FIRM PROFILE: The firm assists its clients in all manners of state and federal court litigation, bankruptcy, out-of-court workouts and commercial law, including contract and other transactional documentation. In addition to the practice of law, the firm's attorneys spend a great deal of time and effort speaking and writing for commercial credit organizations and publications. The firm has also published its own quarterly newsletter, The Commercial Law Quarterly, with circulation to over 3,000 organizations.

Daren Brinkman originally formed the firm after departing from long-established national and regional firms in search of an entrepreneurial environment that was more attuned to both the business and legal needs of his clients. The Firm has consciously avoided the high overhead costs other firms frequently incur and has been able to maintain reasonable rates for the benefit of its clients without compromising a high degree of quality work. The Firm's clients receive the depth of expertise of larger firms with the responsiveness and cost-effectiveness that a smaller, specialized firm provides.

PARTNERS

DAREN BRINKMAN practices in the area of bankruptcy, commercial law, secured transactions and workouts. Mr. Brinkman handles all aspects of commercial and bankruptcy litigation in federal and state courts. Prior to forming Brinkman & Associates, Mr. Brinkman was a partner with Blakeley Brinkman & Rallis LLP. Before that, Mr. Brinkman was a bankruptcy and creditors' rights attorney with Adams, Duque & Hazeltine and with the Dallas, Texas based Andrews & Kurth. Mr. Brinkman received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Brigham Young University, where he was a Hinckley Scholar. He received his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with an estimated class rank in the top third of his class. He is admitted to practice in California and Texas.

Mr. Brinkman has represented secured and unsecured creditors in all manner of operating company and real estate contexts.In his early years, Mr. Brinkman primarily represented asset-based lenders in documenting original loans and workouts involved in asset-based loans and in documenting LBO's. His practice then shifted to bankruptcy and commercial litigation related to creditor's rights. Mr. Brinkman's lending experience has assisted the firm in its analysis of the validity of secured lenders' security documentation and in the documentation of sales and loan restructures from the Committee perspective as part of Chapter 11 cases. His litigation expertise guides the firm in its representation of committees when they take a lead role in the prosecution of avoidance actions and other litigation matters.

Mr. Brinkman also speaks frequently to trade groups regarding debtor-creditor law, and has published a number of articles including, "The Revised Uniform Commercial Code Changes Unsecured Creditors' Rights in Sales and Secured Transactions: Is the Revised UCC "New and Improved or Just New," Business Credit, September 1998; "Dealing With the Apparent Agent," Credit Today, August 1998; "Holding Factors Liable for the Vendor's Client Risk: Who Bears the Risk When a Vendor's Customer Defaults," Credit Today, December 1998; "Buying Assets Out of Bankruptcy: Procedural Hurdles to Bargain Bonanza," Business Credit, October, 1998;"The New Value Exception to the Absolute Priority Rule After Ahlers," 106 Banking Law Journal 351 (1989); "Ethical Considerations for Bankruptcy Trustees and Debtors in Possession," (presented at National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees Annual Conference, 1989); "Was Your Product Used to Improve Real Property Without Paying You? The Overlooked Remedy of Mechanics and Materialmens Liens," Business Credit, September 1997. Mr. Brinkman is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Credit Control Management.

ASSOCIATE

KELSI HUNT earned her law degree from Rutgers University School of Law – Newark in 2014 and a B.A. in Sociology from The College of New Jersey in 2011. Ms. Hunt's experience is primarily in bankruptcy matters, having completed two separate internships with a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee, as well as two law firm internships handling consumer bankruptcy matters. Ms. Hunt is currently licensed to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.

JORY COOK earned his law degree with certificates in Business and Tax Law from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in 2013, where he also earned an MBA. During his MBA, Jory served as Portfolio manager to the school’s student investment fund. After graduating he worked as a Business Analyst and presided a nonprofit in the Republic of Paraguay. He earned his B.A. in World Religions from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut in 2003. Jory is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey where he also has experience working in criminal and immigration law.

OF COUNSEL

DAVID MERRILL is licensed to practice in all of the state and federal courts in Florida, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He attended law school at Rutgers University in New Jersey, which he graduated from in 1996. While in law school, David earned a Top 5 Orator Award. He prides himself on his advocacy skills to this day.

David has over 20 years of experience practicing bankruptcy law. In that time, he has represented all manner of clients, from individuals to Fortune 500 companies, in a multitude of bankruptcy cases. David has experience in personal and business bankruptcy cases, including in adversary proceedings, and is a proud trial and appellate attorney.

From his offices in West Palm Beach, Florida, David serves clients nationwide. He is a tireless advocate for his clients' rights. As an experienced bankruptcy attorney, David has represented parties on all sides of complex matters and appeared in front of dozens of judges, which allows David to anticipate and preempt arguments against his clients, delivering them positive results. David has also delivered positive results to clients through his effective negotiating skills, relying on his training in Finance to achieve favorable settlements.

TRACY LIN earned her J.D. degree from DePaul University College of Law in 2013 and Bachelor's degree in Accounting from National Taiwan University in 2002. Prior to practicing law, she was an auditor for Ernst & Young in Taipei, Taiwan and is well versed in analyzing financial statements. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Tracy is a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese. She is admitted to practice in both New York and Texas.

PARALEGALS

BECKE TAYLOR earned her Master’s degree in accounting and Marketing from Texas A&M and is currently working towards a B.S. in Business at Northeastern State University.  She has been working in bankruptcy-related matters with Brinkman Law for over 5 years, including paralegal and management duties for the firm.

HALEY PINKSTON earned her B.A. in Business Management and Leadership from Southern Virginia University. She has worked with Brinkman Law Group for over 7 years, providing paralegal and management support.