During his 54-year career, Charles L. Denaburg has become an expert in commercial law, commercial transactions, creditor and debtor rights, and bankruptcy law. Other areas of his practice include domestic and general mediation, arbitration, secured transactions and reorganizations.
“My daddy told me that I was going to be a lawyer,” he says. “I wasn’t cut out to be a doctor or a dentist. I was either going to be a lawyer or an engineer, and I picked law.”
The Birmingham native earned his JD from the University of Alabama in 1956. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to maintain good relationships with his clients and business peers.
After graduation, Denaburg worked at a law firm for one year before starting his own practice. “When I started my own firm, I did as any young lawyer who starts out and that is, handle any case that comes through the door,” he says. “I had some experience representing creditors and debtors, so I just continued to work on those kinds of cases.”
Denaburg leveraged his business and accounting expertise to represent creditors, debtors, trustees, secured lenders and other clients. His firm has handled some of the most significant bankruptcy cases in Alabama.
Denaburg filed the first involuntary Chapter 11 case in Alabama. He and his team also handled a prepackage reorganization for six radio stations, and were able to get a plan heard and confirmed within a period of 59 days—no small feat.
Denaburg’s law firm started with just one sole attorney—him. Over the years, he’s watched it grow and change to meet the needs of his clients.
“We’ve had as many as 26 lawyers, and I’ve seen this firm change significantly,” he says. “I always wanted to maintain the size of the law firm, so that the partners and the associates all know each other, like each other, and can relate to one another. I always wanted to have a homogeneous group of lawyers who work well together.”
The recovering economic landscape has deeply impacted his business. “In addition to working with people, we’re helping banks resolve their portfolios and get them into a more manageable state,” Denaburg says. “Attorneys who handle workouts, reorganizations, and bankruptcies are extremely busy at this time. I don’t like to see the economy the way it is, and I think its bad news for many people.”
Denaburg is a former president of the Alabama Academy of Attorney Mediators, and a fellow of both the American College of Bankruptcy and the American Arbitration Association.
A sought-after lecturer, Denaburg has presented at his alma mater, the Birmingham Bar Association, the Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education, National Business Institute, and Professional Education Systems, Inc. He is certified in Business Bankruptcy Law and Creditor’s Rights Law.
In addition to the Alabama State Bar, Denaburg is admitted to the United States Court of Military Appeals, the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
He is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association, the Alabama State Bar (Bankruptcy and Insolvency Section), the American Bar Association, and the Commercial Law League of America (Bankruptcy and Insolvency Section).
When he’s not working, Denaburg enjoys riding horses, fishing and snow skiing.
Denaburg advises up-and-coming lawyers to get involved in the practice, work hard and see both sides of any case.
“Just because the other side doesn’t agree with your position doesn’t necessarily mean they’re wrong and you’re right,” he says. “Sometimes you’ve got to realize that what your client wants you to do may not be in his best interest or in your best interest. Then you have to have the ability to either give him advice that he may not be want to hear, or suggest that he get other counsel.”
Consumers needing help with bankruptcy matters should be selective in choosing legal counsel, Denaburg says.
“Look for someone who has a reputation for being knowledgeable, hard-working, and has a reputation for caring about their clients,” he says.
For more info go to www.law.com/birminghambest
Appeared in The Birmingham News
–Ashley Cisneros
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Ashley Cisneros is a co-founder of Chatter Buzz Media, an Orlando Internet marketing firm that helps companies and organizations engage with their target markets through inbound marketing via the Internet. Chatter Buzz Media, which won the Social Madness competition for the Orlando small business market, is a full-service digital marketing firm specializing in website design, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing and content creation. Prior to founding Chatter Buzz, Ashley worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, technical writer, marketing manager, public relations practitioner and freelance journalist. To see Ashley’s content writing, visit www.ashleycisneros.com. You can also reach Ashley on her Google profile.
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