Chuck Lichtmans practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and trial practice, particularly in bet the farm and emergency matters where his experience, insight, diligence and ability to form and lead a team have been demonstrated throughout his career, including through trial. He has significant experience in large fraud, corporate shareholder, finance and receivership/trustee cases of all types.
Chuck presently serves as Lead Litigation Counsel for the court appointed Bankruptcy Trustee in connection with the 4th largest Ponzi scheme in history, In re: Rothstein Rosenfeldt & Adler, P.A. (RRA), involving $1.4 billion in fraudulent transactions. The matter involved winding down the operations of RRA, formerly a prominent 70-lawyer law firm in Fort Lauderdale, marshaling its assets, and investigating and bringing over 165 lawsuits to obtain recoveries for victim investors and creditors. Ultimately, a Plan of Liquidation was approved by the Court that guaranteed a 100% distribution to all RRA creditors, the highest such percentage payment in a Ponzi scheme in United States history, accomplished in less than 4 years. Chuck first-chaired and oversaw all litigation, investigations and forensic examinations, including tracing money through over 30 accounts and serving as the liaison with The Florida Bar on RRA attorney disciplinary matters and the Departm ent of Justice on issues related to its criminal investigations.
Chuck also presently serves as receiver on a matter brought by the Federal Trade Commission against approximately 25 companies and individuals involved in a nationwide scheme to defraud consumers out of payments that were supposedly going to be used to help them save their homes during mortgage foreclosure proceedings. The matter is ongoing and Chuck has already cost-effectively recovered millions of dollars that will be used to recompense the victims of this scheme.
Chuck has devoted personal time to a pro bono effort on matters related to election law and voter protection issues. He served as co-lead counsel for the Democratic Party in the 2000 Presidential election recount. He then served as Special Lead Counsel for the John Kerry Campaign in Florida in the 2004 Presidential Election, formulating and recruiting a voter protection team of 3200 Florida lawyers, which served as the voter protection template used in the other battleground states. In the 2008 election, he served as Statewide Lead Counsel for the Florida Democratic Party and the Obama campaign, overseeing the technical aspects of the election in Florida and its voter protection program which placed over 5800 lawyers in the polls on election day.
Chuck has also: