Scott A. Underwood

Scott A. Underwood has extensive experience in some of the most complex bankruptcy cases and distressed business situations.  Mr. Underwood has represented distressed businesses, chapter 11 debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, bankruptcy trustees, creditors’ committees, landlords, liquidating trustees and parties acquiring and selling assets from bankruptcy cases. Mr. Underwood has stood out among his peers for many years, being consistently recognized as one of the State’s top ranked bankruptcy attorneys while being selected by his colleagues to lead the bankruptcy practice group of one the largest firms in the country, after previously chairing the statewide litigation group of one of Florida’s most prominent firms.

Mr. Underwood’s debtor side representative experience crosses many industries.  He has represented chapter 11 debtors in the healthcare industry, hospitality, real estate, utilities, waste management, technology and manufacturing.

In addition to representing debtors, Mr. Underwood has represented large secured creditors, asset purchasers, bond holders, debtor-in-possession lenders, trustees, business owners, creditor committees and professional fiduciaries.  Mr. Underwood’s representative and transactional bankruptcy experience measures in the billions of dollars. 

Beyond core chapter 11 matters, Mr. Underwood represents clients in various high stakes insolvency related litigation matters. He has been involved in substantial director and officer litigation, bond disputes, technology products liability litigation, and other commercial disputes.

Mr. Underwood also brings substantial experience with assignments for the benefit of creditors, having represented assignees, assignors, asset purchasers and creditors in such proceedings throughout Florida.

Mr. Underwood  is a member of, among other organizations, (i) the American Bankruptcy Institute – where he is a past chair of the Real Estate Committee, (ii) Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, (iii) Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida and (iv) Business Law Section of the Florida Bar, where he is an active member of the Bankruptcy/UCC Committee and its study groups.  In connection with these organizations, and others, Mr. Underwood is a frequent speaker on bankruptcy topics.

Mr. Underwood has been recognized by his peers and clients for many years as a leading bankruptcy lawyer in Florida.  Those honors include recognition by Chambers USA (since 2012), selection for inclusion by Florida Super Lawyers (since 2009) and  Top 50 Layers in Tampa in 2019, and named to Florida Trend Magazine Legal Elite (since 2013). He was also selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (2018, 2019 and 2020 editions) in Bankruptcy & Creditor Debtor Rights and Insolvency & Reorganization Law.  He has also garnered an AV® Preeminent distinction, the highest available mark for professional excellence from Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Ratings.

In his younger years, he was recognized as one of the leading “Up and Comers” under 40 years old in the Tampa Bay area’s business and civic community.  When not practicing law, he can often be found coaching his boys in youth sports and spending time with his family in Tampa Bay’s parks and restaurants.

Mr. Underwood is a graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Law, where his fellow students selected him to give the class’s commencement address.