S. Cary Forrester

Phoenix attorney Cary Forrester has a diverse commercial bankruptcy, business restructuring and bankruptcy mediation practice. He has represented debtors, creditors, trustees, committees and asset purchasers in a wide range of bankruptcy cases and has served as a Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 trustee. He has also represented debtors and creditors in loan enforcement and receivership actions in state court.

Practice Areas
Commercial Bankruptcy
Commercial Litigation
Bankruptcy Mediation
A 1980 Harvard Law School honors graduate, Mr. Forrester has represented debtors, creditors, trustees, committees and asset purchasers in a wide range of bankruptcy cases (see representative results) and has served as both a Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 trustee. He has also represented debtors and creditors in loan enforcement and receivership actions in state court.

Mr. Forrester has practiced law in Arizona since 1980 and been actively involved in bankruptcy cases and loan enforcement actions for most of that time.
Peer Recognition

For 2019 and 2021, Mr. Forrester is Best Lawyers ® "Lawyer of the Year" (Phoenix) in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law.


He is an AV Preeminent ® rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell ® and has been a Super Lawyers selectee every year since 2008 and listed by  The Best Lawyers in America® since 2009.


Mr. Forrester is a 1985 graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Professional Leadership

Mr. Forrester has lectured on bankruptcy issues and has led seminar discussions on asset sales under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, personal Chapter 11 bankruptcies, and bankruptcy mediation.


He served on the executive committee of the Arizona Bankruptcy American Inn of Court from 2012 to 2014; is the immediate past chair of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s local CARE Program, which presents financial education programs to high school and college students; and is one of five bankruptcy lawyer representatives to the Ninth Circuit Council. He currently serves on the Bankruptcy Advisory Committee of the State Bar of Arizona.

Bankruptcy Mediation
Mr. Forrester has mediated many disputes in bankruptcy, with issues ranging from routine avoidance actions and discharge litigation to complex multi-party commercial litigation, real estate disputes, escrow disputes, patent infringement and royalty disputes, partnership dissolutions, legal malpractice, Ponzi scheme litigation, mining investments and disputes over timber royalties.
Honors and Awards

The Best Lawyers in America®  Lawyer of the Year (Phoenix), Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2019


The Best Lawyers in America® , 2009-present


Super Lawyers, 2008-present



AV Preeminent ® Peer Review Rating™, Martindale-Hubbell® 

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association

American Bankruptcy Institute: Past Chair, Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) Program

Ninth Circuit Council: Lawyer Representative

State Bar of Arizona: Bankruptcy Section; Bankruptcy Advisory Committee

Arizona Bankruptcy American Inn of Court:

Vice President, 2020;

Executive Committee, 2019-Current

Maricopa County Bar Association

Bar Admissions
Arizona, 1980
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 1980
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1988
Legal Education
Bankruptcy Mediation Training, 2004-2005
National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 1985
Education
J.D., cum laude, Harvard Law School, 1980
B.A., University of Arkansas, 1977
Birthplace
Lackland AFB, Texas, 1954