Members in the News

Members in the News

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The Professional Compensation Committee was established by ABI to identify and address issues concerning the employment and payment of professionals in bankruptcy cases and is co-chaired by C.R. "Chip" Bowles Jr. and James D. Sweet. The committee reviews and studies both legislative and case law developments relating to compensation of attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, trustees, examiners and other professionals that have their fees and expenses reviewed and approved by courts. The committee also studies the important area of court approval of the retention of estate and committee professionals under the Bankruptcy Code.

Chip Bowles is a member of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC in the firm's Louisville, Ky., offices, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of debtor and creditor representation in bankruptcies, workouts and loan restructuring in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. His experience includes representation of professionals in retention and fee matters in chapter 11 cases and of purchasers of assets from bankruptcy sales, environmental issues in the debtor/creditor context and the impact of divorce in bankruptcy law. He also served as co-counsel to senior secured lending groups in the Federated Department Stores and the American Commercial Barge Line chapter 11 cases.

Mr. Bowles has been a member of ABI since 1992 and has performed numerous duties as an ABI volunteer and speaker. He is a contributing editor to the ABI Journal's Straight & Narrow (see p. 22) and Toxins-R-Us columns. Mr. Bowles also is the editor of the committee's soon-to-be-published handbook on employment and compensation issues for non-attorney professionals.

In addition to his ABI work, Mr. Bowles has spoken or written for numerous other organizations including the Ohio Bar Association CLE Institute, the Kentucky Bar Association Bankruptcy Section, the Midwest Regional Bankruptcy Seminar and the University of Kentucky. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville College of Law, teaching secured transactions andbankruptcy law.

A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, James Sweet is with the Madison firm of Murphy & Desmond SC, where his practice emphasizes the areas of corporate restructuring and reorganization. He is ranked as one of the top financial services/commercial lending law and bankruptcy lawyers in the state. He also is listed in the Best Lawyers in America and in Strathmore's Who's Who.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1975 and receiving his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin School of Law, he started his own firm after graduating from law school in 1978. In 1982 he was recruited by Murphy, Stolper, Brewster & Desmond SC to help build a new bankruptcy and creditors' rights practice group. In 1984, the firm broke up, but the surviving firm has grown to more than 40 lawyers; the bankruptcy practice group is now the largest in Wisconsin.

Mr. Sweet has served in many leadership capacities with the Wisconsin State Bar, including chairing the Bar's Bankruptcy Section, two terms on the Board of Governors and chairing the Bar's Continuing Legal Education Committee for nearly a decade. He has taught numerous state bar CLE programs (including the Annual Bankruptcy Update) and he co-founded the Western District Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Mr. Sweet also served as a founding board member, committee chair, treasurer, president and chairman of the American Board of Certification (ABC). During his tenure as president, ABC merged with the CLLA's certification board, and ABC is now poised to go over the 1,000 certified-lawyer mark next year. He also has served as an ABI District Membership chair.

Mr. Sweet has served as a guest lecturer in bankruptcy law at the University of Wisconsin School of Law for the last 20 years on such topics as creditor/debtor rights, Article 9 of the UCC, marital property (community property) aspects of credit and a variety of bankruptcy and ethics topics.

More Members in the News

North Atlantic Capital of Portland, Maine, appointed Matthew J. Burns as operating partner of the company. Prior to joining NAC, Mr. Burns was cofounder and managing director of the BostonUniversity Community Technology Fund. He has extensive management experience, having served as president, CEO and consultant at former companies. He is a certified turnaround professional and an advisory board member of North Atlantic Venture Funds II and III and NAVF's predecessor, Maine Capital Corp. Mr. Burns earned his A.B. degree at Tufts University and an M.B.A. from HarvardBusiness School. He has been an ABI member since 1994.

The Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Lawyers for Business has named Lowenstein Sandler "New Jersey's premier law firm" for the second year. Lowenstein Sandler, which includes Bruce D. Buechler, Scott Cargill, Sheila E. Carson, Peter J. D'Auria, Lance T. Eisenberg, Michael S. Etkin, Anusia Gayer, Jeffrey A. Kramer, Ira M. Levee, Sharon L. Levine, Bruce S. Nathan,Andrew Pincus, Kenneth A. Rosen, Mary E. Seymour, John K. Sherwood and S. Jason Teele, has more attorneys listed in New Jersey than any other law firm. Lowenstein Sandler was recognized in all four practice areas covered by the New Jersey section of the Guide. Its corporate department ranked first for the second straight year, and its litigation department earned a first-place ranking. Lowenstein Sandler ranks first among New Jersey law firms with the greatest number of corporate and tax attorneys listed in the 2003-2004 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The firm handles bankruptcy, business litigation, corporate, environmental, tax and real estate law as well as trusts and estates. For more information, please visit http://www.lowenstein.com/new/LSRanks2004.htmlfor more information.

Reuel D. Ash has joined the Cincinnati office of Ulmer & Berne LLP as a senior attorney in the firm's Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights and Business Litigation Groups, where he will handle bankruptcy, insolvency, creditors' rights and commercial litigation matters. Prior to joining Ulmer & Berne, he was of counsel with Statman, Harris, Siegel & Eyrich LLC in Cincinnati, where hepracticed bankruptcy law, insolvency, business law and commercial litigation. Mr. Ash is a member of the American, Ohio and Cincinnati Bar Associations. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Chamber Music Society, where he has been program director since 2002. Mr. Ash earned his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. For more information, visit http://www.ulmer.com.

In September, Cox & Smith Inc. and Matthews & Branscomb merged to form a 120-lawyer firm, Cox Smith Matthews Inc., in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The Matthews firm brings knowledge and experience in public utilities, nuclear energy, water law, municipal law and campaign finance. Combined with Cox's natural resources, labor, employment, bankruptcy and intellectual property practices, the newly formed firm is able to offer a wider range of services to clients. ABI members include Diann M. Bartek, Israel Garcia, Todd Hudgins, Patrick L. Huffstickler, Leslie SaraHyman, Carol E. Jendrzey, Matthew S. Parkin, Thomas Rice, Toronda Silas an former ABI President Deborah D. Williamson, who is a contributing editor to the ABI Journal's Benchnotes column. For more information, visit http://www.coxsmith.com.

The U.S. firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (K&L) and the English firm of Nicholson Graham & Jones (NGJ) will merge together on Jan. 1, 2005. The combined firm will be known as Kirkpatrick& Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP. The two firms are collaborating on a wide range of client matters in the M&A, funds, litigation, insurance coverage, securities, intellectual property and other fields. After the merge, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham will have approximately 950 lawyers located in 10 U.S. cities as well as London. Kirkpatrick and Lockhart attorneysinclude Jeffrey N. Rich, Gerrit M. Pronske, Adam C. Paul, Rakhee V. Patel, David A. Murdoch, Robert Michaelson, George M. Cheever and Sheila A. Armstrong. For more information, please visit http://www.kl.com and http://www.ngj.co.uk.

Mesirow Financial, the Chicago-based diversified financial services firm, and KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm, announced the acquisition of KPMG's U.S. Corporate Recovery practice. Nowcalled Mesirow Financial Consulting (MFC), the unit of more than 100 corporate recovery professionals will be managed by former KPMG partner Ralph S. Tuliano, who became president of MFC and was appointed to Mesirow Financial's executive committee. MFC will operate from offices in Chicago, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Boston, Miami and Charlotte, N.C., serving corporate entities, unsecured creditors and secured lenders. ABI members include Lisa Ashe, Michael Barton, Michael G. Creber, Stephen B. Darr, Brian L. Davies Jr., James S. Feltman, David Fletcher, Peter D. Gibson, Anneliese P. Grassi, Terry A. Hamilton, William M. Hughes, Thomas Kaplan, Melissa Kibler-Knoll, Larry Lattig, Douglas R. McIntosh, Amanda K. Parks, Lori L. Payne, David M. Powlen, Hon. Jeffrey R. Truitt and Todd A. Zoha. For more information, visit http://www.mesirowfinancial.com.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner Robbin L. Itkin, the chapter 11 trustee for the estate of Ritter Ranch Development LLC, successfully completed the auction sale of more than 7,000 acres of undeveloped land located in Palmdale, Calif. for more than $58 million. The top bidder for the Ritter Ranch property was SCC Acquisitions Inc., an affiliate of Sun Cal Cos., a master-planned communitydeveloper. The sale included a smaller piece of unentitled real property purchased by Laminar RR Acquisitions LLC, an affiliate of DE Shaw & Co. In addition to Itkin serving as the chapter 11 trustee, Kirkland bankruptcy attorneys Richard S. Berger and Katherine C. Parker played a key role in the sale.

The American Lawyer published its second annual "A List" in September honoring the top 20 law firms of 2004. Rankings are based on successful law practices, pro bono performance, decent treatment and development of young lawyers and diversity of workplace. Firms listed include: Hughes Hubbard, New York, with attorneys James W. Giddens, Timothy J. Chorvat and DavidW. Wiltenburg; Jenner & Block, Chicago, with Vincent E. Lazar, Jeff J. Marwil, Brian Meldrum, Daniel R. Murray, Ronald R. Peterson, Paul V. Possinger, Peter A. Siddiqui, CatherineSteege, Jeremy Thomas Stillings, Brian I. Swett, Jerry L. Switzer Jr. and Mark K. Thomas; Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, Minneapolis, with Robert T. Kugler, John R. McDonald and David L. Mitchell; Sullivan & Cromwell, New York, with Robinson B. Lacy and Erik D. Lindauer; Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, New York, with D. J. Baker, David Barrett, Laura Engelhardt, Stephanie R. Feld, Jay M. Goffman, Sally M. Henry, Brian Kelly, Alexandra Margolis, Thomas Matz, Alesia Ranney-Marinelli and J. Gregory St. Clair; Morrison &Foerster, San Francisco, with Adam A. Lewis and Patricia S. Mar; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr, Washington, D.C., with Lisa F. Al-Bashir, Carol Banta, David K. Bowsher, Andrew J. Currie, Knight Elsberry, Eric S. Galler, Craig Goldblatt, Sean P. McCann, William J. Perlstein, Gwendolyn K. Ponder, Nicole Walter and James R. Wrathall; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York, with Erin Mary Casey, Karen Ann Alinauskas and Mark Thompson; Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C., with Michael L. Bernstein, Michael J. Canning, Jaimee Frohlich and Daniel M. Lewis; Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, New York, with David W. Dykhouse; Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, with Donald Scott Bernstein, Stephen H. Case, Nancy L. Sanborn and Nicholas A. Segal; and Latham & Watkins (national) with Josef S. Athanas, Douglas Bacon, Mark A. Broude, Eric D. Brown, Larry Carlson, Jeffrey D. Diener, Mariane L. Dorris, Peter M. Gilhuly, Avi Goldenberg, Ronald W. Hanson, Dean T. Janis, Gregg Josephson, Robert A. Klyman, Brian D. Lee, Scott F. Lehman, Gregory O. Lunt, Michael S. Lurey, Mitchell A. Seider, Jonathan Shenson, Robert Scott Shuker, John W. Weiss, Jimmy D. Parrish and Robert J. Rosenberg.

Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co. L.P.A., a creditors's rights firm with offices in Burlington, N.J., Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, announced it has opened an office in the Chicago area. The new office is the fourth new opening for the firm in the last four years. The office can be reached at Lake Cook Office Center IV, Suite 480, 1419 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL, 60015. ABI members for the firm include Alan C. Hochheiser (Cleveland), Geoffrey J. Peters (Columbus, Ohio) and David Wolfe (Troy, Mich.).

Journal Date: 
Monday, November 1, 2004