Kean Miller LLP

Tobey Blanton Forney

With nearly three decades of experience, Tobey advises high-net-worth individuals, families, business owners, fiduciaries, private foundations, and public charities on sophisticated matters, including estate planning, generational wealth transfer planning, probate administration, charitable giving, business succession, private foundation governance, and fiduciary matters. Her background combines tax expertise, large-firm practice, entrepreneurial leadership, nonprofit governance experience, and executive management experience, allowing her to bring a practical and strategic perspective to complex legal and tax issues. While legacy planning is her primary focus, Tobey has also advised charitable entities on an array of issues for nearly three decades, including formation and governance, joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions. She also advises small, family-held businesses on formation, governance, and succession planning. Tobey previously represented clients in tax controversy matters.

Laura Dumas

Civil litigator Laura Dumas resolves complex commercial and civil disputes across a variety of subject matters in both state and federal courts. She has successfully handled various trade secret, mass tort, shareholder derivative, real estate, and oil and gas claims – on attack or defense, whether in large-scale, multi-district litigation actions in the courtroom, or in an alternative dispute resolution forum such as arbitration or mediation. A Certified Mediator herself, Laura has successfully resolved major cases in both mediation and arbitration. She is known for creating a tactical advantage for those she serves by leveraging the many nuances of civil procedure and applied legal theory and balancing these legal considerations with specific case facts and salient practical considerations, such as the client’s ultimate goals and risk tolerance. Laura has managed myriad commercial disputes, ranging from construction defects and all manner of real estate disputes to securities fraud, negligence, professional malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and maritime disputes. She has handled commercial litigation claims at all levels of complexity, monetary value, and risk. Laura’s approach to litigation is designed to protect her client’s best interests in the most cost-effective and expeditious manner. She has realized exemplary outcomes across many high-value, commercial litigation disputes and led significant victories at trial and arbitration, including a seven-figure arbitration award—complete with a recovery of all attorneys’ fees—in a multi-year dispute between a corporation and a senior executive. In addition, Laura won a defense verdict for a building owner in a construction litigation trial and obtained pre-trial dismissal of a multi-million-dollar personal injury suit against a large residential real estate brokerage. She has also successfully negotiated multiple settlements, both informally through discussions with opposing parties and formally through mediation – all with a consistent focus on a practical and expedient resolution for her clients. A creative advocate who is tireless in her approach to realizing the right result, Laura’s pragmatism is valued by everyone around her. She does not believe in fighting just for the sake of fighting and works with her clients to employ dispute resolution tactics that conserve their time and resources and make sense for their business. A trusted advisor who is relatable, persuasive, and credible, Laura is a dedicated and formidable advocate who believes in leading with fact and sound legal theory rather than melodrama and needless acrimony – among the many reasons she enjoys longevity in her client relationships. Prior to joining Kean Miller, Laura served as head of the litigation practice group and managing counsel for a Texas commercial law firm and as a litigation attorney for a long-standing and well-respected California commercial law firm. Both during and after law school, Laura worked as a Teaching Assistant and later as an Adjunct Professor of Appellate Advocacy at the McGeorge School of Law. While in law school, Laura also interned at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.

Rachel T. Kubanda

Rachel Kubanda guides debtors, creditors, and other interested parties through every phase of bankruptcy and related litigation. Rachel has extensive experience across many industries, including energy, healthcare, financial services, retail, restaurants, and construction. Rachel frequently represents small business and commercial debtors, secured lenders, trade creditors, asset purchasers, landlords, and chapter 7 trustees. Rachel handles all aspects of bankruptcy-related litigation, including prosecuting and defending fraudulent transfers, preference actions, contract disputes, contested claim objections, and much more. Her practice also includes general civil litigation in both federal and state courts, including collection actions and judgment enforcements. In a distressed situation, where time is of the essence, Rachel maximizes client financial recovery by providing workable legal solutions and streamlined direction. Listed among The Best Lawyers in America’s “Ones to Watch” and Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Stars,” Rachel brings the litigation prowess needed to realize the best possible client outcomes in and out of court. Rachel is mindful of minimizing her client’s exposure to risk when pursuing the right end game on their behalf. Although negotiating practical solutions can generate substantial savings, Rachel believes in being prepared to aggressively litigate complex bankruptcy disputes before the courts — when her client’s rights are in the balance and a negotiated solution cannot be achieved. Appreciated for her ability to handle highly-charged disputes, Rachel is a tenacious litigator who is responsive to client needs and personally dedicated to delivering high-quality work product. Among Rachel’s greatest strengths is her clear, direct communication style with clients and other matter stakeholders. She focuses on setting clear priorities, bringing together diverse constituents as needed, and implementing creative solutions to the roadblocks to progress that arise from all types of insolvency events and ensuing bankruptcy litigation.

Lloyd A. Lim

Bankruptcy and financial services sector advisor, Lloyd Lim, navigates clients through all types of insolvency events, financial restructurings, and bankruptcy litigation. His extensive knowledge of and proficiency in insolvency matters of all kinds – negotiated behind the scenes or aggressively litigated before the courts – reflect his proven skill as top-tier lead counsel to creditors seeking to maximize their financial recovery throughout Texas and beyond. Lloyd represents lenders and lender groups, trade creditors, bondholders, indenture trustees, asset purchasers, and landlords in out-of-court workouts, Chapter 11 proceedings, bankruptcy litigation, exit financing, and Section 363 sales. He brings proven skill to advocating creditor rights primarily before the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern, Northern, Western, and Eastern Districts of Texas, and other Bankruptcy Courts throughout the country. Lloyd’s incomparable level of multidisciplinary expertise and service is manifest in innovative solutions to complex problems and rapid response tactics that leverage financial recovery. His legal acumen is further reinforced by his fluency in analyzing and understanding the components of successful debt realization and restructuring – practical business experience earned over many years of successful practice. Lloyd is appreciated for ably guiding creditors through corporate reorganizations and complicated restructurings and receiverships. Time and again, he proves his ability to overcome difficult challenges for creditors at the local, regional, and national levels and advocates their rights in Chapter 11 cases and other bankruptcy court and insolvency proceedings. Lloyd brings seemingly natural talent to creating legal solutions that are efficient for clients faced with the threat and financial hazard and diminishing returns. He is fluent in the inherent risks associated with distressed company situations. Although Lloyd primarily represents creditors, he occasionally represents debtors. He brings this multi-faceted, holistic point of view to overcoming even the most difficult challenges his clients face when resolving middle-market financial crisis management, financial debt recovery, and quick strike litigation initiatives – particularly for the energy and retail sectors. He remains poised to jump into action at every phase of development – particularly when smart solutions, delivered with the utmost professionalism, are key to achieving his client’s end game. Lloyd believes in being client accessible at every turn and immediately responsive to their specific needs, questions, and concerns. He is dedicated to providing the highest level of legal acumen – skills that were developed over many years of training at an AmLaw 100 firm. Today, Lloyd brings this “big law” comparable depth of practice to creditors with far more flexibility and cost efficiency when resolving middle market insolvency events ranging in size and complexity from millions to hundreds of millions of dollars in value.

Richard McConnell

Michael Phillips

Laura Rahman

Laura Rahman practices with the firm’s Casualty and Mass Tort Litigation group. She is a critical member of key client teams that defend major toxic tort, product and premises liability claims with demands that reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Laura has earned her reputation for excellence in effectively developing and continuously analyzing, streamlining, managing, and supporting the copious amounts of information and details inherent in these disputes. A considerate defense strategist and highly effective claim manager and litigator, Laura is the ultimate taskmaster who will ensure dispute resolution remains on track and moving toward the right result. Among Laura’s clients are industrial businesses, public and private companies, and commercial factories and plants. She brings considerable skill to defending claims of asbestos, benzene, and silica exposure, including lawsuits against the companies that manufacture and distribute such products and the premises on which those products were utilized. She is particularly effective in resolving this type of litigation due to her profound understanding of the medical and scientific information that permeates these matters, distinct capabilities that are brought to bear for the benefit of her clients. Nearly three decades of successful practice in effectively defending and managing complex litigation across the state and beyond means that Laura brings her proven proficiency and dexterity to every matter in which she is involved. Clients and colleagues alike turn to Laura not only for her legal acumen but also for her heightened organizational skills, strong professional relationships cultivated over many years of serving as a defense advocate and earned reputation for being reasonable and engaging. She is fluent in the tactics of the myriad plaintiffs’ attorneys associated with these lawsuits – a value-add when a favorable result in or out of court is mission-critical to her client. As a litigation strategist, Laura is relied upon for her creativity in applying the law to each distinct case in a manner that leverages the potential of a favorable outcome via tactical, hard-fought litigation or advantageous settlement. She brings out-of-the-box thinking and novel approaches to the many layers of problem-solving inherent in single and multi-plaintiff claims, and multi-district litigation, and large-scale defenses with an array of players, moving parts, contingencies, and unexpected roadblocks to progress.