FRESNO -- A lawyer from the Fresno-based firm Walter Wilhelm Bauer Law Group earned a spot in the Top 100 attorneys list for northern California this year.
Riley C. Walter, a shareholder at the Walter Wilhelm Bauer Law Group, has once again gained recognition for his work as a top bankruptcy attorney in northern California. For the fifth time, Walter has been named to the Top 100 list. This also marks the 13th consecutive time for him to be recognized on the Super Lawyers list for California.
Walter is a certified veteran in the legal profession with experience in handling insolvency cases dating back to 1980. His expertise focuses on Chapter 11 reorganization cases in which he represents debtors. The issues he has worked on involve large farms and dairies, wineries, canneries and developers. Walter also handles cases linked to retail businesses, hospital, non-profits and gold mines.
Walter also has been able to author several articles regarding insolvency and bankruptcy. He regularly serves as a guest speaker for financial, agricultural, business and legal organizations, including the Bankruptcy Judges, Farmers and Ranchers Tax Conference and Central California Bankruptcy Institute.
“I love the challenge and satisfaction of being a problem-solver. My ‘moment’ comes when I am able to make a real and ‘life-saving’ difference in a distressed business,” Walter said in his biographical listing on his firm's website.
Walter said his goal is to ensure that his clients’ businesses remain afloat and profitable. He constantly seeks to find the best options to deal with an issue.
“Most of the time, when people come to me with their financial and business problems, they have little idea what options they may have and feel bankruptcy is the only solution. In many cases, this should be the last avenue considered. This is a key time – when the 'life' of a business is at risk – to take a proactive approach. My charge is to work creatively and strategically to “zero” in on cost-effective solutions that preserve financial options," he said on his company's website. “That’s how I see my job: keeping a business ‘in business’ whenever possible and helping to keep people’s lives together."
Walter is accredited as a certified business bankruptcy specialist from the American Board of Bankruptcy. He is also a fellow with the American College of Bankruptcy, Class XIII. Walter has served as president of the Central California Bankruptcy Association and the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He was also the former director of the California Bankruptcy Forum and California Receiver's Forum. He served as chair and co-chair in the Business Law and Agricultural Law Sections of the Fresno County Bar Association and on the agribusiness committee of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar.