity receiver in a $100 million Ponzi scheme case initiated by the SEC.  Working to achieve a recovery for victims is one of the most important work she does.

RESTRUCTURINGS

Many of Cori’s more successful cases/clients never see a courtroom.  She has negotiated numerous workouts for corporations and high net worth individuals. She measures success by the control maintained by her clients over their businesses and the amount of the debt restructured as a result of finding consensual solutions to problems.