Born March 16, 1959 in Birmingham, Alabama
United States Citizen
United States Passport issued
Male
Married to Christie Scott Farinash
2 children, Maj. Joseph D. Farinash (USAF) and Rebecca Farinash Love
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
2021 to present – President, Hatcher Title & Escrow Agency, Inc.
2017 to present – Farinash & Stofan as Partner.
2013 to 2017 – Farinash & Hayduk as Partner.
1986 to 2013 – Kennedy, Koontz & Farinash (Formerly Kennedy, Fulton, Koontz & Farinash) as an Associate Attorney (1986 to 1990), and as Partner 1990 to 2013. Managing Partner 1999 to 2013.
1983 to 1986 – Weill, Ellis, Weems & Copeland as an Associate Attorney. 1990 to 1992 – Adjunct Professor of Business Law at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Taught one class per semester over approximately 3 years, including summer semesters.
2007 to 2011 – Instructor, C. Kenneth Still, Chapter 13 Trustee’s Financial Management Course entitle, “Personal Financial Choices”. Curriculum based upon national model developed by the Trustee Educational Network.
PROFESSIONAL LICENSES:
Tennessee License to Practice Law
Tennessee Title Insurance Producer’s License
Georgia Non-resident Title Insurance Producer’s License
EDUCATION:
Graduated in 3 years from Roane County High School, Kingston, Tennessee in 1976.
Graduated Magna Cum Laude with an Associates Degree in General Education from Roane State Community College, Rockwood, Tennessee in 1978.
Graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee in 1980.
Graduated with a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee in 1982.
COURT ADMISSIONS:
Tennessee Supreme Court – April, 1983
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee – November, 1983 United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan – June, 2004 Unites States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal – September, 1992
United States Supreme Court – December, 1992
Admitted for Filing of Claims in most Bankruptcy Courts in the United States PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
Member of the Panel of Standing Chapter 7 Trustees for the Eastern District of Tennessee, 1990 to Present.
Member of the Annual Customer Advisory Counsel to Bankruptcy Management Services in 2000 and 2005.
Member, Publicity Planning Committee for the 2008 Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference Mid-South Commercial Law Institute, Member, Board of Director 2006 to 2010, Secretary 2007 to 2011; Second term 2012 to February, 2017.
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Listed Mediator
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
American Bar Association 1980 to Present.
Chattanooga Bar Association 1982 to 2000
Fee Arbitration Panel 1984 to 1988
Board of Governors 1985 to 1987
Bar Bench Relations Committee 1989 to 1992
National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees 1992 to Present
Tennessee Bar Association 1982 to Present
PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS:
Foreclosure and Repossession in Tennessee (1985)
PROFESSIONAL SEMINARS TAUGHT:
Chattanooga Bar Association: Bridge the Gap Seminar (1989)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Bridge the Gap Seminar (1991)
Foreclosure and Repossession in Tennessee (1993)
How to Get Results in Collection of Delinquent Debts (1993)
Bradley County Bar Association: Bankruptcy for the General Practitioner (2001) Chattanooga Bar Association: Bankruptcy Abuse and Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (2005)
Bedford County Bar Association: Bankruptcy: The Old and the New (2005) Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association: Significant Topics in Domestic Practice (2006) Federal Bar Association of Northeast Tennessee (2012)
CASES:
In re McKenzie: 476 B.R. 515(CA 6th. 2013)
716 F.3d 404 (CA 6th. 2013)
737 F.3d 1034 (CA 6th. 2013)
494 B.R. 329 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2013)
510 B.R. 573 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2014)
460 B.R. 181 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
453 B.R. 737 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
449 B.R. 306 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
2010 W.L. 3304608 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2010)
2011 W.L. 2670208 (E.D.Tenn. 2011)
2011 W.L. 3585622 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
2011 W.L. 4600407 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
2011 W.L. 6140516 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
2012 W.L. 1115981 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2012)
2011 W.L. 5331255 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2012)
2013 W.L. 3335168 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2013)
2014 W.L. 693446 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2014)
2014 W.L. 1025025 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2014)
In re Silvey: 378 B.R. 186 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn 2007)
2008 W.L. 4646094 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2008)
2009 W.L. 792561 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2009)
In re John Hicks Olds-GMC, Inc., 174 B.R. 81 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 1994) 192 B.R. 911 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 1996)
1994 W.L. 621531 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 1994)
In re Prebul Jeep, Inc: 2009 W.L. 4581900 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2009) 2009 W.L. 4348602 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2009)
In re Trinity Communications, LLC: 2012 W.L. 1067673 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2012) 2012 W.L. 2367169 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2009)
In re Morgan: 2010 W.L. 4922581 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2010)
2011 W.L. 166120 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
In re James, 498 B.R. 813 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn 2013)
In re Senior Housing Associates 444 B.R. 386 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn 2011)
In re Martin, 419 B.R. 772 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn 2009)
In re Tomlinson, 347 B.R. 639 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2006)
In re Blackmon, 283 B.R. 910 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2002)
In re Aultman Enterprises, 264 B.R. 485 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2001)
Harriet & Henderson Yarns, Inc. v. Castle, 75 F.Supp.2d 818 (W.D.Tenn. 1999) In re Bumpass, 196 B.R. 780 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 1996)
In re Stockburger, 192 B.R. 908 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 1996)
In re Lingerfelt, 180 B.R. 502 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 1995)
In re: Don Williams Constr. Co., Inc, 143 B.R. 865 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 1992) Hogan v. Doyle, 768 S.W.2d 259 (1988)
In re Noblit, 2013 W.L. 4017283 (E.D.Tenn. 2013)
SouthEast Bank & Trust v. Smith Drug Co., 2013 W.L. 1212493 (E.D.Tenn. 2013) In re Smith, 2013 W.L. 1092059 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2013)
In re Magellan Solutions, LLC, 2011 W.L. 2975921 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011) In re Hopkins, 2011 W.L. 1542079 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2011)
In re Hyyti, 2009 W.L. 943553 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2009)
In re Judzewitsch, 2008 W.L. 818108 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2008)
In re Herd, 2007 W.L. 2481369 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Tenn. 2007)
Sneed v. County of McMinn, 1986 W.L. 11803;
State of Tennessee v. Floyd, 1987 W.L. 9168;
PROFESSIONAL SEMINARS:
Tennessee Trial Lawyers: Auto Torts (1987)
Tennessee Law Institute: 16th Annual Review Seminar (1987)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Conservatorships, Guardianships,
Protecting the Incapacitated (1987)
Tennessee Bar Association: Seminar on Ethics (1987)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Tennessee Attorney Disciplinary Program (1988) Chattanooga Bar Association: National Developments on Bankruptcy Scene (1988) Tennessee Law Institute: 17th Annual Review Seminar (1988)
Tennessee Law Institute: 18th Annual Review Seminar (1989)
Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute: 16th Annual Seminar
on Bankruptcy Law and Rules (1990)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: Fabrications, Falsehoods & Financial Statements (1990) Tennessee Law Institute: 19th Annual Review Seminar (1990)
EOUST Trustee Tax Seminar (1990)
Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute: 17th Annual Seminar
on Bankruptcy Law and Rules (1991)
Tennessee Law Institute: 20th Annual Review Seminar (1991)
Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute: 18th Annual Seminar
on Bankruptcy Law and Rules (1992)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Ethics: Cannons 4, 5 & 9 (1993)
Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute: 19th Annual Seminar
on Bankruptcy Law and Rules (1993)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Local Bankruptcy Practice (1993)
The Michie Company: Legal Research on Your Terms (1995)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: Taking Care of Business: Avoiding, Resolving Litigating Business Issues (1995)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Public Speaking for Lawyers (1996)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Employee Benefits and Chapter 13 (1996) Asset Protection Techniques in Tennessee (1996)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: Commercial and Bankruptcy Law in the Next Millennium (1996)
Chattanooga Bar Association: Advanced Practice Tips for Litigators (1997) Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: The Changing Landscape for the Commercial Lawyer (1997)
Tennessee Bar Association: Ethical Considerations 101 (1998)
Tennessee Bar Association: Ethical Considerations 102 (1998)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: Practicing in an Evolving and Uncertain World (1998) Tennessee Bar Association: Ethical Considerations 103 (1999)
Tennessee Bar Association: Ethical Considerations 104 (1999)
Tennessee Bar Association: Admissibility of Scientific Evidence in Tennessee (1999) Tennessee Bar Association: Product Liability Defendants: Who Can be Sued (1999) Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: Assessing the Present and Looking to the Future (1999) Southern Methodist University of Law: 34th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium (2000) Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: Practicing in the New Millennium (2000) Norton Institutes on Bankruptcy Law: Litigation Institute I (2001)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: Revised Article 9 and Other UCC Issues (2001) Chattanooga Bar Association: Get on With PowerPoint (2001)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute: When It’s Over Before it Really Gets Started (2003) National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees: Spring Seminar (2004)
Demonstration of CM/ECF for United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (2004)
National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges: 19th Annual Education Program (2004) Mid-South Commercial Law Institute Annual Seminar (2004)
Chattanooga Bar Association: “Life After Till” (2004)
United State District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee: Electronic Filing in Federal District Court (2004)
Commercial Law League of America: Current Developments in Hot and Emerging Areas (2004) United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee: Demonstration of CM/ECF (2004)
National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees: Spring Seminar (2005)
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee: Presentation of New Local Court Rules (2005)
Forensic Recovery Group, Inc.: How to Recover Insurance Premiums in Bankruptcy Liquidations (2005)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute Annual Seminar (2005)
National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees: Spring Seminar (2006)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute Annual Seminar (2006)
National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees: Spring Seminar (2007)
40 Hour General Civil Mediation For Supreme Court Listing Training (2007) Mid-South Commercial Law Institute Annual Seminar (2007)
68th Annual Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference (2008)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute Annual Seminar (2008)
General Civil Law, Ethics and More (2009)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute Annual Seminar (2009)
Learn and Lunch Bankruptcy Seminar (2010)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute Annual Seminar (2010)
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Family Mediation (2011)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute (2011)
National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees: Spring Seminar (2012)
Chapter 7 Trustee Seminar (2012)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute (2012)
General Civil Mediation Law, Ethics and More (2013)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute (2013)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute (2014)
22nd Mastering Scientific Evidence in DUI/DWI (2015)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute (2015)
General Civil Mediation for TN Supreme Court Rule 31 Listing (2015)
Mid-South Commercial Law Institute (2016)
Family Mediation for TN Supreme Court Rule 31 Listing (2017)
Ethics Rules Regarding Misconduct (2017)
National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges 2018 Annual Meeting
Applicable Rules for Using Social Media (2019)
Legal Ethics: Confidentiality in the 21st Century (2019)
Ethics and the Difficult Client (2019)
National Association of Bankruptcy Trustee’s Annual Conference (2019) Mid-South Commercial Law Institute 40th Annual Seminar (2019)
Ethics Roadshow (2019)
A Creditor’s Rights: Top Issues and Common Mistakes From the Judge’s Perspective (2020) Legal Technology Update: Zoom, Slack, and Other Things You Never Realized You Need (2020) NACBA 2021 Members Workshop (2021)
Hot Topics in Real Estate 2021: Tennessee Real Estate Case Law Update (2021) Cases, COVID, Cares and CAA (2021)
Managing Arbitrator and Mediator Bias (2021)
Virtual Arbitrations – Best Practices (2021)
Online Mediation – Why, How, and the Future (2021)
PERSONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
Board of Directors, Mid-South Commercial Law Institute 2012 – Present
Treasurer, Mid-South Commercial Law Institute 2006 – 2010
Chattanooga Civitan, 2005 to 2008
Director, Tennessee Hemophilia and Bleeding Disorders Foundation (2000 -2002) Director, Highland Park Neighborhood Association (2002- 2004)
Director, Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga (2006 to Present)
Vice-President, Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga (2007 to Present) President, Moccasin Flying Club (1998 – 2000)
Director, AirShow Chattanooga (1994 – 2000)
Life Member, Tennessee Ornithological Society
Member, Chattanooga Civitan (2004 to Present)
Kingston Jaycees (1976 to 1980)
MISCELLANEOUS:
Named as a Best Lawyer in America in the specialty of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law, since 2007
Treasurer, Committee to Elect Uneva Shaw, 2005
Treasurer, Committee to Elect Charles Shaw, 2007, 2008
Treasurer, Committee to Elect Andrea Hayduk 2018
