Keith Hendricks is a trial attorney with 30 years of experience representing businesses and individuals in commercial disputes. His practice is focused in the areas of real estate and business litigation. Keith also has significant experience in bankruptcy litigation, water law disputes, collections, governmental procurement, administrative law disputes, construction litigation, and restrictive covenant litigation. Keith is a former partner with the law firm Fennemore Craig PC where he practiced for 22 years. Keith is currently a named partner with Moyes Sellers & Hendricks and chairs its litigation practice.
Keith graduated from the law school at Brigham Young University in 1989, cum laude and is a member of the Order of the Coif (a society for the top 10% of a graduating class). He is admitted to practice in Arizona, the Federal courts in Arizona, and before the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Keith is also admitted to practice before the Federal Tax Court and the Court of Claims, and has been admitted pro hac vice (admitted for specific cases) in many other states.
Since 1998, Keith has held a certification as a Certified Real Estate Specialist through the Arizona State Bar of Legal Specialization. Keith has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America®. He has an 'AV-Pre-eminent'™ Martindale-Hubbell Peer Rating™, which is the highest ranking given for legal ability and ethical standards. He is also listed in Super Lawyers® and several other attorney ranking services. Keith was selected by American Lawyer Media and Martindale Hubbell™ as one of 2013’s Top Rated Lawyers in commercial litigation, and received the Corporate International Global award for Arizona Bankruptcy Litigation from Corporate INTL™ from 2014-2019. He is a former Judge Pro Tem for Maricopa County, Arizona, and is a former vice-chair of the Arizona State Bar Ethics Committee. Keith has published several articles related to the real estate industry and business litigation. He has made numerous presentations to a wide variety of lawyer, real estate and business groups.
Many of the matters Keith handles involve disputes with hundreds of millions of dollars at issue or where a client’s entire business is at stake.
Keith recently obtained a directed verdict on a prescriptive easement claim blocking a $100 million redevelopment project.
Keith was local counsel seeking to enforce a $20 million judgement in bankruptcy, federal district and state courts.
For the last nine years, Keith has served as lead trial counsel for the investors in more than a dozen litigation matters before the United States Bankruptcy Court, the United States District Court, and multiple appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as several collateral state court lawsuits which arose from a bankruptcy of a hard money lender involving a $900 million portfolio of commercial loans funded by over 1800 investors.
Keith is the lead counsel for a group of 100 investors and lenders in a portfolio of loans and projects with a face value of approximately $105 million where the promoter was criminally prosecuted by the Arizona Attorney General’s office for a Ponzi scheme.
Keith represents the former manager of a portfolio of approximately $200 million in assets in a family dispute over control of the portfolio.
Keith is local counsel in a bankruptcy, several state court proceedings, a federal court proceeding and several 9th Circuit appeals arising out of the operation and management of a $175 million medical billing company.
Keith represented a dozen individuals who had down payments in a failed condo project and collected $1.2 million for them in a vendee’s lien claim that was upheld on appeal.
Keith was lead counsel for the developer of the largest planned master community in Arizona against the buyer. After three days of trial, the parties settled with the buyer agreeing to purchase additional property for $70 million. In addition, Keith negotiated and closed the sale of a related development for $50 million as part of the settlement.
In what appears to be the first of its kind in the nation, Keith was the architect of a Morris or Gallagher settlement agreement with a large group of mechanic lien claimants in a partially completed high-rise condominium development against a title insurance company. The successful result was a $40 million judgment against the title insurance company.
On behalf of a Fortune 500 company, Keith successfully obtained the dismissal of a lawsuit and subsequent government procurement challenge, which sought to enjoin the award of a $200 million state contract brought by a disappointed bidder.
Keith and other attorneys in the firm obtained an injunction against the United States Government and a Native American Tribe over the construction of a road on the private ranch at the edge of the Grand Canyon. A settlement was then achieved with an agreement by the Government and the Tribe to construct $2.5 million in improvements on the client’s property and payment of a $1 million cash settlement.
Keith recently obtained a $3.5 million judgment following a two-week trial in connection with a failed purchase agreement for a commercial project in downtown Phoenix.
As lead counsel, Keith obtained a $2 million judgment in favor of a local manufacturing company against a national supplier.
Salt River Project – Lead Trial Counsel for downstream water users challenging the permitting of six reservoirs on the Salt and Verde Rivers.