Robert E. Hurlbett –
California Bankruptcy Attorney

Hurlbett & Faucher, LLP, with offices in Santa Barbara, Westlake Village and Arroyo Grande, California providing legal services throughout Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties.

Robert Hurlbett began his career in bankruptcy and general business law in 1988 as a law clerk with bankruptcy boutique, Ryder & Walter, which later formed the insolvency department of McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte & Carruth, a large, multi-specialty law firm in Fresno, California.  Mr. Hurlbett transferred his practice to Santa Barbara in 1994 and was joined by Mr. Faucher in 2009.

Hurlbett & Faucher, LLP, represents a diverse clientele in matters related to insolvency and bankruptcy, debtor/creditor law and general business law with particular emphasis in business reorganization.

Before law school, Mr. Hurlbett was a radio and television news reporter in Colorado and Texas and later worked as an archaeologist in Colorado, California, Oregon, Hawaii and Ponape, Micronesia.  He graduated from San Joaquin College of Law, Fresno, California and was admitted to the California Bar in 1990.  He received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (Anthropology/Archaeology) degrees from Colorado State University in 1968 and 1976, worked on a Ph.D. in Archaeology at the University of Oregon from 1976 through 1978 and in 1982, received a Master of Science degree in Management as a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.  In 2011, Mr. Hurlbett completed the certificate program in Enology and Winemaking at the University of California, Davis.

Mr. Hurlbett is a member of the Santa Barbara County Bar Association (Co-Chairman of the Debtor/Creditor Section, 1997 – Present), the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Federal Bar Association.  He is a former adjunct professor of law (Remedies and Bankruptcy Law) at San Joaquin College of Law, Fresno, California.  He lives with his wife, Sara, in Santa Barbara, California, flies his paraglider in the U.S. and near Bucaramanga, Colombia, hikes, reads and enjoys spending time with children and granddaughters.

John D. Faucher –
California Bankruptcy Attorney

Offices in Westlake Village and Santa Barbara, covering Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties

John Faucher started working on bankruptcy issues almost 20 years ago, because he finds it an invigorating mix of client counseling, court appearances, litigation, and helping people in difficult circumstances.

In his final semester of law school in 1993, Mr. Faucher interned for Judge Alan Jaroslovsky of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California (Santa Rosa). While looking for a job after law school, he interned for Chief Judge Joseph Cosetti of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh).

From Judge Cosetti’s chambers, Mr. Faucher moved to Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott, a 200-attorney firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, doing litigation and bankruptcy work for large clients.

From Pittsburgh, Mr. Faucher moved to Houston, where he worked for Coastal Corporation, a Texas oil company facing bankruptcy and debtor-creditor issues all over the world.

For 10 years, he worked as a special assistant U.S. Attorney representing the IRS in bankruptcy courts in Houston, Texas; Woodland Hills; and Santa Barbara. His work at IRS included review of offers in compromise, objections to chapter 13 plans, litigation over IRS claims in bankruptcy, lien and levy collection issues including IRS seizures, and tax litigation.

As a partner at Hurlbett and Faucher LLP, Mr. Faucher has guided many debtors through to successful discharges, litigated cases on behalf of and against trustees, removed liens from debtors’ properties, stopped repossessions and foreclosures, and helped debtors obtain discharges when creditors have used an adversary proceeding to challenge the debtor’s discharge.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Mr. Faucher was a news reporter for local newspapers in California (the San Clemente Daily Sun/Post, the Saddleback Valley News, the Berkeley Voice, and the San Jose Business Journal).  His work has also been published in the New York Times.

Mr. Faucher has a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, a master’s in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley, and a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the University of California at Davis.  He speaks French, German, and Spanish.

Some of Mr. Faucher’s favorite authors are Peter Drucker and David Allen because of their emphasis on identifying the right things to do, and getting them done.

He lives with his wife, two daughters, a dog, three cats, and too many bunnies to count. He enjoys hiking, riding his bicycle, and reading.

Reed H. Olmstead –
California Bankruptcy Attorney

Reed Olmstead joined Hurlbett & Faucher, LLP as a law clerk during his tenure at the Santa Barbara College of Law.  Immediately upon passing the California Bar Exam in May 2010, he was chosen as the firm’s sole associate attorney.  He specializes in representing consumer and small business debtors in Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy cases but also represents creditors and chapter 7 trustees.

As the son of a certified bankruptcy specialist and former chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee, Reed learned the basics of bankruptcy at a young age and decided to make it his focus.  During law school he completed a judicial externship under the Hon. Robin L. Riblet at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Santa Barbara.  He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the Federal Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Reed earned his JD at the Santa Barbara College of Law where he graduated with honors.  During law school, he earned several scholarships, awards and other honors for his achievements in individual subjects and for his overall performance.  He earned his BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring in both Law & Society (exploring the impact of the legal system on society) and Philosophy.

Reed and his fiancée Stephanie make Santa Barbara home along with their cat Fiona.  He moved to Santa Barbara in 1999 to attend UCSB and never looked back.  He fell in love with Santa Barbara’s charm and natural beauty and enjoys kayaking, hiking, and exploring the Central Coast’s numerous beaches in his free time.  Although often unpopular in this area of California, he loves the San Francisco Giants and makes the trip up to the Bay Area whenever he can to catch a game.