Griffin Dunham

During Griffin's 21 years as a lawyer, he has represented large and small businesses, business owners and officers, borrowers, guarantors, private equity investment firms, property management companies, risk management companies, commercial landlords, healthcare facilities, medical field companies, farmers, electric companies, construction businesses, and developers.

Griffin handles every aspect of litigation.  The first six years of his practice concentrated on trial and appellate work as a judge advocate in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps.  Although he enjoys the courtroom, he recognizes that many disputes should be resolved without the need for court intervention.  In those situations, he strives to develop a workable resolution that makes the most financial sense.  The cases he has handled have included claims of breach of contract, business interference, fraud and misrepresentation, fraudulent transfers, contract interference, unfair competition, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, misappropriation, copyright infringement, harassment, and real estate claims related to contract interpretation, quiet title, partition, and easements.

As a workout and bankruptcy lawyer, Griffin represents debtors to reorganize their businesses under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.  His focus in these cases is concentrated on de-leveraging the business, increasing and managing cash flow, reducing inefficiencies that are reducing margins, improving the business model, maximizing the value of the equity interests, and ensuring the company's long-term viability.  Griffin also represents creditors in contested matters or adversary proceedings.  Griffin's experience includes all aspects of the bankruptcy process, to include drafting and confirming plans of reorganization (debtor side), objecting to and defeating plans of reorganization (creditor side), prosecuting and defending adversary proceedings, claims litigation, claims trading, stay relief actions, 363 asset sales, preferences and fraudulent transfers, first day motion practice, motions to appoint a trustee, asset valuation, lien avoidance, disclosure statement approval, negotiating plan treatment, DIP and exit financing arrangements, and motions to dismiss and convert cases.

As an appellate lawyer, Griffin handles state and federal appeals. He has filed over 30 appeals and conducted oral arguments in both federal and state courts. This experience includes written and oral argument before the United States Supreme Court, which resulted in a unanimous opinion written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in favor of Griffin’s client. See Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC, 139 S.Ct. 2614 (2020).

    • Purdue University (B.A.)

    • Indiana University School of Law (J.D.)

    • Vanderbilt University (MBA)

    • Recognizing Bankruptcy Fraud and Using Experts to Deal With It

    • Lender Beware: Your Foreclosure Might be a Preference

    • Stern v. Marshall - A Must-Read for Every Bankruptcy Litigator

    • Can an Employee Be Fired or a Job Applicant Be Rejected Because of a Bankruptcy Filing? The Anti-Discrimination Provisions of Section 525 of the Bankruptcy Code

    • The Inadvertent Receipt of Confidential Information and the Consequent Risk of Disqualification

    • Recognizing Bankruptcy Fraud and Using Experts to Deal With It

    • Recovering Damages for Emotional Injury - Expert Required?

    • Common Bankruptcy Questions for the Non-Bankruptcy Lawyer

    • Tenant Bankruptcy and Commercial Leases

    • Stern v. Marshall: A Must-Read for the Bankruptcy Litigator

    • Executory Contracts in Bankruptcy: Navigating the Legal Ambiguities

    • Equitable Subordination and Recharacterization: Looming Bankruptcy Litigation Threats

    • The Inadvertent Receipt of Confidential Information: Ethical Considerations in Tennessee

    • Preference Actions in Bankruptcy: Debtor Counsel's Perspective on Prosecuting & Defending

    • Bankruptcy: Judicial Estoppel Issues

    • What Every Non-Bankruptcy Lawyer Should Know About Bankruptcy