THE DRAGICH LAW FIRM - Key Persons
Amanda C. Vintevoghel-Backer is a partner with The Dragich Law Firm and focuses primarily on bankruptcy reorganization, corporate restructuring, commercial litigation, and business transactions.
Amanda is integrally involved in the firm's active corporate restructuring practice, representing businesses in restructurings and wind-downs both inside and outside of court. She provides practical and business-minded advice to clients who are grappling with distress, and develops creative solutions to protect their interests and achieve their business objectives. She also advises a wide range of individual and business clients as creditors' rights counsel, helping her clients maximize their recoveries and enforce their rights.
Amanda is also a commercial litigator who represents clients across a number of industries in state and federal courts, as well as in alternative dispute resolution forums. Her experience includes cases involving, among other things, debt collection, breach of contract, injunction proceedings, and supplier disputes.
In addition, Amanda advises clients in various business transactions, including the negotiation and drafting of commercial contracts, corporate formation, and the sale or acquisition of assets and businesses.
Amanda has developed significant expertise in restructuring, transactional, and litigation aspects of Michigan's cannabis industry through her role serving as counsel to the receiver in two large and complex cannabis receivership cases. This experience includes the proceeding of Skymint, one of Michigan's largest cannabis companies.
She has a deep understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern Michigan cannabis receivership proceedings, and practical experience working with the Cannabis Regulatory Agency and other governmental bodies that oversee the Michigan cannabis industry. In addition to her role as counsel to receivers, Amanda also advises operators, secured creditors, investors, landlords and other stakeholders in cannabis-related matters.
Her receivership experience includes:
Skymint Receivership: As counsel to the Receiver, Amanda was integral in negotiating a purchase agreement of substantially all Skymint's assets, as well as addressing the concerns of numerous constituents, including landlords, vendors, and local municipalities, to obtain court approval of the sale. Similarly, Amanda worked with all the constituents to maintain the value of the receivership estate, including license preservation.
Comco Receivership: In addition to preserving the receivership assets for sale, Amanda also worked with constituents to implement a new management and operational team during the pending receivership.
She is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association, where she previously served as a member of the TMA Board of Directors. She is also the past President of the TMA Detroit Chapter.
Amanda regularly writes and presents on bankruptcy and restructuring topics. She participated as a panelist on the "Alternatives to Bankruptcy" panel at the 2019 TMA Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio and served as a panel moderator for "Receiverships: Effective Preservation of Assets" in November 2019 at the Townsend Hotel. She also served as a panel moderator at the 2017 TMA Mid-America Restructuring Conference and the TMA NextGen Signs of Distress Program - Spring 2017. Her article, "Pending Proceeding Rule: An Exception to a Rule 2004 Examination," was published in ABI's Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee Newsletter in October of 2014.
Amanda received her juris doctor, cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She graduated from Northwood University, magna cum laude, with a degree in International Business and Business Management. At Northwood, she was a member of the cross-country and track teams.
An avid athlete, Amanda continues to compete as a distance runner, winning the 2010 Charlevoix Women's Half-Marathon, the 2013 Sault Ste. Marie Women's Marathon and the 2016 Back to the Beach Women's Half-Marathon at Stoney Creek Metropark. She is also a two-time Boston Qualifier and she competed in the 2015 Boston Marathon.
Amanda volunteers with the Special Olympics of Grosse Pointe/Harper Woods.
Angela is a paralegal at The Dragich Law Firm PLLC. Since joining the firm in April 2014, Angela assists the firm's attorneys in researching and drafting pleadings and other legal documents related to the firm's range of practice areas.
She manages the firm's invoicing and collections, human resources, and internal accounting. Angela also oversees the firm's day-to-day operations.
In 2014, Angela obtained an ABA accredited Associate of Applied Science degree from Macomb Community College's paralegal program.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Adjunct Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
David G. Dragich represents businesses in all aspects of complex corporate reorganizations, bankruptcy, insolvency and distressed asset acquisitions and dispositions. David has extensive experience representing Chapter 11 debtors, Chapter 11 and 7 trustees, receivers, creditors' committees, secured creditors and unsecured creditors in reorganization cases, liquidations, workouts and other insolvency proceedings. David also represents clients in commercial litigation cases and general corporate matters, including day-to-day business activities, along with other transactions.
David's experience has spanned a variety of industries. He has represented numerous Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers in their Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, including Noble International, Ltd., Intermet Corporation, Venture Industries and others. David has also represented federal and state court-appointed receivers over Tier 1 automotive suppliers, national retailers, large-scale manufacturing companies and other businesses. These receivership engagements include: Sakthi Automotive Group USA, Inc., Heritage Sportswear, Inc., Edwards Brothers Malloy, Inc., Paramount Precision Products, Inc., among others.
David has also served as special counsel for the Greektown Distribution Trust in the Greektown Casino bankruptcy case. He has represented creditors in large, complex bankruptcy proceedings, including: General Motors Corporation, Chrysler LLC, Energy Conversion Devices, Delphi Automotive, Visteon Corporation, and Tower Automotive. He has also served as special counsel for the official committee of unsecured creditors in the Energy Conversion Devices and Capital Bancorp bankruptcy cases.
David has conducted trials and evidentiary hearings in bankruptcy court and regularly represents clients in commercial litigation matters in both federal and state courts. David is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and participated in oral argument before that Court in 2012.
David also advises businesses and business owners regarding the acquisition and disposition of various assets and interests. His experience with distressed and performing companies also enables him to advise clients on their day-to-day business and legal affairs.
Before forming The Dragich Law Firm, David co-founded the law firm Harrington Dragich PLLC in May of 2009. Prior to that, David was a senior counsel with Foley and Lardner LLP, where he was a member of the firm's Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice and the Automotive Industry Team. Prior to his time at Foley, he was an attorney in the Bankruptcy Practice at Dykema Gossett PLLC in Detroit. David is a regular presenter on bankruptcy and business issues. He has been a materials contributor at the American Bankruptcy Institute Central States Bankruptcy Conference in Traverse City, Michigan. He has also authored and co-authored articles on numerous topics affecting bankruptcy and insolvency laws and business transactions.
David obtained his J.D., magna cum laude, Justice Frank Murphy Honor Society, from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2001, where he was a board member of the Moot Court Board of Advocates and president of the Student Bar Association. He earned his bachelor's degree in communications, cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1998.
David is an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he teaches Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Reorganizations and Other Business Restructuring Alternatives. He has also been a visiting lecturer of American commercial law at two universities in France. In 2008, David was a guest professor at the University of Toledo School of Law where he taught a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy seminar course.
David is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan. He is an avid golfer who attended college on a golf scholarship and was co-captain of the golf team during his senior year. David has previously served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors at Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He has also completed the 2004 Detroit Marathon and the 2014 Detroit Half Marathon. David has also been an active coach in youth sports including hockey, baseball and basketball.
Job Titles:
- Inc. - Counsel to Court - Appointed Receiver
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Attorney
- Attorney at Law
Eric C. Addy is an associate attorney with The Dragich Law Firm. He joined the firm in July 2020 and is actively involved in the firm's business transaction, restructuring, and commercial litigation practices.
Eric assists the firm in a wide range of matters involving business transactions, corporate dissolutions and restructuring, and commercial litigation. He is also involved in the negotiation and drafting of commercial agreements, employment contracts, and other corporate documents.
Eric is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association.
Eric received his juris doctor, cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2021. While in law school, he served as a Title Editor of the UDM Law Review and participated in the school's Environmental Law Clinic, for which he received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. He also completed an externship at the Michigan Court of Appeals Research Division in the summer of 2019.
Prior to joining the Firm, Eric obtained his Bachelor's degree from DePauw University in 2018, where he majored in Political Science and History. Eric was a member of the Men's Swimming and Diving Team at DePauw and served a co-captain during his senior year.
Eric lives in Detroit and attended Grosse Pointe South High School. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, boating, and golfing.
January Dragich is an experienced commercial litigator who helps businesses and individuals solve complex problems.
January represents clients in a wide range of litigation matters, including breach of contract claims, supplier disputes, fraud claims, shareholder and partnership disputes, and corporate governance matters, among other areas of focus, in both state and federal courts and in alternative dispute resolution settings. She also assists other lawyers in the firm in adversary proceedings and other litigation in bankruptcy court.
Prior to joining The Dragich Law Firm, January gained extensive experience over 15 years practicing at The Miller Law Firm, a premier commercial and class action litigation firm. While at The Miller Law Firm, she was involved in a number of high profile and high stakes matters as both plaintiff and defense counsel and helped to secure significant victories on behalf of the firm's clients.
January earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. While in law school, she was a Moot Court Board Member and was a Quarter Finalist in both the Gallagher Competition in 2000 and the Professional Responsibility Competition in 2001. She received a scholarship award from the American Corporate Counsel Association, and was selected to participate in a teaching exchange program by the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law faculty for the Universite d'Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
January is active in the legal community, and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, and Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
Natalie M. Sullivan is an associate attorney with The Dragich Law Firm. She joined the firm in October 2023 and is actively involved in the firm's corporate restructuring, business transaction, and commercial litigation practices.
Natalie assists the firm in completing corporate dissolutions, working on commercial litigation matters, as well as the drafting of commercial agreements and other corporate documents.
Natalie received her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2023. While in law school, she was Captain of the Trial Advocacy program, leading her team to first-place victory at the Ohio Attorney General Public Service Mock Trial Competition. She also co-founded UT's first in-house trial advocacy competition with over 50 student participants and 20 guest judges. Her academic and extracurricular achievements contributed to her nomination and membership to the Order of the Barristers and the Order of the Coif. She was also a judicial intern at Wayne County Circuit Court (Criminal Division) and the Michigan Court of Appeals (First District).
Natalie is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan.
Prior to law school, Natalie obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Michigan, where she majored in Spanish and minored in History. While there, Natalie was a member of the Circle K service group, which supported and fundraised for local Ann Arbor charities. She currently lives in Grosse Pointe and enjoys baking, reading, and running in her spare time.