Richard Mikels

Biography

Richard Mikels is chair of the Bankruptcy & Restructuring Practice at Mintz Levin. With an unparalleled reputation and extensive experience in commercial law, workouts, and reorganizations, Mikels maintains a national practice, focusing on insolvency issues, business restructurings, and mediations.

Mikels is known for representing significant debtor companies (both in Chapter 11 and in out-of-court workouts) including Filene’s Basement, Inc. and Malden Mills Industries. Some of the recent cases Mikels has been involved with include RadioShack Corporation, Revolate Holdings LLC, New England Compounding Center, Powerwave Technologies Inc., Manistique Papers Inc., Oscient Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Commpartners LLC, Sleep HealthCenters LLC, Alpha Omega Jewelers, and the Upper Crust LLC. Mikels represents various constituencies, including debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, Boards of Directors, insurance companies, hedge funds, claims traders, and acquirers of businesses.

As an adjunct professor of law at Boston University School of Law, Mikels is recognized for his expertise on issues related to Chapter 11 reorganizations. He has authored and edited articles and chapters in numerous publications and is a frequent speaker on bankruptcy-related topics.

Illustrating his stature in the profession, Mikels is chairman of the Board of Regents of the American College of Bankruptcy and also has served as a national vice president, a member of the Board of Directors and chair of the Education Programs Committee. Additionally, Mikels served on the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute and, in 2012, Mikels was co-chair of the Plan Advisory Committee for the ABI’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11.

A skilled mediator, Mikels conducts mediations of commercial law disputes and serves on the faculty of the Bankruptcy Mediation Course conducted by ABI and St. John’s University. Also, he co-chairs the ABI’s Mediation Committee and chaired the ABI Mediation Sub-Committee on Model Rules.

Mikels’s reputation for excellence in the bankruptcy and insolvency field is well noted. He is often cited in leading publications, such as Reuters, Dow Jones, and the Boston Globe, and he has also appeared on national television on CNBC. Mikels has been named to numerous national and international listings of Top Lawyers.

Prior to joining Mintz Levin, Mikels was a partner leading the Bankruptcy practice at Peabody & Brown (now Nixon Peabody) as well as Riemer & Braunstein. Mikels began his career at the Interstate Commerce Commission in Washington DC.

His commitment to the legal profession is demonstrated by his deep involvement in numerous professional organizations. Mikels also dedicates time to academic and civic endeavors having served on several Boards of Directors and Committees.

Among numerous recognitions and awards, Mikels was honored at the American College of Bankruptcy’s 10th Annual First Circuit Reception for “his distinguished service as First Circuit Regent, and for his many contributions to the practice of bankruptcy law.”

Mikels holds a JD cum laude and BS in Business Administration from Boston University and is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and New York.