Brandi Richardson was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Winston Salem Division of the Middle District of North Carolina on October 1, 2023. Brandi replaced Kathryn Bringle upon her retirement. Brandi credits Kathryn for making her transition into the trusteeship as seamless as possible. Brandi states, “Kathryn went above and beyond in helping me prepare for becoming a Trustee. She is a brilliant person and deserves a great deal of credit.”
Brandi also credits Anita Jo (Jody) Troxler as being a phenomenal mentor. “Jody is the Chapter 13 Trustee in my neighboring district and she has given me invaluable advice, insight, and guidance.”
Brandi graduated summa cum laude from Averett University in Danville, Virginia, in 2004 with a degree in Pre-Law. She then moved back to North Carolina and received her juris doctorate magna cum laude from North Carolina Central University School of Law.
During law school, Brandi wasn’t satisfied with the career services program at NCCU law school so she set out to find an internship the “old fashioned” way. She took resumes to the law offices in her town and waited for one to call her. The first one who called happened to be a bankruptcy firm. She accepted the internship, was very glad she did, and never looked back. Until that point, bankruptcy work wasn’t even remotely on her radar, but after that summer, she knew consumer bankruptcy was exactly what she wanted to do with her career.
Immediately after law school she practiced with a bankruptcy firm for a few years before hanging out a shingle starting her own consumer bankruptcy practice. Although she represented debtors in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, she found that she enjoyed Chapter 13 work the most. When the opportunity arose, this led to applying for the Chapter 13 Trusteeship.
Brandi is married to her ever so supportive husband, Jerry. They have two children – Ella Kate who is in middle school and Liam who is starting kindergarten. Their house is very busy and filled with many non-human souls. They have quite the menagerie – 7 dogs (5 of which are dachshunds), 2 goats, 2 horses, and growing! As a matter of fact, she and her family are in the process of purchasing a 30-acre farm. Brandi spends most of her spare time working on the farm. She is quickly learning that farm work never ends, but much of it is also very therapeutic. “Farm work is a stark difference from my work as Trustee, but it provides considerable stress relief. The farm has become a passion project for my family, and we are very excited about it.”
The farm fits in perfectly with their outdoorsy life-style. They enjoy camping and horseback riding. Brandi is also pretty decent at water sports and enjoys wake surfing.
Brandi’s favorite entertainment genre is history and true crime – whether it be books, movies, television, or podcasts. Her absolute favorite is historical true crime!
Like most attorneys, Brandi is an avid reader. When asked her favorite book, she replied, “The Great Gatsby, because I get something new out of it every time I read it. My first job was at a Gilded Age mansion that had been converted into a museum. Working there piqued my interest in Gilded Age history. I suppose my fascination with The Great Gatsby can also be attributed to my interest in that period in history. I once stayed in the room F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed in at the Grove Park Inn. That was pretty exciting.”
Brandi’s office motto is Be Kind. “I cannot take credit for this simple, yet very effective, philosophy. It is something my father impressed upon me my entire life. While it is simple, I’ve found it to be very important in how I interact with staff, how staff interacts with one another, and how we approach our work with Debtors and attorneys.”
