About Barbara
Barbara Cusumano trained first as a journalist and later turned that attention to law. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida and then completed her Juris Doctor at the University of Miami School of Law in 1989, where her studies emphasized bankruptcy, business law and litigation. Those academic choices set a clear path for the work she would pursue.
Early in her legal career she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Sidney M. Weaver, Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Florida. That clerkship placed her inside the federal bankruptcy system at a formative moment and gave direct exposure to courtroom procedures and judicial decision-making. She joined the Florida State Bar in 1986 and soon after added memberships in three federal bankruptcy districts across the state: Northern and Middle Districts in 1992 and the Southern District in 1993. In 1996 she also joined the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association and has been active in the Federal Bar Association’s Northern District of Florida chapter.
Cusumano’s courtroom experience extends across several jurisdictions. She is admitted to practice in Florida and in multiple federal bankruptcy courts within the state. Her credentials also include admission to the Eighth Circuit. Over the years she has handled cases that require familiarity with bankruptcy procedure, creditor-debtor relations and contested commercial matters. The combination of a newsroom-trained attention to fact and a legal education centered on business and insolvency law has shaped how she approaches evidence, pleadings and negotiation.
She has maintained a steady practice through small firm and solo environments. That trajectory allowed her to take primary responsibility for client files, manage discovery and appear in federal proceedings. Colleagues and opposing counsel have encountered her in hearings where procedural precision and an understanding of complex financial records are required. Her background in communications has also proven useful in drafting clear motions and in explaining technical financial concepts to judges and clients alike.
Today she practices as Barbara Cusumano, Lawyer at Law. Her work includes representing debtors, creditors and other parties in bankruptcy courts, as well as handling business litigation matters that touch on insolvency issues. She remains active in local and federal bar associations and continues to appear in bankruptcy proceedings across Florida. Her current practice concentrates on bankruptcy and related commercial litigation matters.
