Press Releases

Chapter 11 Debtors Counsel Must Obtain Court Approval of Bid Procedures Before Auctioning Assets According to Latest ABI Quick Poll

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

 

CHAPTER 11 DEBTOR’S COUNSEL MUST OBTAIN COURT APPROVAL OF BID PROCEDURES BEFORE AUCTIONING ASSETS, ACCORDING TO LATEST ABI QUICK POLL

March 28, 2008, Alexandria, Va. — Chapter 11 debtor’s counsel must obtain court approval of bid procedures prior to auctioning assets or risk having fees related to the auction disallowed, according to a majority of respondents in a recent ABI Quick Poll. Fifty-two percent of respondents thought that bid procedures by a chapter 11 debtor’s counsel must be approved prior to an asset auction, or the counsel’s fees related to that auction should be disgorged. Thirty-six percent “strongly agreed” and 16 percent “somewhat agreed” that the chapter 11 debtor counsel should receive court approval of bid procedures prior to an asset auction.

Forty-three percent of respondents, however, thought that chapter 11 debtor’s counsel should not have to obtain court approval of bid procedures before an asset auction. Twenty-seven percent “disagreed strongly” and 16 percent “somewhat disagreed” that chapter 11 debtor counsel must obtain court approval of bid procedures before an auction or risk having the fees related to the auction disallowed.

In the case of In re APW Enclosure Systems, Inc., a bankruptcy court disgorged the fees requested by the debtor’s counsel in connection with an asset auction because the counsel did not seek approval of the auction procedure until after the auction was completed. The court found that the counsel failed to meet its initial burden of showing that the services relating to the auction procedure had a reasonable likelihood of benefitting the estate at the time they were performed.

ABI members and members of the public were welcome to submit their response to the statement: “Chapter 11 debtor’s counsel must obtain court approval of bid procedures before auction or disgorge fees related to auction. (In re APW Enclosure Systems, Inc., 49 BCD 8 (Bankr. D. Del 2007)).”

ABI’s Quick Poll is posted on ABI’s home page, www.abiworld.org. ABI members and the public are invited to respond to a question on a timely bankruptcy or insolvency issue. Visit http://www.abiworld.net/quickpoll/ to access the results of previous ABI Quick Polls.

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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 11,700 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.

Robert J. Keach Named ABI President-Elect

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

ROBERT J. KEACH NAMED ABI PRESIDENT-ELECT

April 8, 2008 Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Robert J. Keach of Bernstein Shur (Portland, Maine) has been selected by the ABI Board of Directors to be President-Elect. He will become president for a one-year term, beginning with ABI’s Annual Spring Meeting in 2009. An ABI member since 1985, Keach has served as ABI’s Vice President–Education, a co-chair of ABI's Business Reorganization Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Keach is a shareholder at Bernstein Shur, where he practices in the area of bankruptcy, reorganization and workouts. His practice focuses on the representation of various parties in workouts and bankruptcy cases including debtors, creditors, creditors’ committees, lessors and third parties acquiring troubled companies and/or their assets.

Keach is also a member of the American Bar Association's Committee on Enforcement of Creditors' Rights as well as their sections on business, banking and corporations, real estate and litigation. He is included in the Best Lawyers in America, a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and is a member of the Local Rules Committee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine.

For a complete list of ABI’s officers and directors, please visit:

http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm

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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 11,700 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.

ABIs Popular Northeast Bankruptcy Conference and Consumer Forum to Address Current Bankruptcy and Economic Topics

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

 

ABI’S POPULAR NORTHEAST BANKRUPTCY CONFERENCE AND CONSUMER FORUM TO ADDRESS CURRENT BANKRUPTCY AND ECONOMIC TOPICS

March 24, 2008, Alexandria, Va. –More than 400 practitioners will join a 15-judge faculty at ABI’s 15th Annual Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, July 10-13 in Brewster, Mass., at the Ocean Edge Resort & Club. The conference provides up to 9.25 hours of continuing education credits including 1.5 hours of ethics. This year’s conference will again offer a separate 2-day consumer forum at a reduced conference rate.

Programs at the main conference include:

The “Sunny Side Up, or Down? Breakfast on the Economy” session with moderator Stephen B. Darr of Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC (Boston) and panelists Bankruptcy Judge Hon. H. Louis Kornreich (D. Maine; Bangor),  Carl Steidtmann of Deloitte (New York) and David Wyss of Standard & Poor’s (New York).

Michael J. Goldberg of Cohn, Whitesell & Goldberg LLP (Boston) will moderate the “Current Issues in Commercial Leasing” session with panelists Paul W. Carey of Mirick O'Connell DeMallie & Lougee, LLP (Worcester, Mass.), Mark Duston of DJM Asset Management LLC (Melville, N.Y.) and Bankruptcy Judge Brian K. Tester (D. P.R.; San Juan).

“Appellate Advocacy Skills,” moderated by Kenneth S. Leonetti of Foley Hoag LLP (Boston), features panelists Prof. Thomas Carey of Boston College Law School (Newton, Mass.) and Bankruptcy Judge James B. Haines, Jr. (D. Maine; Portland) and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thomas M. Hardiman (Third Circuit; Pittsburgh).

Moderator Daniel W. Sklar of The Daymark Group LLC (Manchester, N.H.), along with panelists James C. Ebbert of McShane Group, Inc. (Rockland, Maine), Michael J. Fencer of Jager Smith PC (Boston) and James E. Fleet of  Phoenix Management Services, Inc. (Boston), will participate in the “You Can’t Treat the Patient without a Diagnosis: Identifying Causes of Business Failure” session.

“Current Issues in Avoidance Actions” will be moderated by H. Jeffrey Schwartz of Dechert LLP (New York) and feature panelists Jonathan R. Doolittle of Verrill Dana LLP (Portland, Maine), James S. Lamontagne of Sheehan, Phinney, Bass + Green (Manchester, N.H.) and Bankruptcy Judge Mark W. Vaughn (D. N.H.; Manchester).

The “Gaining Support from All of Your Constituencies” session, moderated by Thomas O. Bean of McDermott Will & Emery, LLP (Boston) will feature Bankruptcy Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald (W.D. Pa.; Pittsburgh), Martha E.M. Kopacz of Grant Thornton LLP (New York) and Daniel J. Callaghan of Devine Millimet & Branch PA (Manchester, N.H.).

Daniel M. Glosband of Goodwin Procter LLP (Boston) will moderate the “Cross-Border Issues Coming to Your Town” session with panelists Bankruptcy Judge Gerardo Carlo (D. P.R.; San Juan), Brian Cassady of Black Management Advisors (Miami) and Tracey C. Sandler of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Toronto).

“Troubled Portfolio Companies,” moderated by Christine D. Lynch of Goulston & Storrs, PC (Boston), will feature panelists Michael J. Epstein of CRG Partners (Boston), Douglas R. Gooding of Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP (Boston) and Stephen Moeller-Sally of Ropes & Gray LLP (Boston).

The “Privileges, Exceptions and Civil and Criminal Liability” session will be moderated by Robert E. Kaelin of Murtha Cullina LLP (Hartford, Conn.) and feature panelists Michael J. Missal of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, LLP (Washington, D.C.), William J. Hanlon of Seyfarth Shaw LLP (Boston), M. Stephanie Wickouski of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (New York).

Moderator Adrienne Walker of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC (Boston) and panelists John P. Fitzgerald of the Office of the U.S. Trustee (Boston), Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber (S.D.N.Y., New York) and Pamela A. Harbeson of Looney & Grossman LLP (Boston) will participate in the “Avoiding Administrative Insolvency” session.

The “Hot Topics in Claims Purchasing and Trading” session will be moderated by Victor G. Milione of Nixon Peabody LLP (Boston) and feature panelists Jeanne P. Darcey of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP (Boston), Christopher Moon of Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith (New York) and Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth S. Stong (E.D.N.Y.; Brooklyn).

ABI Resident Scholar Jack Williams will moderate the “Seaside Chat” with Bankruptcy Judges Henry J. Boroff (D. Mass.; Worcester) and Joan N. Feeney (D. Mass.; Boston).

Bruce A. Harwood of Sheehan, Phinney, Bass + Green (Manchester, Mass.) will moderate the “View from the Bench: Supreme Court Year in Review” session featuring Bankruptcy Judges Henry J. Boroff (D. Mass.; Worcester), Joan N. Feeney (D. Mass.; Boston), Judith K. Fitzgerald (W.D. Pa.; Pittsburgh), Robert E. Gerber (S.D.N.Y.; New York) and Joel B. Rosenthal (D. Mass.; Worcester).

In conjunction with the Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, ABI’s Third Annual Northeast Consumer Forum, will be held July 11-12 and focus on consumer bankruptcy educational programs designed for both experienced and new professionals. Back by popular demand, this two-day forum offers insolvency practitioners an opportunity to earn approximately 6.0 hours of CLE/CPE credit.

The Consumer Forum programs include:

“Messing with Mortgages: Continuing Consumer and Creditor Confusion,” moderated by Catherine V. Eastwood of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP (Warwick, R.I.), features panelists Richard I. Isacoff of Richard I. Isacoff, P.C. (Pittsfield, Mass.), William McLeod of McLeod Law Offices (Boston) and Bankruptcy Judge Joel B. Rosenthal (D. Mass.; Worcester).

Eleanor William Dahar of Victor W. Dahar, PA (Manchester, N.H.) will moderate “The Bursting Bubble: Behind on Mortgages and Car Loans—Is Chapter 13 an Option?” session with panelists Steven J. Boyajian of Boyajian, Harrington & Richardson (Providence, R.I.), John McNicholas of Ablitt & Charlton, PC (Stoneham, Mass.) and Bankruptcy Judge Colleen Brown (D. Vt.; Rutland).

“BAPCPA Three Years Later: Through the Looking Glass—How Is It Down the Rabbit Hole?” will be moderated by Justin H. Dion of Bacon & Wilson, P.C. (Springfield, Mass.) and feature panelists Kristin McDonough of Riemer & Braunstein LLP (Boston) and Bankruptcy Judge Eugene R. Wedoff (N.D. Ill.; Chicago).

The “Fables and Fairy Tales…How the Practice Has Evolved” session, moderated by Assistant U.S. Trustee Geraldine L. Karonis (D. N.H.; Manchester), will feature panelists William M. Gillen of the Law Offices of William M. Gillen (Manchester, N.H.), Bankruptcy Judge Enrique S. Lamoutte (D. P.R.; San Juan) and David N. Ostrander of Ostrander Law Office (Northhampton, Mass.).

For more information about the Northeast Consumer Forum, visit http://www.abiworld.org/NE08/consumer.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 nearly 11,700 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.

 

First Quarter Consumer Bankruptcy Filings Increase 27 Percent over Previous Year

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

FIRST QUARTER CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY FILINGS INCREASE 27 PERCENT OVER PREVIOUS YEAR

April 2, 2008, Alexandria, Va.— U.S. consumer bankruptcy filings increased 27.0 percent nationwide in the first quarter of 2008 (Jan. 1- March 31) over the same period in 2007, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), relying on data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center (NBKRC). The March consumer filings of 86,165 were up 13.2 percent from the 76,120 consumer filings recorded in February and up 16.6 percent from the consumer filings in March 2007. Chapter 13 filings constituted 31.8 percent of all consumer cases in March, down slightly from last month.  

“Bankruptcies are rising due to the heavy burden of household debt and growing mortgage problems,” said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. “We expect this trend to continue through 2008.”

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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 11,700 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.

NBKRC is an online research center that offers subscribers access to up-to-date research and statistics on bankruptcy filings. The database contains complete information dating back to 1995. For more information on NBKRC, please visit http://www.nbkrc.com.

*Definitions from Bankruptcy Overview: Issues, Law and Policy, by the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code is available to both individual and business debtors. Its purpose is to achieve a fair distribution to creditors of the debtor’s available non-exempt property.  Unsecured debts not reaffirmed are discharged, providing a fresh financial start.  

Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code is available for both business and consumer debtors. Its purpose is to rehabilitate a business as a going concern or reorganize an individual’s finances through a court-approved reorganization plan.

Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code is designed to give special debt relief to a family farmer with regular income from farming. 

Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code is available for an individual with regular income whose debts do not exceed specific amounts; it is typically used to budget some of the debtor’s future earnings under a plan through which unsecured creditors are paid in whole or in part.

Jeff Marwil Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

 

JEFF MARWIL ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 11, 2008, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Jeff J. Marwil of Winston & Strawn LLP (Chicago) has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1993, Marwil has served as a co-chair of ABI's Finance and Banking Committee and is a frequent speaker at ABI’s conferences and events. Hewill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Marwil is a partner and co-chair in Winston & Strawn’s Restructuring and Insolvency Group and is currently focused on hedge funds in distress, including hedge fund restructurings, wind-downs and liquidations.  He represents hedge funds, managers/advisors, and sophisticated fund-of-fund and pension plan investors in hedge fund restructurings, wind-downs and complex litigation matters. In addition to counseling clients through workouts, restructurings and reorganizations, Marwil has represented companies, private-equity funds, hedge funds and other investment groups in the purchase and sale of distressed companies, debt and assets. He was named an “Illinois Super Lawyer” for bankruptcy in 2005 and 2006, was listed in 'New Stars, New Worlds' in Lawdragon Magazine in 2006, and honored for his insolvency and restructuring practice in the 2006 edition of Who’s Who Legal Illinois.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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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 11,700 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.

Deirdre Martini Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

 

DEIRDRE MARTINI ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 11, 2008, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Deirdre A. Martini of Wachovia Capital Finance (New York)has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1999, Martini has served as a member of the advisory committee for the ABI Endowment Fund’s landmark professional fee study and is a frequent speaker at ABI’s conferences and events. Shewill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Martini is a managing director at Wachovia Capital Finance focusing on business development for the restructuring sector in the Northeast United States. Martini joined Wachovia from CIT Group, where she was managing director and senior restructuring advisor for Commercial Finance and the National Restructuring Group. Prior to that, she was appointed by the U.S. Attorney General as the U.S. Trustee for the Southern District of New York, where she oversaw the administration of some of the largest and most complex chapter 11 restructurings in recent history.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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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 11,700 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.

Judge Barry Russell Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

 

JUDGE BARRY RUSSELL ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 11, 2008, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Judge Barry Russell of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles) has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1985, Judge Russell has served as the co-chair for ABI’s Bankruptcy Litigation Committee and is a frequent speaker at ABI events. Hewill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Judge Russell has been serving as a bankruptcy judge for the Central District of California since his appointment in 1974. He was also appointed and served on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit from 1988-2001, and was its presiding judge from 1999-2001. Judge Russell also serves as a faculty member of the Federal Judicial Center, as an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Southern California and as the mediation program administrator for the Central District of California. He received the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s “Outstanding Jurist” award in 2004.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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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 11,700 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.

John W. Ames Named ABI President

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

 

JOHN W. AMES NAMED ABI PRESIDENT

April 8, 2008 Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that John W. Ames of Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.) has been selected by the ABI Board of Directors to be President for the 2008-09 term. He succeeds Reginald W. Jackson of Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP (Columbus, Ohio) and will serve a one-year term that began at ABI’s 26th Annual Spring Meeting held on April 3-6 in Washington, D.C. He has been an ABI member since 1985 and has held a seat on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors since 1996, serving part of that time as Vice President- Publications and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Ames is a member of Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald’s Tax and Finance Practice Group, and is the Bankruptcy and Workout Team Co-Chair. He works exclusively in the business reorganization process, both in chapter 11s and state law workouts. Ames represents debtors and both secured and unsecured creditors, and has served as a trustee and as creditors' committee counsel.He received his B.A. in international affairs from the University of Louisville in 1967 and his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1973.

Ames is also the Past-Chairman of the Kentucky Bar Association Bankruptcy Section, Past-Chairman of the Louisville Bar Association Bankruptcy Committee and Past Vice President of the American Board of Certification. He has been named one of the Best Lawyers in America (Bankruptcy) from 1989-2006 and is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, Class of 1999. Ames is also a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving from 1967-1972.

For a complete list of ABI’s officers and directors, please visit:

http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm

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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 11,700 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.

New Officers and Board Members Elected at ABIs 26th Annual Spring Meeting

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]


NEW OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS ELECTED AT ABI’S 26TH ANNUAL SPRING MEETING

April 8, 2008, Alexandria, Va. — The following officers and members of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) were elected to leadership positions at ABI’s 26th Annual Spring Meeting, held April 3-6 in Washington, D.C.:

John W. Ames of Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.) becomes ABI President for a one-year term, succeeding Reginald W. Jackson of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (Columbus, Ohio), who now assumes the position of Immediate-Past President. Robert J. Keach of Bernstein Shur (Portland, Maine) was named President-Elect, to become President in April 2009. Judge Wesley W. Steen of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Texas (Houston) succeeds John Penn of Haynes and Boone LLP (Fort Worth, Texas) as Chairman of the Board for a one-year term. James T. Markus of Block, Markus & Williams (Denver) was named to a two-year term as Vice President-Education, succeeding Keach. Judge Eugene R. Wedoff of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Northern Illinois (Chicago) was named to the newly created board position of Vice President-Information and Technology. James Patrick Shea of Shea & Carlyon (Las Vegas) succeeds Judge Wedoffas Secretary.

Twelve new members were elected to the ABI Board of Directors: Jo Ann J. Brighton, of Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman, LLP (Charlotte, N.C.), H. Slayton Dabney, Jr. of King & Spalding LLP (New York),  Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio (Cincinnati), Deirdre A. Martini of Wachovia Capital Finance (New York), Jeff J. Marwil of Winston & Strawn LLP (Chicago),  Prof.Nancy B. Rapoport of the William S. Boyd School of Law (Las Vegas), Judge Barry Russell of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles), Sheryl L. Toby of Dykema Gossett PLLC (Detroit),   Albert Togut of Togut, Segal & Segal, LLP (New York), Prof. G. Ray Warner of St. John's University and Of Counsel to Greenberg Traurig, LLP (Jamaica, N.Y.), David B. Wheeler of Moore & Van Allen, PLLC (Charleston, S.C.) and Judge Gregg W. Zive of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada (Reno, Nev.). The ABI Board of Directors has 60 members.  

ABI’s Executive Committee increased from 16 to 17 overall members as Jeffrey N. Pomerantz of Pachulski, Stang, Ziehl & Jones PC (Los Angeles) and John Tittle Jr. of NachmanHaysBrownstein, Inc. (Dallas) joined the following committee members: John W. Ames of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.), Geoffrey L. Berman of Development Specialists Inc. (Los Angeles), Prof. Ralph F. Brubaker of the University of Illinois College of Law (Champaign, Ill.), Reginald W. Jackson of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (Columbus, Ohio), Robert J. Keach of Bernstein Shur (Portland, Maine), Melissa Kibler Knoll of Mesirow Financial Consulting LLC (Chicago), James T. Markus of Block, Markus & Williams LLC (Denver), Josefina Fernandez McEvoy of K&L Gates LLP (Los Angeles), Patricia A. Redmond of Stearns, Weaver, Miller, et al. (Miami), Judge Steven W. Rhodes of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit), Rebecca A. Roof of AlixPartners LLC (New York), Anthony H.N. Schnelling of Bridge Associates LLC (New York), James Patrick Shea of Shea & Carlyon Ltd. (Las Vegas), Judge Wesley W. Steen of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Texas (Houston) and Judge Eugene R. Wedoff of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Northern Illinois (Chicago).

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutABI/BoardofDirectors/Board_of_Directors1.htm

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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 11,700 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.

Prof. G. Ray Warner Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

 

PROF. G. RAY WARNER ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 11, 2008, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Prof. G. Ray Warner of St. John's University and Of Counsel to Greenberg Traurig, LLP (Jamaica, N.Y.) has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1991, Warner has served as the Robert M. Zinman ABIResident Scholar, is a frequent contributor to the ABIJournal and is the co-faculty advisor for the ABILaw Review, which is edited by students at St. John's. Hewill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Prof. Warner is the director of the LL.M. in Bankruptcy program at St. John's University. Prior to joining the St. John's faculty in 2003, he was the William P. Boreland Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Law at the School of Law of the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Prof. Warner also serves as Of Counsel to the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, P.C. He has consulted in numerous major bankruptcy and consumer law cases, and represented the bankruptcy trustee before the U.S. Supreme Court in a 9-0 victory in Fidelity Financial Services Inc. v. Fink, 522 U.S. 211, 118 S.Ct. 651, 139 L.Ed.2d 571 (1998). He is also former chair, dean and founder of the American Board of Certification.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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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 11,700 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.

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