Amanda Vintevoghel-Backer is the Managing Partner of The Dragich Law Firm. She focuses her practice on corporate restructuring, bankruptcy, and complex business transactions.
Amanda plays a leading role in the firm’s restructuring practice, representing businesses in receiverships, assignments for the benefit of creditors (ABCs), Article 9 sales, and out-of-court wind-downs. She advises distressed companies with practical, business-focused counsel and develops creative strategies to protect value and achieve client objectives. She also represents individual and business creditors, helping them enforce their rights and maximize recoveries.
Amanda has significant expertise in restructuring, transactional, and litigation aspects of Michigan’s cannabis industry through her role serving as counsel to the receiver in two large and complex cannabis receivership cases. This experience includes the proceeding of Skymint, one of Michigan’s largest cannabis companies.
She has a deep understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern Michigan cannabis receivership proceedings, and practical experience working with the Cannabis Regulatory Agency and other governmental bodies that oversee the Michigan cannabis industry. In addition to her role as counsel to receivers, Amanda also advises operators, secured creditors, investors, landlords and other stakeholders in cannabis-related matters.
In her role as counsel to the receiver in these cannabis cases, Amanda has been integral in negotiating purchase agreements of the respective companies’ assets, as well as addressing the concerns of numerous constituents, including landlords, vendors, and local municipalities. Amanda also has worked with constituents to maintain the value of the receivership estates, including license preservation. She has also worked with the necessary parties to implement new management and operational teams during the receiverships.
In addition, Amanda advises clients in various business transactions, including the negotiation and drafting of commercial contracts, corporate formation, and the sale or acquisition of assets and businesses.
While Amanda’s practice focuses on restructuring transactions, inherent in such representations, she regularly represents clients in litigation matters in both federal and state courts. Amanda also participated in oral argument before the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2025.
She is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association, where she previously served as a member of the TMA Board of Directors. She is also the past President of the TMA Detroit Chapter.
Amanda has written and presented on bankruptcy and restructuring topics. She participated as a panelist on the “Alternatives to Bankruptcy” panel at the 2019 TMA Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio and served as a panel moderator for "Receiverships: Effective Preservation of Assets" in November 2019 at the Townsend Hotel. She also served as a panel moderator at the 2017 TMA Mid-America Restructuring Conference and the TMA NextGen Signs of Distress Program – Spring 2017. Her article, “Pending Proceeding Rule: An Exception to a Rule 2004 Examination,” was published in ABI’s Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee Newsletter in October of 2014.
Amanda received her juris doctor, cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She graduated from Northwood University, magna cum laude, with a degree in International Business and Business Management. At Northwood, she was a member of the cross-country and track teams.
An avid athlete, Amanda continues to compete as a distance runner, winning the 2010 Charlevoix Women’s Half-Marathon, the 2013 Sault Ste. Marie Women’s Marathon and the 2016 Back to the Beach Women’s Half-Marathon at Stoney Creek Metropark. She is also a two-time Boston Qualifier and she competed in the 2015 Boston Marathon.
Amanda volunteers with the Special Olympics of Grosse Pointe/Harper Woods.
RECENT REPRESENTATIVE CASES
Restructuring
Michigan Spring & Stamping, LLC, Counsel to Assignee for the Benefit of Creditors
MVK Farmco LLC, Counsel to the Post-Confirmation Liquidation Trustee of the PW OpCo
Liquidating Trust
Green Peak Industries, Inc. d/b/a Skymint, Counsel to Court-Appointed Receiver
Pharmaco, Inc., Counsel to Court-Appointed Receiver
Contractors Steel Company, Counsel to Court-Appointed Receiver
Comco, LLC, Counsel to Court-Appointed Receiver
Ann Arbor Distribution, Inc., Counsel to Assignee for the Benefit of Creditors
Sakthi Automotive Group USA, Inc. – Counsel to Court-Appointed Receiver
Heritage Sportswear, Inc. – Counsel to Court-Appointed Receiver
Edwards Brothers Malloy, Inc. – Counsel to Court-Appointed Receiver
Business Transactions
Representation of principal shareholders in going concern sale of Tier 1 automotive supplier
Negotiation of long-term supply contract on behalf of Tier 1 automotive supplier
Representation of seller of going concern retail operation with more than 20 locations in Midwest
Representation of corporate executive regarding transaction agreement and related items for sale of national company
Professional service firm – representation regarding engagement agreements and other firm legal matters
Real Estate private equity firm – representation regarding several acquisition transactions
Representation of seller entities in various industries
Commercial Litigation
Obtained multi-million dollar judgment in favor of Chinese company in United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Representation of international keg distributor in commercial litigation dispute in Orange County, Florida
Representation of Tier 1 automotive supplier in breach of warranty action in Oakland County, Michigan
Ongoing representation of apparel supplier with locations in several states regarding supplier litigation
Defense of non-profit corporation regarding breach of contract action