Contact: John Hartgen           
             Phone: (703) 739-0800             
             Email: [email protected]

14^TH ANNUAL NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY MOOT COURT COMPETITION FEATURES RECORD NUMBER OF LAW SCHOOLS

FEBRUARY 15, 2006, Alexandria, Va. —The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and St. John’s University School of Law will co-sponsor the 14th Annual Chief Judge Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Memorial Moot Court Competition, March 17-20, 2006, in New York. The event, which is the nation’s only moot court competition devoted entirely to bankruptcy, is named for Chief Judge Conrad B. Duberstein, a St. John’s University alumnus and a former member of the ABI Board of Directors, who passed away in November. The competition is designed to promote and recognize the finest student oral and written advocacy on a significant problem in bankruptcy practice.

This year’s event will commemorate Chief Judge Duberstein’s lifelong contributions to the bankruptcy system during a special video tribute at the Gala Awards Banquet on March 20.

A record 53 teams, comprised of 2-3 students each, from 38 American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law schools will take part in this year’s competition. Each team argues in at least two preliminary rounds, to be held on March 18-19 at St. John’s campus in Queens, N.Y. Each team in the preliminary round will alternate sides of the argument, with judges and prominent bankruptcy practioners judging all preliminary rounds and written briefs.  The quarterfinal, semi-final and final rounds will be held at the U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan on March 20 followed by the Gala Awards Banquet that evening.

The semi-finals are judged by bankruptcy judges from New York and around the country. The final round will be judged by several leading members of the federal judiciary, including Judge Thomas Ambro (U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit), Judge Stuart M. Bernstein (Chief Bankruptcy Judge, S.D.N.Y), Judge Melanie Cyganowski (Chief Bankruptcy Judge, E.D.N.Y.), Judge Edith Hollan Jones (Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit) and Judge Jeffrey Sutton (U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit).

The ABI Endowment Fund will present awards of $5,000 to the winning team, $3,000 to the second-place team, $1,500 to two third-place teams and $1,000 to each winner of both the best written brief and best oral advocate.  The awards banquet will be held at the famous Pier 60, Chelsea Piers. The University of Connecticut School of Law is the defending champion, while past winners include Emory University School of Law, University of Miami, William & Mary, the University of Florida, the University of Alabama, Stetson University and New York University.

For additional information, including how to register to to attend the dinner honoring Judge Duberstein, visit http://www.abiworld.org/moot/details.html.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 11,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.