Biography
Rick Engel serves as general counsel to Armstrong Teasdale and is a partner in the firm's Financial and Real Estate Services practice group. Active in firm management, he has also served as leader of the practice group as well as the Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy subgroup. In his legal practice, Rick has represented the interests of local, regional, national and international corporations and financial institutions in all aspects of corporate and financial counseling. His integrated skill set combines advantageously a number of complementary disciplines.
Financial Structuring, Restructuring and Bankruptcy
Rick represents the interests of corporate lenders and borrowers, trade creditors, boards, and committees in all aspects of debtor/creditor relations. Representations include negotiating and documenting capital and debt structures, loan workouts and asset acquisitions and divestitures. In addition, he has represented both corporate debtors and creditors in all aspects of bankruptcy proceedings, including lead counsel representation of debtors in possession, lenders and creditors’ committees. Rick has represented debtors, significant creditors, committees and indenture trustees in some of the largest bankruptcy proceedings and corporate restructurings in the country.
Corporate and Merger and Acquisition Counseling
Rick represents the interests of several corporations on virtually all aspects of their corporate existence, in many cases serving as outside corporate counsel or counsel to the general counsel. He represented the interests of companies both acquiring and selling hundreds of millions of dollars of assets and businesses throughout the country, both inside and outside bankruptcy proceedings.
Franchisee Representation
Rick serves as the outside corporate counsel to one of the largest Great Clips franchisees in the U.S. In that role he reviews and handles all aspects of representation of the company, including franchise agreement issues, employment, landlord tenant and other contractual and legal issues.
In his role as General Counsel, Rick is responsible for protecting the firm’s legal interests, maintaining its operations within the scope established by law and providing guidance on risk management and related liability issues. He similarly has served as outside corporate counsel to law firms and partners within law firms, and is often called upon to provide counsel regarding governance issues and fiduciary duties.
Education
- University of Missouri School of Law (J.D.)
- Saint Louis University (B.S.B.A.)
Admissions
Professional Activities
- The Missouri Bar (Former Executive Committee Member - YLS)
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- American Bar Association
Accolades
- The Best Lawyers in America®; Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2020-present)
- “Sec. 363 Sale of the Year” in the $250-500 million category, 11th Annual M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards (2017)
- Selected as a 2012 Top Rated Lawyer in Commercial Litigation by Martindale-Hubbell and American Lawyer Media (ALM)
- Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers® (2010-present); Super Lawyers®, Business Edition (2011-2014)
- AV® Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell