Brett P. Furr

A member of the Taylor Porter Executive Committee, Partner Brett Furr is engaged primarily in a real estate and commercial litigation practice. In the last several years, his work has been related to commercial bank workout and litigation, including foreclosures, bankruptcies, defense of lender liability suits, and oil and gas cases and related matters.

Mr. Furr is the former chairman of the Banking Law Section of the National Lawyers Association. On behalf of the Louisiana Bankers Association, Mr. Furr was a principal drafter of a bill which was enacted as La. R.S. 6:1361, known as the ATM/Night Depository Customer Safety Act. He served on a Task Force to update the Local Court Rules for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. Mr. Furr is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy, bank liability, and related matters.

Mr. Furr has been selected for inclusion in Louisiana Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Furr was selected by his peers as real estate litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in Baton Rouge in the Best Lawyers in America 2020 rankings. This was the second time Mr. Furr has received the top honor in addition to his 2016 selection.

Mr. Furr is actively involved in the Baton Rouge community. He was selected as the recipient of the LSU College of Human Sciences and Education Distinguished Service on Behalf of the College Award. Mr. Furr is a member of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Business & Technology Center. He is a past president of the University Laboratory School Foundation and recently co-chaired a capital campaign which raised over $6,500,000. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of First Presbyterian Church where he chairs the Budget and Personnel Committees. Mr. Furr is a member of the Board of Directors of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation, and he formerly served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. He is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Baton Rouge Water Company. Mr. Furr recently served two terms on the Board of Governors of the City Club of Baton Rouge, serving on the Executive Committee and as Secretary.

• Lead counsel for privately owned and financed fund and a cardiovascular care group, the largest creditor, with a claim in excess of $175,000,000, in the consolidated bankruptcy cases of hospital including the successful defense of class action suits arising under the WARN Act and ancillary litigation.
• Lead counsel for freight company in the defense of an improper $12,000,000 sales tax assessment.
• Lead counsel in successful defense of class action suit filed on behalf of over 10,000 residents arising out of allegations of substandard water quality.
• Lead counsel for largest creditor owed over $175,000,000 in the liquidation of heart hospital, including defense of related class action cases.
• Lead counsel for community bank in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of foodservicewarehouse.com, one of the nation’s largest online distributors of kitchen equipment and related supplies.
• Lead counsel in defense of class suit alleging contamination out of an alleged release of oil in the historic 2016 floods.
• Lead counsel for community bank in a syndicated credit dispute involving a large oil and gas service company.
• Lead counsel for Kleinpeter Trace, L.L.C. in disputed secured lending relationship. Claims involved fraud, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.
• Lead counsel for local automobile dealership in protest of relocation of the dealership.
• Lead counsel on the involuntary bankruptcy case of development company. Representation included defense of numerous suits and the purchase of causes of action from the Trustee.
• Special counsel to the court appointed examiner in the matter entitled In re: Harold L. Rossbottom. Representation included identifying, securing and accounting for assets of the estate.
• Lead counsel to the nation’s largest special servicer of REMIC loans, in connection with property damage to commercial properties throughout Louisiana and Mississippi resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and related foreclosures, workouts, bankruptcies and commercial litigation.
• Lead defense counsel in fourteen consolidated class action cases involving over 20,000 class members seeking recovery of punitive damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
• Lead counsel for financial service corporation in the Chapter 11 proceedings of the nation’s largest exporter of alligator hides.
• Lead counsel for financial service corporation in defense of a lender liability suit filed in connection with multiple bond issuances financing manufacturing facilities in four states. The suit was dismissed with prejudice.
• Lead counsel for financial service corporation in the Chapter 11 proceedings of Loma Company, L.L.C. The claim involved a letter of credit enhanced bond issuance in excess of $7,000,000.
• Lead counsel for American bank in the Chapter 11 proceedings of nursing home:
  • Bank issued Letters of Credit to enhance tax exempt bonds in the approximate amount of $22,000,000
  • Proposed and confirmed a creditor’s plan liquidating six nursing homes in three states with related debt-in-possession financing.
• Lead counsel for American bank in the related chapter 11 proceedings of Schwegmann Westside Expressway, Inc. and its affiliate. Bank was the principal secured creditor with a claim in excess of $14,000,000.
• Lead counsel for American Bank in the chapter 11 proceedings of nursing home company and its affiliates consisting of six nursing homes in two states. Bank was the principal secured creditor with a claim in excess of $12,000,000.
• Lead counsel for water and sewer company in the chapter 11 proceedings of Johnson Properties, Inc.
  • Water and sewer company acquired the assets of Johnson properties pursuant to a negotiated chapter 11 plan proposed by the court-appointed Chapter 11 trustee
  • The assets of Johnson Properties consisted of over 200 sewer treatment facilities located in six states
  • Involvement included oversight of counsel to secure regulatory approval from three regions of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Offices of Environmental Quality in six states, and six state public service commissions
  • Secured related acquisition financing.
• Lead counsel in the successful defense of Anne Guzzardo v. Central Progressive Bank, a leading case in the defense of lender liability in Louisiana.
• Creditors’ Committee Counsel for Communication Corp. of America and White Knight Holdings, Chapter 11 consolidated proceedings in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Shreveport Division; Lead Case No.06-50410; Debtors own and operate several television stations in Louisiana, Texas and Indiana; Confirmed chapter 11 plan paid unsecured trade creditors in full.

• Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D., 1986
• Louisiana State University, B.S., Business Administration, 1983

• Louisiana, 1986

• Baton Rouge Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel (LADC)
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• National Association of Dealer Counsel
• Baton Rouge Water Company (Executive Committee and Board Member)
• Evergreen Working Capital (Board of Managers)
• LSU Law Center Alumni (Board of Trustees)

• AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Louisiana Super Lawyers – Banking
• Best Lawyers in America – Litigation – Real Estate “Lawyer of the Year” and Real Estate Law (2016, 2020)
• Chambers USA – Bankruptcy – Restructuring

• Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation (Board Member)
• Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (Former Board Chair)
• Baton Rouge Country Club (General Counsel and Ex-Officio Executive Committee Member)
• First Presbyterian Church (Chairman of Board of Trustees, Elder)