Rich Masana – Managing Partner
Rich Masana is the Managing Partner of Masana Bankruptcy Law. Rich, a native New Yorker who had moved to Colorado for law school, is a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School.
Prior to attending law school, Rich had completed his undergraduate studies and master’s studies, at St. John’s University, in Queens, NY, where he served as both Vice-President and President of St. John’s University’s Student Government.
Through practice, Rich has run into a wide variety of situations across the various Colorado courts and uses each part of his background in order to help meet his clients’ needs.
For Rich, this isn’t just a “job”, it’s a mission to help people transform their lives.
Rich is well-versed in bankruptcy where he has filed or participated in hundreds of cases, whether Chapter 7 Debtor’s Counsel, Chapter 13 Debtor’s Counsel, Chapter 11 Creditor Representation, or serving as Plaintiffs’ or Defendants’ counsel in the context of adversary proceedings. The majority of Rich’s cases are handled from the Debtor side.
In terms of bankruptcy, Rich understands it on multiple levels, as he had watched his mother file for bankruptcy and undergo foreclosure during his adolescence. As a landlord and someone who has found himself in a creditor’s shoes through other capacities, he also personally understands the plight of watching money owed evaporate due to circumstances of no fault of the creditors.
As a result, unlike many other attorneys, he understands the collateral effects of bankruptcy that go well beyond its impact on the individual debtor or a single creditor. It is a delicate balance being both sensitive and intuitive regarding the concerns and ideal goals of both sides.
Aside from his work in federal court (which has also included prosecuting non-bankruptcy federal claims in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado), Rich is also active in the Colorado state courts where he deals with a wide array of civil litigation matters in both County and District Court, at all stages, including handling both bench and jury trials when necessary and cost effective to do so.
His representation in state court proceedings ranges from both prosecuting/defending in money cases, eviction proceedings, residential and commercial landlord/tenant disputes, breach of contract actions, insurance-related disputes, employment disputes, disputes arising from real estate transactions, and filing probate petitions to representation in large-scale multi-plaintiff/multi-defendant complex disputes. These cases have involved all sorts of claims such as alter ego, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft, fraud, the Colorado trust fund statute, negligence, and more. Although he does not directly file or participate in them, Rich also has a strong understanding of most issues and processes that arise in domestic relations matters.
With such a broad background in civil law, when these cases often spill over into the Bankruptcy Court (as they often do), he has a unique understanding regarding all of the relevant details and statutes/caselaw and how the cases translate over into bankruptcy. Many civil attorneys regularly consult with Rich for advice on navigating complex matters regarding the intersection of civil and bankruptcy law and he is often brought in to address particularly difficult situations.
He also assists with post-judgment collections and collection enforcement.
In addition to dealing with contested matters, Rich also has extensive experience in drafting and reviewing estate documents, contracts, and many other legal documents. He is able to use his skills ascertained through litigation to help identify potential issues before they come to light.
Rich seeks to provide value by cutting out a lot of the unnecessary addons that other firms use as a basis to charge higher fees. At the same time, he guarantees the highest standard of client communication and disclosure whether on his end or from any other attorney that he involves in a case, as well as staff.
In his spare time, Rich is a huge sports fan, loves taking advantage of the Colorado outdoors, playing guitar, and working on an assortment of home projects.