The Commercial Law League of America Presents at NCBJ Program... · The Commercial Law League of America Presents ... Fabrizio & Brook, P.C. Attorneys at Law ... Los Angeles, CA

The Commercial Law League of America

PresentsCLLA’s Annual Luncheon & Education Program

Monday, September 28, 2015at the

National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges

FeaturingThe Presentation of the Lawrence P. King Award to

The Honorable Steven W. Rhodes

A Keynote Presentation, “Bankruptcy and the Supreme Court – 1801 through 2014” with renowned bankruptcy authors and scholars Kenneth Klee and Whitman Holt

CLLA’s Honorable Frank W. Koger Memorial Education Program: Current Developments in Hot and Emerging Areas of Bankruptcy

The CLLA would like to say Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support.

SAPPHIRE SPONSOR

SPECIAL THANKS TO:The Kleinberg Fund Commerical Law Foundation

Joseph Samet, Esq.

SILVER SPONSORS

Hon. Judith K. Fitzgerald

BRONZE SPONSORS

Borges & Associates

Alan D. Lasko & Associates, P.C.

PATRON SPONSORS

WEINER LAW FIRM, P.C. Attorneys at LawFabrizio & Brook, P.C.

Sponsor Sign NCBJ 2015.indd 1 9/21/2015 2:46:47 PM

The Commerical Law League of America ● National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges ● 2015 │ 1

Table of Contents

The 2015 Lawrence P. King Award Recipient . . . . . . . . . . .4

CLLA Events at NCBJ Schedule & Summary . . . . . . . . . . .3

CLLA Events at NCBJ Speaker Biographies . . . . . . . . . . . .5 - 8

WEST ACADEMIC

Klee and Holt's Bankruptcy and the Supreme Court: 1801-2014

The most thorough modern analysis of the Supreme Court's bankruptcy decisions

• A comprehensive deskreference for lawyers,judges, and scholars

• Analyzes 700 casesdating back to 1801

• Discusses the jurisdictionand power of federalbankruptcy courts

• Offers substantivediscussions of theinterplay betweenbankruptcy law andother laws

© 2015 LEG, Inc. d/b/a West Academic 9.15 100345 West, West Academic Publishing, and West Academic are trademarks of West Publishing Corporation, used under license.

Join Kenneth Klee for his book signing after the CLLA luncheon

September 28, 2015 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Grand Ballroom Copies of the book will be for sale at the event.

WEST ACADEMIC PUBLISHING


The CLLA

Bankrup

cy Section 2015 - 2016

Executive C

ouncil

OfiicersChairBarbara M. Barron Barron & Newburger, PC Austin, TX Chair-ElectGary M. WeinerWeiner Law Firm, PC Springfield, MA

Immediate Past Chair Peter M. GannottGannott Law Group, PLLC Louisville, KY

Treasurer Reuel D. AshUlmer & Berne LLPCincinnati, OH

Secretary Deborah S. Rubin Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, P.C. Southfield, MI

MembersAndrew J. Abrams Boodell & Domanskis, LLC Chicago, IL

Carlota M. Bohm US Bankruptcy CourtWestern District of PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PA

Wanda Borges Borges & Associates, LLC Syosset, NY

Lawrence C. Brown Law Office of Lawrence C. Brown Buffalo, NY

Kirk B. Burkley Bernstein-Burkley, P.C. Pittsburgh, PA

Hon. Judith K. Fitzgerald U.S. Bankruptcy Court (Ret) Tucker Arensberg, PC Pittsburgh, PA

David H. Leigh Ray Quinney & Nebeker P.C. Salt Lake City, UT

Ronald R. Peterson Jenner & Block, LLP Chicago, IL

Stephen W. Sather Barron & Newburger, PC Austin, TX

William H. Schorling Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, P.C Philadelphia, PA

Steve A. Ungerman Dallas, TX

Jay L. Welford Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss Southfield, MI

Randall Woolley Askounis & Darcy, P.C. Chicago, IL

AdvisorsPeter C. Califano Cooper, White & Cooper, LLP San Francisco, CA

Deborah K. EbnerLaw Office of Deborah K. Ebner Chicago, IL

Ivan Reich Gray Robinson Fort Lauderdale, FL

Jeffrey N. Schatzman Schatzman & Schatzman, PA Miami, FL

Join the

Outstanding Education

Excellent Networking Opportunities

Member Only Discounts

Industry Respected Publications

and More!

Go to Clla.org

Look Inside for an Application!


1:00 – 2:45p.m. The Annual CLLA Luncheon ProgramFeaturing the presentation of the Lawrence P. King Award for Excellence in Bankruptcy and a CLE Presentation on Bankruptcy and the Supreme Court: 1801-2014 – with renowned bankruptcy authors and scholars Kenneth Klee and Whitman Holt who will discuss Supreme Court cases and their importance in the insolvency arena.

Welcome and Remarks CLLA President Robert S. Bernstein

Bankruptcy Section Welcome Bankruptcy Section Chair-Elect Gary Weiner

King Award Presentation The Honorable Judith K. Fitzgerald

Speaker Introduction CLLA President Robert S. Bernstein

CLE Presentation Kenneth Klee and Whitman Holt

3:00 – 5:15 p.m. CLLA’s Honorable Frank W. Koger Memorial Education Program: Current Developments in Hot and Emerging Areas of Bankruptcy

White Collar Crime, Asset Forfeiture and Business Bankruptcy Madoff, Rothstein, Dreier, Adelphia . . . . Recent years have seen dramatic numbers of debtors subject to parallel bankruptcy and governmental asset forfeiture proceedings. This program overviews forfeiture law, emphasizes complex tensions with bankruptcy law, and highlights recent developments. Attendees will learn how creditors assert claims against forfeited assets and recovery funds, how judges navigate case management and communication among criminal, regulatory, civil and bankruptcy proceedings, and how holders of disparate interests coordinate toward common purposes. Speakers: Hon. Steven W. Rhodes, (Ret.) U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Michigan; Ronald R. Peterson, Jenner & Block, Chicago, Illinois; Mark Redmiles, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D. C.; Professor Karen Gebbia, Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California

Vaccinations! Helping Clients Enhance Rights and Minimize Risk during the Bankruptcy Lull – Drafting and Negotiating Default, Rights Enforcement, Inter-creditor and Other Provisions in Transactional and Litigation Documents – Why They Matter!

The panel will cover important topics in documentation, taking a shot at protecting the transaction when Litigation ensues. The panel will discuss preventative measures regarding default, ipso facto, acceleration and termination provisions; stay waivers; default interest and make whole premiums; inter-creditor and subordination provisions; enhancing settlement agreements; escrows and deposits; section 365 (n) rights; authorization to file and bankruptcy remote issue; and choice of forum and arbitration clauses.Speakers: Mark Berman, Nixon Peabody, Boston Massachusetts; Leyza F. Blanco, Gray Robinson, Miami, Florida; Hon. Clifton R. Jessup, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Alabama; Joseph Samet, Baker & McKenzie, New York, New York; Hon. Carlota Bohm, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Pennsylvania

The CLLA Conference Events at The 2015 National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges


The Presentation of the Lawrence P. King Award to Judge Steven W. Rhodes

The Lawrence P. King Award for Excellence in the Field of Bankruptcy is presented to that lawyer, teacher, judge or legislator who exemplifies the best in scholarship, advocacy, judicial administration or legislative activities in the field of bankruptcy.

Retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven W. Rhodes exemplifies the person envisioned by this award. He is knowledgeable, personable, and highly respected by his peers. Judge Rhodes, who has taught Bankruptcy classes at the University of Michigan Law School, has been active on the national education scene for decades, both as a skilled writer and a polished presenter. He served on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Sixth Circuit. Judge Rhodes’ research and publication highlighting the deficiencies in bankruptcy schedules was a leading work and The Ponzi Book: A Legal Reference for

Unravelling Ponzi Schemes, which he co-authored with Kathy Bozoian Phelps, is the go-to reference on the subject. He is an author, educator and distinguished judge who spearheaded the resolution of the City of Detroit bankruptcy through plan confirmation. His innovative technique - using, among others, a U.S. District Judge as a mediator while reserving the ability to approve any settlements - was one of the many parts of the Detroit case that facilitated his rise to national prominence in the bankruptcy community. His effort to keep the citizens aware of and involved in the case reflected his commitment to an open process and an effort to control the natural hostility that occurs when pensions, business opportunities and other resources may be taken away through a bankruptcy case. Prior to his service on the bankruptcy bench, Judge Rhodes served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge and since his retirement has returned to the practice of law in Michigan.

Congratulations to Judge Rhodes!

The Commercial Law League thanks the following volunteers for the work on these events:Hon. Judith K. Fitzgerald, ChairU.S. Bankruptcy Court (Ret) Tucker Arensberg, PC Pittsburgh, PA

Barbara M. Barron Barron & Newburger, PC Austin, TX

Kirk B. Burkley Bernstein-Burkley, P.C. Pittsburgh, PA

Peter C. Califano Cooper, White & Cooper, LLP San Francisco, CA

Hon. Jeffrey A. DellerUS Bankruptcy CourtWestern District of PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PA

Deborah K. EbnerLaw Office of Deborah K Ebner Chicago, IL

Lisa Hill FenningArnold & Porter LLPLos Angeles, CA

Peter M. GannottGannott Law Group, PLLC Louisville, KY

Judith Greenstone-MillerJaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss Southfield, MI

Beverly Weiss ManneTucker Arensberg, PC Pittsburgh, PA

Ivan Reich Gray RobinsonFort Lauderdale, FL

Joseph SametBaker & MacKenzie (Ret.)New York, NY

Jeffrey N. Schatzman Schatzman & Schatzman, PA Miami, FL

William H. Schorling Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, P.C Philadelphia, PA

Jay L. Welford Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss Southfield, MI

Gary M. WeinerWeiner Law Firm, PC Springfield, MA


CLLA Events at NCBJ Speakers

Luncheon CLE presentation on “Bankruptcy and the Supreme Court – 1801 through 2014” with renowned bankruptcy authors and scholars Kenneth Klee and Whitman Holt discussing Supreme Court cases and their import in the insolvency arena.

Kenneth Klee, Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP, Los AngelesKenneth N. Klee is a nationally recognized expert on bankruptcy law. He is a professor emeritus at the UCLA School of Law and a founding partner of Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP, specializing in corporate reorganization, insolvency, and bankruptcy law. From 1974 to 1977, Professor Klee served as associate counsel to the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, where he was one of the principal drafters of the 1978 Bankruptcy Code. He served as a consultant on bankruptcy legislation to the U.S. Department of Justice in 1983-1984. From 1992-2000, he served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules to the Judicial Conference of the United States. From 2000-2003, and previously from 1988-1990,

Professor Klee served as a lawyer delegate to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. Professor Klee served from 2011-2014 as one of 18 voting Commissioners on the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. He served as member of the executive committee of the National Bankruptcy Conference from 2011 to 2014, 2005 to 2008, and 1985 to 1988. He also served as Chair of the NBC’s Committee to Rethink Chapter 11 from 2011 to 2014 and as chair of its legislation committee from 1992 to 1999. In March 2005, he was named by the Century City Bar as Bankruptcy Lawyer of the Year. In November 2006, the Central District of California Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Association bestowed on him the Calvin Ashland Award as consumer bankruptcy attorney of the year. In October, 2007 he received the Excellence in Education Award from the Endowment for Education of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. In April 2010, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys conferred on Prof. Klee their “Champion of Consumer Rights” award. Professor Klee has co-authored Bankruptcy and the Supreme Court: 1801-2014 (West Academic 2015, with Whitman L. Holt), Business Reorganization in Bankruptcy (with Scarberry, 1995, 2d ed. 2001, 3d ed. 2006, 4th ed. 2011), and Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Law (4th ed., with Treister, 1996). He has authored or co-authored over 30 law review articles on bankruptcy law. Professor Klee recently represented defendants Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Kerr McGee in Tronox v. Anadarko (Bankr. S.D.N.Y). During the summer of 2010, Professor Klee served as the appointed Examiner in the Tribune chapter 11 cases. He also represented Jefferson County, Alabama, in its successful Chapter 9 case from 2011-2014. Professor Klee also serves clients as an expert witness, mediator, arbitrator, attorney, or consultant in his Chapter 11 business reorganization practice.

Whitman Holt, Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP, Los AngelesWhitman L. Holt is a partner of Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Holt has represented clients across the bankruptcy spectrum, including borrowers in and out of court, debtors subject to involuntary bankruptcy petitions, municipal debtors, official committees, secured creditors in and out of bankruptcy, hedge and distressed debt funds, equity sponsors, plaintiffs and defendants in bankruptcy-related litigation, and purchasers of assets via chapter 11 plans and section 363 sales. Mr. Holt also has significant experience regarding various alternative insolvency regimes, including bank and thrift receiverships under title 12 of the U.S. Code and proceedings for troubled insurers under state law, and has successfully litigated tax refund

ownership and other disputes against the FDIC. Mr. Holt’s active bankruptcy-related appellate practice includes briefing multiple matters before the Supreme Court of the United States, including the prevailing merits brief in the landmark Stern v. Marshall case. Mr. Holt is the co-author (with Kenneth N. Klee) of Bankruptcy and the Supreme Court: 1801-2014 (West Academic 2015), and is a contributing author to Collier on Bankruptcy. He has also guest lectured about bankruptcy and tax law at the UCLA, USC, and Loyola Law Schools. Mr. Holt is a graduate of Bates College (B.A., 2002, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 2005, cum laude).

Copies of Klee and Holt’s book, Bankruptcy and the Supreme Court: 1801-2014, are available for purchase from the CLLA while supplies last. Look for a display outside the luncheon or in the CLLA booth during the Exposition.

The authors will be on hand to sign copies after the presentation.


CLLA’s Honorable Frank W. Koger Memorial Education Program: Current developments in Hot and Emerging Areas of Bankruptcy

Panel 1: White Collar Crime, Asset Forfeiture and Business Bankruptcy

Ronald R. Peterson, Jenner & Block, ChicagoRonald Peterson is a partner with Jenner & Block, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial, insolvency and bankruptcy law. He primarily represents debtors, trustees, creditors, committees, landlords and secured lenders in Chapter 11 cases in both insolvency litigation and transactional issues, including corporate restructurings. He is a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy, Workout and Corporate Reorganization; Bankruptcy Litigation; Real Estate and Construction Litigation; and Corporate Finance Practices; and the Real Estate Finance Litigation and Workout Task Force. Mr. Peterson is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Commercial Law League of America, the Business Bankruptcy

Committee of the Business Law Section, and the Bankruptcy Litigation Committee of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association. He is a Director of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and a member of INSOL (International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals). Mr. Peterson is a prolific lecturer and writer on bankruptcy and commercial law issues. Mr. Peterson has been a member of the panel of Chapter 7 Trustees for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division since 1987. He has presided over numerous complex commercial cases, including Stotler & Co, the country’s 10th largest commodities house, and Lancelot Investment, a $1.7 billion Ponzi scheme. Mr. Peterson has also served as examiner in Robert Lund, a large real estate developer and the Chairman of the Creditors’ Committee in Thomas J. Petters, a $3.5 billion Ponzi Scheme.

Mark A. Redmiles, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C.Mark A. Redmiles has served in a bankruptcy and financial litigation leadership capacity for the Department of Justice for over thirteen years. Since 2012, he has been the Assistant Director for Asset Recovery Staff with the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. Mr. Redmiles provides executive leadership to the bankruptcy, asset forfeiture, and financial litigation program areas and staff. From 2002 to 2012, he was with the Executive Office for United States Trustees and was Deputy Director for five of those years. Mr. Redmiles served as a consultant to the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules (Committee) from March 2005 to March 2012. On behalf of the Committee, he participated on working groups that developed official

bankruptcy forms to implement the means testing provisions and bankruptcy rules to facilitate enhanced mortgage creditor claim disclosures. Mr. Redmiles also participated on the Committee’s Bankruptcy Forms Modernization Project from January 2008 to March 2012. Mr. Redmiles served on the 2011 Education Program Planning Committee for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. Mr. Redmiles also is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington School of Law, where he teaches a Creditors’ Rights and Debtors’ Protection course.

Hon. Steven W. Rhodes (Ret.), U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of MichiganSteven W. Rhodes was a United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit) for nearly 30 years until his retirement on February 18, 2015. He served as its chief judge from 2002-2009. He was also appointed to the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Sixth Circuit from 1997-2004 and 2008-2011, serving as its chief judge from 2002-2004. He was an Associate Editor of the American Bankruptcy Law Journal, published by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, from 1994-1996. In 1995, he was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. From 2002-2004, he was the Chair of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges Endowment for Education. From 2005-2009, he was Vice President for

Research of the American Bankruptcy Institute and on its Executive Committee. On April 3, 2009, the ABI awarded him its 2009 Distinguished Service Award. He is also a co-author, with Kathy Bazoian Phelps, of “THE PONZI BOOK: A LEGAL RESOURCE FOR UNRAVELING PONZI SCHEMES,” published by Matthew Bender LexisNexis (March 2012). In July of 2013, the chief judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals appointed him to preside over the bankruptcy case of the City of Detroit, the largest municipal bankruptcy case ever filed, and he confirmed the City’s plan of adjustment in November, 2014.


Mark Berman, Nixon Peabody, Boston, MassachusettsMark Berman is a member of Nixon Peabody LLP’s Financial Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice Group, resident in its Boston and New York City offices. Mark is a 1976 graduate of Boston College Law School and a 1973 graduate of Northwestern University. He is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy for which he serves as Regent for the First Circuit and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1989, in America’s Leading Lawyers (Chambers USA) since 2004 and in numerous other national and international publications for his proficiency in bankruptcy law. In addition to his traditional bankruptcy work involving chapter 7, 9 or 11 cases and out of court restructurings, Mark also works with the Firm’s finance attorneys, assisting in the

process of structuring financing transactions to create predictability in the context of the potential insolvency of one or more of the participant entities, as well as with the preparation or review of various transaction documents including “true sale” and “nonconsolidation” opinions along with intercreditor and subordination agreements used in second lien and subordinated debt financings. His efforts have included work on financing municipalities, infrastructure, real estate, sports teams and stadiums, manufacturing facilities, military housing, wind energy projects and the securitizations of various assets including accounts, leases and tobacco settlement payments. He is also currently teaching various courses as an adjunct professor at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business.

Moderator: Professor Karen Gebbia, Golden Gate University School of Law, San FranciscoProfessor Gebbia teaches business reorganization, bankruptcy, secured transactions, sales, contracts, business associations, and other commercial transactions courses at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco. Previously, she was Professor of Law at the University of Hawai`i School of Law. She has received several awards for excellence in teaching. Her scholarship and speaking engagements focus on bankruptcy and commercial law, including complex intersections between the Bankruptcy Code and other law. Before joining academia, Professor Gebbia practiced corporate restructuring and commercial

transactions law for eleven years with Winston & Strawn and Nachman & Munitz. She earned her B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Villanova University, and her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.Professor Gebbia is an active member of the American Bar Association Business Law Section, where she has held a variety of leadership positions over the years. Currently, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Business Law Section Publications Board, and as chair of the Business Bankruptcy Committee Publications & Content Subcommittee. She has chaired the Section’s Working Group on White Collar Crime, Asset Forfeiture and Business Bankruptcy since its inception in 2010 (under the auspices of the Bankruptcy Court Structure and Insolvency Practices Committee, with support from the Business Bankruptcy Committee).

Panel 2: Vaccinations! Helping Clients Enhance Rights and Minimize Risk during the Bankruptcy Lull – Drafting and Negotiating Default , Rights Enforcement, Inter-creditor and Other Provisions in Transactional and Litigation Documents-Why They Matter!

Leyza F. Blanco, Gray Robinson, Miami, Florida Leyza F. Blanco, a founding shareholder in the Miami office of Gray Robinson, P.A., concentrates on complex business litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency matters representing creditors, receivers, assignees, trustees and debtors. She has served as mediator, examiner, receiver, special master and as an expert witness in federal and state court proceedings. Her practice in the area of restructuring and creditors’ rights is currently focused on complex business and cross-border bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters. Leyza received her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the University of Miami Law School. Leyza is currently Chair of the Inclusion/Mentoring/Fellowship Committee of the Florida Bar’s Business Law Section and is on the board

of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation. She is a past president of the Bankruptcy Bar of the Southern District of Florida and past chair of the Florida Bar Business Law Section’s Bankruptcy/UCC Committee and Bankruptcy Judicial Liaison Committee. Leyza was awarded the Key Partners Award by the South Florida Business Journal in 2012 and was recently recognized in the Wall Street Journal among the Top 50 Women Attorneys in Florida in 2013 and Top 100 Lawyers in Miami-Dade County. She is a 2014 Fellow for the Legal Council Legal Diversity and a member of Leadership Florida Clase XXXII. Leyza is ranked in Chambers USA, and has been named a Florida Super Lawyer and Top Lawyer by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite.


Moderator: Hon. Carlota Bohm, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Pennsylvania Judge Böhm was appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 2011. Judge Böhm started her career as a law clerk to two Bankruptcy Judges and was in private practice in the bankruptcy / commercial law area since 1981. She also was a Bankruptcy Trustee for over 30 years and has been a mediator in many matters. She practiced law at Houston Harbaugh, P.C. from 1992 – 2011 and was a partner in Schaffler & Böhm prior to that. She is fluent in Spanish, being born in Buenos Aires, Argentina; graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. and received an M.A. and J.D. Degree from Duquesne University. Judge

Böhm was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 1979 and the Supreme Court of the United States in 1983. She has been listed “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” and has an AV rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating System. She is very active in numerous organizations, including; the Allegheny County Bar Association, Commercial Law League of America, The Judith K. Fitzgerald Western Pennsylvania Bankruptcy American Inn of Court and the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. She is a frequent lecturer on various topics, including bankruptcy, legal ethics, and commercial law.

Hon. Clifton R. Jessup, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of AlabamaClifton R. Jessup, Jr. was appointed the United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Alabama, Northern Division on March 2, 2015. He was formerly a principal shareholder in the Dallas office of the international law firm of Greenburg Traurig, LLP where he concentrated his practice in business reorganization and bankruptcy.During his 35 plus years of bankruptcy-related practice before taking the bench, then Attorney Jessup represented secured creditors, unsecured creditors, committees, equity holders, debtors, and trustees in federal bankruptcy cases in over 37 states and Puerto Rico. He also represented

purchasers of assets in bankruptcy cases, and served as examiner and mediator in many cases. In 2001, he was selected as the Liquidating Trustee under the confirmed Chapter 11 Plan in the Baptist Foundation of Arizona, the largest not-for-profit bankruptcy cases filed to date. The cases involved over 13K investors and claims in excess of $600M. In 2009, he represented the Opus West Corporation in a Chapter 11 case involving over 50 commercial real estate properties in Arizona, California and Texas with claims in excess of $1.2B. Judge Jessup is a member of several professional organizations, including the Advisory Committee to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11. He has been recognized by a variety of publications and organizations throughout his career and has developed a reputation as a talented lecturer due to his participation at Bankruptcy Conferences and Events throughout the country. Judge Jessup is a graduate of Oakwood College (B.A., summa cum laude, 1976) and University of Michigan Law School (JD, 1978).

Joseph Samet, Baker & McKenzie, New YorkJoseph Samet has been a partner and member of Baker & McKenzie’s Global Recovery, Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group, residing in the New York office. Mr. Samet retired from the firm on June 30, 2015. He continues to teach, write, mediate, and be active in the field. Since 1975, Mr. Samet has been immersed in a national and international workouts and restructuring, chapter 11 reorganizations, distressed sales of assets, SIPC and bankruptcy practice, representing all parties in interest. His practice has involved diverse commercial businesses, including in manufacturing, financial services, retail, service, airlines, energy, healthcare, real estate, e-commerce, sports and telecommunications. The work includes prosecution and defense of

preference, fraudulent conveyance, equitable subordination and substantive consolidation actions, officer/director liability and Ponzi scheme issues, and related litigation. He counsels professional firms and their partners and shareholders on risk management, “unfinished business” and clawback type issues. Mr. Samet has prepared expert reports and testified as an expert witness in jury trials and in an international arbitration. He is on the SDNY bankruptcy court mediation panel and has taken meditation training courses in 1994 and 2015. Mr. Samet is the principal co-author of the two-volume annotated Herzog’s Bankruptcy Forms and Practice published by Thomson Reuters. He has been a contributing author of Collier on Bankruptcy, 15th Edition, and the Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide treatises, having written and updated for many years three chapters on voluntary and involuntary bankruptcies totaling approximately 400 printed pages. In addition, Mr. Samet his written articles for numerous publications. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, and has served as a member on the bankruptcy committees of national and local bar associations.

Congratulations Judge Rhodes on your remarkable career and legacy.

It was an honor to appear before you!

clarkhill.com

Clark Hill Congratulates the Honorable Steven W. Rhodes

www.jaffelaw.com

SOUTHFIELD • ANN ARBOR • DETROIT • NAPLES

CONGRATULATIONS

Judge Rhodesfor being a recipient

of the Lawrence P. King Award for Excellence in Bankruptcy

20331 Jaffe Ad, CLLA Sep 14, 2015.pdf 1 9/15/15 3:36 PM

Congratulations Judge Rhodes

from Fabrizio & Brook

Thank you for all your years of service and

dedication. With respect and admiration, we

wish you all the best!

Fabrizio & Brook, P.C.

The Commercial Law League of America would like to Congratulate Judge Rhodes!

2015 King Award Recipient. Monday September 28th

at the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges

Congratulations!

Troy, Michigan

2015 FALL CONFERENCENYC s NOVEMBER 12-14

MEET, LEARN, PLAY WITH CLLA!visit www.clla.org\events

Join CLLA for a collections focused conference at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York City. This year’s event promises to deliver the same high quality education, networking, and fun you’ve come to expect.

Sessions will focus on “The Life of a File” from credit application to bad debt, including insolvency.

For more info & to register visit www.clla.org/events