Attorney Profiles

C. Richard Rayburn Jr. 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Managing Partner
phone 704-334-0891
fax 704-377-1897
email Email Me

Practice Description:

Rick Rayburn has represented business enterprises and individuals in a wide variety of financial transactions and commercial disputes including corporate and commercial litigation, financial restructurings, business reorganizations, workouts, executive employment contracts and disputes, shareholder disputes, business formations, venture capital infusions, private and public securities offerings, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, refinancings, and recapitalizations.  Clients have included public and private corporations, developers, venture capitalists, individual minority and majority shareholders, and professional accounting, engineering and law firms.  Bankruptcy representations include debtors, creditors, committees, shareholders, directors, adversary plaintiffs and defendants, post petition lenders, creditors and governmental entities.

Mr. Rayburn has appeared in several Courts of North Carolina, including Superior Court, Business Court and Court of Appeals; Federal District Court in the Western and Middle Districts of North Carolina; Bankruptcy Courts in North Carolina (Western, Middle and Eastern Districts), South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee and Connecticut, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Mr. Rayburn has been a frequent speaker at seminars including seminars sponsored by the Southeastern Law Institute and the North Carolina Bankruptcy Section Annual Institute, as well as Turnaround Management Association programs.

Representative Matters:

In re CC Air, Inc. (Bankruptcy Court, Western District of North Carolina, 90-30927).  Represented publicly held regional airline through Chapter 11 reorganization as debtor's counsel, and as corporate counsel thereafter, and as counsel for the acquired in merger.
In re Oakwood Homes Corporation (Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, 02-13396).  Represented publicly held manufactured housing company and various subsidiaries in reorganization through plan sale to competitor. 

In re Tweetsie Railroad, Inc. v. Young Realty Investment, et.al. (Superior Court, Watauga County, North Carolina, 98-CVS-116).  Represented privately held amusement park company in attempted takeover through derivative litigation and real estate litigation.

Represented minority family owners of industrial corporation in workout of senior debt and in recapitalization to acquire control.

Represented publicly held construction materials manufacturer in successful workout of bank debt, bankruptcy of key supplier and refinancings.

Represented large regional intellectual property firm in merger with large regional firm and litigation by departed shareholders.

Executive Compensation.   Represented senior executives of public and private companies in new and amended contracts, group private transactions, going public transactions, and employment terminations; represented private companies in executive employment and termination matters.

Related News:

o   Woodward/White, Inc.'s The Best Lawyers in America (Bankruptcy) (1995-2008)

o   Business North Carolina magazine's Legal Elite (Bankruptcy) (2002-2008); Hall of Fame (2006); (Business Law)(2005-2006).

o   Law & Politics' North Carolina Super Lawyers (Business/Corporate) (2006-2008)

o   Chambers USA American Leading Lawyers

o   Former Council Member, Bankruptcy Law Section, North Carolina Bar Association

o   Former Member, Long Range Planning Committee and Managing Partners Forum, Mecklenburg County Bar Association

o   Member, Business Law Section, Taxation Section and Law Practice Management Section, American Bar Association

  Community Activities:

o   President (1994-2008), Charlotte Junior Soccer Foundation, Inc., a children's recreational soccer league.

o   Board Member, Treasurer, Figure Eight Island Homeowners Association.

o   Board Member, Myers Park Trinity Little League

 

Year Joined Organization:
1988
Areas of Practice:
Business Bankruptcy
Business Workouts and Restructure
Business Formation and Governance
Corporate Finance and Securities
Business Transactions
Business Ownership Disputes
Bar Admissions:
North Carolina, 1974
U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina, 1974
U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina, 1974
U.S. Federal Courts, 1982
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1974
U.S. Tax Court, 1974
Education:
Duke University School of Law, Durham, North Carolina, 1974
J.D.
Honors: With Honors
Honors: Order of the Coif
Honors: Faculty Research Assistant
Law Journal: Duke University Law Journal, Research and Managing Editor, 1973 - 1974


University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1969
B.S.
Honors: With Honors
Honors: Neyland Scholar
Honors: Omicron Delta Kappa
Honors: Sigma Pi Sigma
Major:  Physics


Professional Associations and Memberships:
North Carolina Bar Association, Bankruptcy Law Section
Member


Mecklenburg County Bar Association
Member


American Bar Association
Member


Fraternities/Sororities:
Phi Delta Phi

Rayburn Cooper & Durham advises clients in North Carolina business law matters, including:

  • Business Workouts and Restructure
  • Business Bankruptcy
  • Business Formation and Governance
  • Corporate Finance and Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures
  • Contracts and Business Transactions
  • Business Ownership Disputes
  • General Civil Litigation
  • Complex Business Litigation