James F. Rigby

Background

Rigby was born in 1954 and has been associated professionally with Washington State. By the 1990s he was practicing in Seattle, where his work combined private bankruptcy practice with service as a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.

Education

Rigby received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Puget Sound School of Law. The University of Washington, founded in Seattle in 1861, developed into the leading public research university in the Pacific Northwest. The University of Puget Sound School of Law provided legal education in Tacoma during the period when Rigby entered the profession.

Career

Rigby began practicing bankruptcy law in Seattle in 1980 and founded Rigby & Associates, a small firm focused on bankruptcy matters. By 1997 he was identified as the firm's principal and had practiced in the field for more than a decade. His work included representation of bankruptcy estates and related litigation in the federal courts.

Beginning in 1984, Rigby served as a bankruptcy trustee in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington. A Chapter 7 trustee administers the bankruptcy estate, gathers and liquidates nonexempt assets when appropriate, and distributes proceeds under the priorities established by federal bankruptcy law. Court records identify Rigby as trustee in cases involving Seattle-area businesses, real-estate interests, and individual estates.

Rigby served as chair of the King County Bar Association Bankruptcy Law Section and participated on the Local Rules Committee of the United States Bankruptcy Court. He also spoke on bankruptcy issues. In the large Michael R. Mastro bankruptcy, Rigby acted as Chapter 7 trustee and pursued recovery of estate assets through litigation and related proceedings. Later court records identify his practice as the Rigby Law Firm and place its Seattle office at 600 Stewart Street.

Achievements

• Rigby established a Seattle bankruptcy practice in 1980 and developed it into a firm focused on bankruptcy matters.

• He served as a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee from 1984 and administered estates in complex federal bankruptcy proceedings, including the Michael R. Mastro estate.

• He contributed to professional legal administration through chairing the King County Bar Association Bankruptcy Law Section and serving on the Local Rules Committee of the United States Bankruptcy Court.

Membership

Rigby participated in the professional institutions connected with bankruptcy practice in King County and the federal courts. His documented service included leadership of the King County Bar Association Bankruptcy Law Section and participation on the Local Rules Committee of the United States Bankruptcy Court, bodies concerned with legal practice and court procedure.

• Served as chairman.

  King County Bar Association Bankruptcy Law Section , United States

• Served as a committee member.

  Local Rules Committee of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington , United States

Connections

In 1997, Rigby lived in Seattle with his wife, Susan, and their daughter.

Wife:

Susan Rigby

References

• Washington State Bar News, May 1997 Profiles Rigby as principal of Rigby & Associates, a bankruptcy-focused Seattle firm; records his founding of the practice in 1980, service as a bankruptcy trustee from 1984, professional committee work, and family circumstances in 1997.
  1997
• Linda A. Mastro v. James F. Rigby, Jr. Ninth Circuit opinion documenting Rigby's role as Chapter 7 trustee in the Michael R. Mastro bankruptcy estate and litigation arising from the administration of that estate.
  2014
• In re Michael R. Mastro, Debtor; James F. Rigby, Jr., Chapter 7 Trustee, Appellant v. Michael R. Mastro, Appellee Bankruptcy Appellate Panel decision describing Rigby's efforts as trustee to identify and recover assets in the Mastro bankruptcy.
  2018
• United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington, Case No. 17-01129 Federal bankruptcy memorandum decision identifying James Rigby as trustee for the Debra Wilson estate and documenting his administration of the Chapter 7 case.
  2017