Richard E. Hagerty helps commercial clients navigate the complex waters of creditor-debtor transactions, disputes, bankruptcy proceedings and litigation in federal and state courts. He partners with clients to deliver results aligned with their interests for fees aligned with their budgets. Rich has three decades of experience representing secured and unsecured creditors in :
- Business bankruptcies.
- Pre-bankruptcy workout negotiations.
- Litigation to defend against lender liability and similar claims brought by debtors.
- Real estate foreclosures in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
- Statutory and common law receivership proceedings brought pursuant to both state and federal law.
His active civil litigation practice focuses on :
- Representing businesses and individuals with contract-related and other disputes.
- Acting as local counsel in matters pending in the state and federal courts of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
- Litigation avoidance – via mediation and preventive counseling – to help clients eliminate costly litigation, resolve disputes or reach settlement quickly so they can return to their higher use – growing their businesses.
Rich’s clients recommend him to others for his :
- Deep and broad knowledge of local courts, constituents, rules and procedures.
- Practical focus on delivering targeted results.
- Preference for avoiding unnecessary conflict and expense.
- Carefully plotted and communicated strategy.
Representative Matters :
- Representing a commercial contractor in multiple disputes with a restaurant developer, including in the defense of subcontractor claims.
- Successfully prosecuted a quiet title action involving disputed claims to commercial property. The negotiated settlement cleared the way for the client to enforce its security interest in the property.
- Assisted multiple landowners in several large coal company bankruptcies in the litigation and compromise of assumption and cure issues, filing and prosecution of claims, and post-confirmation enforcement of remedies.
- Obtained a receivership over a 200-plus-unit multifamily apartment building developed with historic tax credits. Also prosecuted a debt action and filed civil fraud claims against a guarantor of the borrower’s obligation.
- Defended mortgage lenders and servicers in numerous contested matters and adversary proceedings filed by disgruntled debtors.
Professional and Community Involvement :
- Member, Character Committee, 7th Appellate Circuit, Court of Appeals of Maryland (1995-present)
- Civil Mediator, Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division, D.C. Superior Court (1995–present)
- Mentor/Coach, Transactional Law Society, American University Washington College of Law (2015-2017)
Professional Experience : Law Clerk to the Honorable Irma S. Raker (Ret.) of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland (1985-1986)
EDUCATION :
- George Washington University Law School, J.D., with honors, 1985
- Michigan State University, B.A., with honors, 1981
BAR ADMISSIONS : Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia
COURT ADMISSIONS :
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia
