Biography
Robert R. Barnes is a partner in our San Diego office, where his practice focuses on debtor-creditor issues, with an emphasis on bankruptcy and real estate-related workouts and foreclosures. He is known for combining a comprehensive knowledge of the law with a practical, results-oriented approach. Bob has represented purchasers and secured creditors in hotel, apartment building, shopping center, industrial park, senior-housing, and other real-estate based workouts, foreclosures, receiverships, and reorganizations, including confirmation of several creditor plans. He has also represented nonresidential landlords in a variety of bankruptcy cases.
As a debtor's lawyer, Bob has counseled clients whose businesses include biotechnology, rail-car leasing, heavy-equipment manufacturing, and higher education, in addition to real property owners and developers. He also represents trustees and creditors' committees, including cases involving casinos, real estate developers, and real estate lenders. In addition, a significant portion of his practice consists of advising lenders and borrowers at the front end of a transaction regarding bankruptcy and insolvency risks (and opportunities).
He is a regular author and lecturer on bankruptcy, commercial, and foreclosure matters and . Recent panels include "Strategies for Acquiring Distressed Properties" for the Higher Education Real Estate Lawyers Seventh Annual Conference, and "Today's Wave of Real Estate Workouts" for the Real Property Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has also been quoted on bankruptcy issues in various media, including The San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Bankruptcy 360.
Memberships
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Federal Bar Association
- Financial Lawyers Conference of Southern California
- Scribes: The American Society of Legal Writers
- Commercial Transactions Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of California, Local Rules Committee
Accolades
- Selected for inclusion in San Diego Super Lawyers (2007)
- The Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bo Legal Services, State Bar of California
Education
Bob received his B.A. from the University of Chicago (with general and special honors) and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985.
Bar Admissions