Get to know Gustavo
Gustavo A. Chico-Barris is a Senior Member and Co-Chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Practice Group. He is also part of the Dispute Resolution Group/Commercial Litigation Division and the Insurance Practice Group. Before joining Ferraiuoli, he served as law clerk for Chief Judge Hon. Enrique S. Lamoutte at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Prior to that, he was a partner in a boutique law firm in Puerto Rico doing corporate counseling, real estate transactions, commercial litigation, ethical defense, and insurance practice.
Gustavo currently focuses his legal practice in advising and representing creditors in all aspects of Bankruptcy, including judicial proceedings in Chapter 7, 11, 12 and 13 cases, and out-of-court financial transactions and restructuring. He has gained considerable negotiation skills and ample litigation experience in federal and state trial and appellate courts, agencies, and arbitration forums, on bankruptcy and commercial litigation, insurance regulation, claims under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, real estate transactions, bond claims, insurance claims and fraud claims.
As a bankruptcy practitioner, Gustavo excels at finding quick and practical solutions. His experience as a professor also allows him to be thorough and intricate in complex bankruptcy disputes and contested matters.
Gustavo serves as an Adjunct Professor of Bankruptcy Law with the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He also regularly serves as a panelist for the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), and as keynote speaker for the Association of Insolvency & Plan of Reorganization Advisors (AIRA). In addition, he often lectures on varied bankruptcy topics to Puerto Rico CPAs and Bankruptcy professional associations.
Gustavo is a member of the PR Bankruptcy Court Continuing Legal Education Committee, and volunteers as a regular panelist with the Credits Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) (PR Chapter) a national non-profit organization to educate children and young adults about the benefits of personal financial management and consequences of credit abuse.
Gustavo has also been recognized by Chambers & Partners, Best Lawyers and Legal 500.
- In re Echevarria, 2026 Bankr. LEXIS 312, 2026 WL 318379 (Bankr. D.P.R. Feb. 5, 2026) (authorizing the secured creditor to execute and file any declaration allowed by the Commercial Transactions Act, thus permitting creditor to file a new financing statement after the original ones expired without requiring the debtor’s consent).
- In re Lugo, 2025 Bankr. LEXIS 1469, 2025 WL 1711035 (Bankr. D.P.R. June 18, 2025) (granting relief from the automatic stay and declining to apply the dissolution of the corporate entity for § 362 purposes in the personal bankruptcy).
- Inst. Médico Del Norte, Inc. v. Greengift Capital, LLC, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60111, 2023 WL 2732420 (D.P.R. Feb. 24, 2023) (affirming the Bankruptcy Court’s judgment dismissing the complaint for discharge injunction violation, inter alia).
- El Farmer, Inc. v. Commonwealth of P.R., 693 F. Supp. 3d 202 (D.P.R. 2023) (reversing the lower court’s dismissal of the declaratory judgment complaint declining to apply the abstention doctrine).
- El Farmer, Inc. v. Commonwealth of P.R/9 693 F. Supp. 3d 202 (D.P.R. 2023) (reversing the trial court’s dismissal of an adversary proceeding complaint for impermissible deprivation of property in violation of the Taking Clauses premised on abstention).
- Instituto Medico Del Norte Inc. v. Condado & LLC (In re Instituto Medico Del Norte Inc.), 2022 Bankr. LEXIS 1504, 2022 WL 1721350 (Bankr. D.P.R. May 27, 2022), recon. denied 2022 Bankr. LEXIS 2104, 2022 WL 3031624 (Bankr. D.P.R., Aug. 1, 2022) (denying plaintiff’s request to dismiss the counterclaim foreclosure action and declining to apply the doctrine of rebus sic stantibus).
- Vaqueria Las Martas, Inc. v. Condado 5, LLC (In re Vaqueria Las Martas, Inc.), 638 B.R. 482 (B.A.P. 1st Cir. 2022) (affirming the dismissal of a Chapter 12 bankruptcy petition for unreasonable delay).
- Preserba Compañía De Desarrollos, Inc. v. Condado 2, LLC (In re Preserba Compañía De Desarrollos, Inc.), 635 B.R. 185 (B.A.P. 1st Cir. 2022) (applying the res judicata effect to stipulations in bankruptcy and explaining their repercussions, particularly in Chapter 11 cases).
- In re Caribbean Motel Corp., 2022 Bankr. LEXIS 25, 2022 WL 50401 (Bankr. D.P.R. Jan. 5, 2022) (overruling the debtor’s objection to the applicability of § 1111(b), which lead to the denial of the debtor’s proposed plan of reorganization, which resulted in turn in a substantial settlement agreement).
- Milk Indus. Regulatory Office of the Commonwealth of P.R. v. Rosa Dairy Farm, Inc. (In re Rosa Dairy Farm, Inc.), 622 B.R. 806 (B.A.P. 1st Cir. 2020) (discussing the lease of milk quotas in bankruptcy cases).
- In re Halais-Borges, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150707 (D.P.R. Aug. 12, 2019) (denying appellant’s request for withdrawal of reference and dismissing the appeal from the lower court’s order granting relief from the automatic stay).
- In re Lopez Llanos, 578 B.R. 700 (Bankr. D.P.R. 2017) (dismissing a bankruptcy petition with a 1-year bar to refile for failure to disclose assets and bad faith).
- LM Waste Serv. Corp. v. Municipio De Juana Diaz (In re LM Waste Serv. Corp.), 562 B.R. 845 (Bankr. D.P.R. 2016) (dismissing adversary proceeding complaint seeking damages under abstention principles).
- In re Peña, 2016 LEXIS 824, 2016 WL 1043736 (Bankr. D.P.R. 2016) (dismissal of Chapter 11 case for substantial or continuing loss and diminution of the estate).
- In re Acevedo Hernandez, 549 R. 551 (Bankr. D.P.R. 2016) (allowing for direct payments to secured creditors through a Chapter 12 Plan of Reorganization saving the expense of the trustee’s fees).
- In re Oritz Colon, 2016 LEXIS 2344, 2016 WL 3548821 (Bankr. D.P.R. 2016) (case of first impression in the First Circuit declaring the impossibility of conversion from Chapter 12 to Chapter 11 under Section 1208(e) of the Bankruptcy Code and granting motion to dismiss).
- In re Martinez Santiago, 2015 LEXIS 3438, 2015 WL 5919926 (Bankr. D.P.R. 2015) (conversion of a Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 for substantial or continuing loss and diminution of the estate).
- In re Rodríguez Plaza, 182 D.P.R. 328 (2011) (representing a PR Court of First Instance Judge against ethical judicial violations with the PR Supreme Court).
- Wicovitch Punta del Mar Beach Village (In re Compañía El Mueble, Inc.), Decision and Order, Adv. Proc. No. 11-00063 (SEK) ECF No. 17 (Bankr. D.P.R. 2011) (allowing a creditor to set off a debt against the trustee via counterclaim in an adversary proceeding under the doctrine of recoupment).
- Speaker, Bankruptcy Symposium sponsored by the Fideicomiso para la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad de Puerto Rico,
- Speaker, Segundo Congreso de Seguros: Riesgos Catastróficos, Huracanes y Terremotos for the CLE Program of the School of Law at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) 2021, Puerto Rico.
- Speaker, Bankruptcy Considerations for Non-Bankruptcy Practitioners and Notaries for the Federal Bar Association (FBA) 2021, Puerto Rico Chapter.
- Speaker, Subchapter V in the COVID-19 Era for the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) 2021 Caribbean Virtual Insolvency Symposium.
- Adjunct Professor, Bankruptcy Law, University of Puerto Rico School of Law (2017-2024).
- Speaker, Chapter 13 Panel for the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) 2016 Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Keynote Speaker, The Future of Puerto Rico for the 15th Annual Association of Insolvency & Plan of Reorganization Advisors (AIRA) 2016, New York.
- International Comparative Legal Guide to Corporate Recovery & Insolvency (Puerto Rico) published by Global Legal Group Ltd., London. (2016 and 2019).
Education
- Inter American Univ. School of Law, JD
- Tufts University, BA
- Saint John’s School, HD
Bar Admissions
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts New York
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of International Trade
- U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- American Bankruptcy Institute
Professional Recognition
- Ranked since 2024 in the Chambers & Partners Latin America Guide as a distinguished Dispute Resolution: Bankruptcy attorney in Puerto Rico.
- Recognized since 2023 by Best Lawyers® in Puerto Rico for Insolvency and Reorganization Law.
- Gustavo A. Chico-Barris has been distinguished as a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500 Latin America (2022 edition).
- Certificate of Appreciation by The World Bank Group in appreciation of contribution to Doing Business 2021.
