Alexandria, Va.— ABI announces that Uchechi Egeonuigwe of Ropes & Gray LLP (New York) has been selected as one of ABI’s “40 Under 40,” ABI’s annual program that recognizes 40 of the top insolvency industry professionals under the age of 40. The honorees will be recognized at a special ceremony to be held on Dec. 10 at ABI’s 2021 Winter Leadership Conference at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

Egeonuigwe is an attorney in Ropes & Gray LLP’s Business Restructuring Group and has advised creditors in some of the most well-known restructurings in the world. Prior to joining Ropes & Gray, she was an associate at Brown Rudnick and she also clerked for Hon. William T. Thurman in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah and was a judicial extern to Hon. Maureen A. Tighe in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. Egeonuigwe received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Riverside.

Egeonuigwe has been recognized by the New York Law Journal as a 2021 “Rising Star,” named a 2021 NextGen Emerging Leader by the Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC), received the 2021 “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyer” award from the American Bar Association, named to the Lawyers of Color 2020 Hot List, and honored in The Best Lawyers in America as one of its “Ones to Watch” for Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law in 2021 and 2022. She is a 2021 participant in the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges’ (NCBJ’s) Next Generation Program, and in 2018, NCBJ selected her as a Judge Blackshear Presidential Fellow. Egeonuigwe was also selected as a 2019 Fellow for the New York City Bar Association’s Associate Leadership Institute, an award-winning initiative geared toward assisting the advancement of diverse senior associates at major law firms.

Egeonuigwe maintains an active pro bono practice through her work with the Lawyers Alliance and New York Legal Assistance Group. She was honored by The Public Counsel, the nation’s largest pro bono law firm, with its William J. Lasarow Award; named for retired judge William J. Lasarow, the award recognizes the outstanding contributions of attorneys who volunteer their legal services to provide access to justice for individuals and families.

“The 2021 honorees are a testament to the future of the insolvency profession, with exemplary accomplishments in both their careers and communities,” said ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss. “We look forward to this diverse collection of young leaders propelling ABI's full range of activities forward to advance the profession.”

The “40 Under 40” winners are distinguished by professional achievements and service and were selected by a group of experienced professionals from ABI’s current leadership. Nominations were submitted earlier this year by the candidates themselves or by colleagues via the initiative’s website, http://abi40under40.org. More than 200 candidates, each with outstanding records of professional achievement and community leadership, were evaluated by 20 judges. The majority of the applicants were partners, directors or managing directors at their firms.

Click here to view the full list of the 2021 “40 Under 40” honorees.

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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 nearly 10,000 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.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.