Members in the News

Members in the News

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ABI's Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee, which studies the rights of unsecured trade creditors in bankruptcy, is co-chaired by Deborah L. Thorne, Douglas G. Fox and Berry D. Spears.

Deborah L. Thorne is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, where she concentrates her practice in the areas of creditors' rights, bankruptcy, financial restructurings and commercial transactions. Ms. Thorne is a frequent lecturer and has authored numerous articles for legal and business publications. An ABI member since 1994, she is bankruptcy chair of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association, serves on the editorial board of ABI World and is a contributing editor to the ABI Journal. Ms. Thorne received her B.A. in history from Macalester College, her M.A.T. from Duke University and her J.D. with honors from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Kent College of Law.

Douglas G. Fox is contacts manager for the systems and engineering department at Bosch Rexroth Corp. in Bethlehem, Pa., where he focuses on unsecured credit, bankruptcy, contracts, mechanics' liens, surety bonds, insurance and regulatory matters. Mr. Fox has received the Executive Award of the Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management and is designated a Certified Credit Executive, NACM's highest professional designation. An ABI member since 1995, he is a widely published author and was a contributor to the ABI Preference Handbook, as well as the ABI Manual on Trade Creditors' Rights of Reclamation & Stoppage. He has served as the chairman of more than a dozen official and unofficial unsecured creditors' committees, including a mass tort case where unsecured claims are estimated to exceed $ 1 billion. Mr. Fox received his undergraduate degree from Lafayette College.

Berry D. Spears is a shareholder and chair of the bankruptcy section at Winstead Sechrest & Minick PC in Austin, Texas, where he assists clients in navigating all aspects of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings as well as nonbankruptcy reorganizations and liquidations. A leader within the firm, Mr. Spears has participated at all levels of the firm governance, including having been managing shareholder of the Austin office and having been previously elected to the firm's compensation committee. An ABI member since 1998, he is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the American, Austin and Houston Bar Associations and is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He earned his B.A. at Austin College and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

More Members in the News

Scott Winicour has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for Gibraltar Financial Corp., based in the firm's Chicago office. Mr. Winicour will be responsible for originating asset-based loans, including DIP financings under $5 million secured by accounts receivable and inventory, commercial real estate and production equipment.

Alec P. Ostrow, a shareholder at Stevens & Lee PC in New York, has been named a fellow by the American College of Bankruptcy. Mr. Ostrow was one of only 34 bankruptcy and insolvency professionals from around the world inducted into the American College of Bankruptcy's 16th class. The induction ceremony was held March 18 in The Great Hall of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Mr. Ostrow concentrates his practice in bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, creditors' rights and commercial litigation. He is an adjunct professor for St. John's University School of Law LL.M. Bankruptcy Program, where he teaches the drafting bankruptcy and commercial agreements and documents courses. Mr. Ostrow is a member of the Panel of Mediators for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and is co-chair of the ABI's Real Estate Committee. He also is a member of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the New York State Bar Association and the New York County Lawyers Association.

Margolin, Winer & Evens LLP, a CPA and business advisory firm with offices in New York and Garden City, N.J., recently promoted John F. Lemanski, MBA, CFE, to senior manager of the litigation consulting, valuation and bankruptcy services department. Mr. Lemanski previously served as a manager in the department and is experienced in the areas of workouts and restructuring, litigation support, crisis management, due diligence, business and intangible asset valuation and bankruptcy consulting for debtors, creditors and secured lenders. At MWE, Mr. Lemanski specializes in business valuations, including intangible assets, fraud and forensic examinations and advising all constituencies of the chapter 7 and chapter 11 bankruptcy process. Mr. Lemanski is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Turnaround Management Association and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Clear Thinking Group LLC, a retailing, consumer products and industrial manufacturing consultancy headquartered in Hillsborough, N.J., has formed a claims administration unit that will execute all facets of bankruptcy claims processing and administration on behalf of debtors. The unit is an extension of Clear Thinking Group's creditors' rights practice, headed up by Joseph Myers, a partner and managing director of the firm. Some functions of the unit will include the assisting debtors through each step of the claims administration process and handling disbursements. Also serving Claims Administration Unit clients will be Clear Thinking Group manager Dorene Robotti.

Bill Kannel, a member in Mintz Levin's bankruptcy, restructuring and commercial law section in Boston, has been inducted as a fellow into the American College of Bankruptcy. Mr. Kannel practices primarily in the area of commercial law, workouts and corporate reorganization and has represented various institutional lenders, indenture trustees, bondholders, other creditors, debtors and trustees in all manner of insolvency proceedings in courts throughout the United States. He has substantial experience in all phases of bankruptcy litigation, practice and case management from both the debtor and creditor's perspective including relief from stay, adequate protection, valuation, preference, fraudulent transfer, subordination and competing plan litigation. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association and is a member of and former chair of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the Boston Bar Association.

The law firm of Mendes & Gonzales PLLC in Nashville, Tenn., recently announced its new name and new corporate identity of MGLAW PLLC. The firm represents debtors, creditors, creditors' committees, trustees and purchasers of assets in chapter 11 reorganizations and liquidations. The firm's litigation practice aggressively pursues resolution of a broad range of client business disputes. The planning practice provides practical advice to guide clients in structuring and managing their businesses. ABI members include Robert J. Gonzales, Robert J. Mendes and Robin Bicket White.

Squire, Sanders and Dempsey LLP, based in Palo Alto, Calif., welcomed Penn A. Butler in March, where he will join Josefina Fernandez McEvoy to help grow the firm's bankruptcy practice. Mr. Butler serves as a lawyer representative for the Northern District of California Judicial Conference and as a member of the Congressman Don Edwards Inn of Court.

Prof. Anthony Michael Sabino, professor of law at the Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John's University and a partner at Sabino & Sabino, both in New York, was recently published in the ABI Law Review on the Rousey case. He was also published in the University of Tennessee Journal of Business Law on the demise of critical-vendor motions.

Francesco DiGiannantonio was named managing director of Morris-Anderson's new office in Chicago, where he will lead the practice with his expertise in operational restructuring, change management and valuation experience. Mr. DiGiannantonio has led various major turnarounds and restructurings both nationally and internationally.

Journal Date: 
Sunday, May 1, 2005