Thomas L. Ambro

Thomas L. Ambro is a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Prior to becoming a Judge in 2000, Judge Ambro was a member of the law firm of Richards, Layton & Finger, Wilmington, Delaware, having first joined the firm in 1976 after a judicial clerkship with Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice Daniel L. Herrmann.

Judge Ambro is a past Chair of the Section of Business Law of the American Bar Association and past Editor of The Business Lawyer. He is also a past member of the Board of Trustees of the American Inns of Court Foundation, and in Delaware he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Richard S. Rodney Inn of Court and a Co-Chair of the Collins J. Seitz Bankruptcy Inn of Court. Within the Delaware State Bar Association, Judge Ambro is a former Chair of the Commercial Law Section and chaired for 20 years that Section's Committee on the Uniform Commercial Code.

Judge Ambro graduated from Georgetown University's College in 1971 (Class of '72) and from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1975. He has published numerous articles and lectured frequently throughout the country.

Kent Anderson
Owner
Kent Anderson Law Office, Eugene, Oregon

Kent Anderson has lectured extensively for lawyers, realtors and tax professionals about Tax Liens, Tax Collection Defense, Mortgage Modifications, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, and other Debtor-Creditor matters. He has been a featured speaker at the IRS National Tax Forum, Northwest Bankruptcy Institute, and the NACBA Annual Meeting. Kent has been active in the NACBA lobbying program for several years and was invited to speak at US Senator Jeff Merkley’s Mortgage and Foreclosure Solutions Summit. He is the current NACBA Oregon chair and continues to consult with the senator’s office on bankruptcy and foreclosure issues.
Kent established his private practice in 1978 and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, the US Tax Court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the US Supreme Court. Mr. Anderson is board certified in Consumer Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification. His practice includes tax collection defense, contested audit, and consumer bankruptcy matters.
He is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, and the Bankruptcy Law Network, LLC, where he currently holds the office of Treasurer. As chair of the Website Committee for the Oregon State Bar Debtor/Creditor Section and member of the local Bankruptcy Pro Bono committee, he contributes his expertise to state bar efforts. Kent has been a public board member of the Oregon Board of Psychologist Examiners since 2009. He is a contributing author on the LexisNexis Bankruptcy Law Center online forum and has worked with Lexis in developing and testing several versions of its software including its new TopForm 11 bankruptcy document assembly program.

David J. Babel

David J. Babel is a graduate of Pace University School of Law in 1988 and is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut. Mr. Babel is the principal in David J. Babel, Esq., P.C., a law office that has served over 10,000 consumer bankruptcy clients during a 25 year period. The office focuses on assisting debtors in extinguishing or managing their debts in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. It also represents clients in all aspects of residential real estate transactions. Mr. Babel has an educational, media, and counseling background with advanced degrees from The New School for Social Research, Queens College, and Lehman College. He has structured his practice so that his entire staff is acutely sensitive to the social and emotional needs of his clients as well as their financial turmoil. He has lectured in the consumer bankruptcy field to a variety of groups for CLE credit and for raising public consciousness with respect to the rights of debtors. This includes: The New York City Bar Association, The United States Bankruptcy Court, and church and community groups. Mr. Babel has participated in the Southern District of New York’s Loss Mitigation program since its inception in 2008 and has successfully obtained loan modifications for his clients on a consistent basis through the auspices of the court’s program and as a result of settlements reached in actions brought against lenders and mortgage servicers for various reasons, including abuse and faulty documentation Email:davidjbabel@babelslaw.com

Mohammed Badwan

Mohammed Badwan attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana for his undergraduate studies. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2006. He was a recipient of the Dean’s List Award 6 out of the 8 semesters while at the University of Illinois. Mr. Badwan was then admitted to Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2006. He was a member of the trial-team and competed against other law schools from around the nation. During the Summer of 2008, he clerked at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Felony Trial Division where he had the opportunity to prosecute numerous felony drug cases before the Honorable Judge Clayton Crane. He obtained his JD in the Spring of 2009. He successfully passed the bar exam in October 2009. While waiting for admission to the Illinois Bar he clerked at Horn, Khalaf, Abuzir & Mitchell in Palos Hills, Illinois; focusing on litigation. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in November of 2009. Before joining Sulaiman Law Group, he was the head bankruptcy attorney at Chicago Legal in Berwyn, Illinois. To date, he has handled over 320 consumer bankruptcies from inception to completion. He also handles misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. Mr. Badwan currently practices in both federal and state courts.

Thad O. Bartholow, III.
Partner
Armstrong Kellett Bartholow P.C., Dallas

Robert D. Berger
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge/District of Kansas

Bankruptcy Judge Robert D. Berger was appointed to the Kansas City Division of the Bankruptcy Court in 2003. Prior to his appointment, Judge Berger practiced law as a bankruptcy and insolvency specialist representing debtors and creditors. Judge Berger was among the first group of attorneys in Kansas and Missouri certified by the American Board of Certifications in both consumer and business bankruptcy law and was a member of the NACBA. Judge Berger has written numerous articles on bankruptcy issues, and is a contributing author for Collier on Bankruptcy and the Kansas Bar Association's Bankruptcy Handbook. Judge Berger has also served as a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy, insolvency and related divorce and tax issues. He counts among his affiliations membership in the American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and the Federal Bar Association of Kansas.

Suzanne M. Berger

SUZANNE M. BERGER
Bryan Cave LLP, 1290 Avenue of the America, New York, New York
Tel: 1 212 541 2034, Fax: 1 212 541 1334, smberger@bryancave.com

Suzanne Berger’s practice has a special emphasis on litigation arising out of commercial loan enforcement, mortgage foreclosures, landlord-tenant disputes and construction issues. Currently, she represent Bank of America, N.A., as loan servicer, in connection with a portion of its New York portfolio of litigated residential foreclosures. She also represents various special servicers including LNR Partners in connection with multi-million dollar distressed commercial real estate loans in New York City and its suburbs. Ms. Berger has argued numerous foreclosure cases before the Appellate Division including Ziska v. Bank of America, N.A., 99 A.D.3d 602 (1st Dep’t 2012) (regarding the proper forum for a borrower to challenge a securitized mortgage loan) and Dollar Dry Dock Savings Bank v. Piping Rock Builders, 181 A.D.2d 709, 581 N.Y.S.2d 361 (2d Dep’t 1992), which clarified certain aspects of New York’s “election of remedies” rule.

Among other clients, Ms. Berger has represented Barnes & Noble College Bookstores and other national retailers. She has argued numerous Freedom of Information Law cases before administrative agencies and trial and appellate courts in New York and other states. She successfully argued the oft cited Court of Appeals case, Encore College Bookstores, Inc. v. Auxiliary Services Corporation of the State University of New York at Farmingdale, 87 N.Y.2d 410, 639 N.Y.S.2d 990 (1995). Ms. Berger has been with Bryan Cave LLP since 2002. Previously she was special counsel at Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman LLP.

Education
Barnard College, Columbia University B.A. 1978
Fordham Law School, J.D., 1984

Publications
Contributing Author – West New York Practice Series General Practice in New York (1998), Chapter on Mortgage Foreclosure

N.Y.S. Bar Association 2008, 2010 and 2012 CLE Westchester Panel Chair-2006 Panel Member – “Mortgage Foreclosures and Workouts,” 2002 and 2004; “Foreclosures and other Receiverships,” April and October 2003

N.Y.S. Bar Association, CLE, Representing a Political candidate, New York Law Primer, April 2008

Rockland County Bar Ass’n, CLE, Basics of Mortgage Foreclosures, Fall 2010 and Spring 2013.

Personal
Ms. Berger resides in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

J, Thomas. Black

J. Thomas Black graduated from South Texas College of Law in Houston in 1982, and started his own law firm in 1986. Mr. Black has always specialized in consumer and small business bankruptcy law, tax collection defense, and related matters. Mr. Black was Board Certified in Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1989, and he was re-certified in 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009.

Mr. Black served as President of the Houston Association of Debtor Attorneys (HADA) from 1999 until 2002. He was selected as a Texas Super Lawyer for 2011. He currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Houston Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, Inc. (HACBA).

Mr. Black has written for and spoken at several Continuing Legal Education (CLE) conferences, including those sponsored by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA), the University of Texas Law School, the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP), and others. Mr. Black is a member of the State Bar of Texas, NACBA, and the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA), and an associate member of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACCT).

Mr. Black is active in supporting the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP) by performing pro bono legal services for indigent Texans. His firm is an Equal Access to Justice Champion law firm for HVLP. Mr. Black received a Pro Bono Service Award from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in 2003, and a Pro Bono Service Award from the State Bar of Texas Bankruptcy Section in 2012.

Susan Block Lieb

Professor Block-Lieb, the Cooper Family Chair of Urban Legal Studies, teaches bankruptcy, secured transactions, consumer protection, and other commercial law courses at Fordham Law School, including advanced courses on Corporate Reorganization in Bankruptcy and International Insolvency Law. She is General Counsel and a member of the Board of Directors for the Coalition for Debtor Education, a member of the Board of Directors for Fordham University’s Center on International Policy Studies, and an inducted member of the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law, the American College of Bankruptcy and the International Insolvency Institute. She chairs the ABA’s subcommittee on International Insolvency Law and is a delegate from the American Bar Association to UNCITRAL’s Insolvency Working Group. Together Prof. Block-Lieb is the recipient of a 2002 New York State Bar Association President’s Pro Bono Service Attorney Award.

Sarah Bolling Mancini

Sarah Bolling Mancini is a staff attorney in the Home Defense Program of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Sarah joined the Home Defense Program as a Skadden Fellow in 2007 after graduating from Harvard Law School. In 2010 Sarah moved to Durham, North Carolina, where she worked at the Land Loss Prevention Project representing small family farmers, rural landowners, and homeowners facing debt, foreclosure, and real property issues. Beginning in 2011 Sarah clerked for the Honorable Amy Totenberg, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia. She returned to Atlanta Legal Aid’s Home Defense Program in October 2012 at the conclusion of her judicial clerkship. At Legal Aid, Sarah has advocated for vulnerable homeowners facing predatory mortgage lending practices and the threat of foreclosure in state court, federal district court, and bankruptcy court.

Sarah compliments her individual client representation with media outreach and policy advocacy. She has been quoted in stories about her clients in The New York Times, The Nation magazine, NPR's All Things Considered, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Sarah was selected to participate in the Next Generation Bankruptcy Judges program of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges in 2013. She has presented on foreclosure and bankruptcy issues at the National Consumer Law Center’s 2010 and 2013 Consumer Rights Litigation Conference, the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Symposium, and the Center for Community Progress Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference.

Billy Braziel

William (“Billy”) has been around bankruptcy for his entire life. His parents have been practicing in consumer bankruptcy field for 25 plus years. From Savannah, Ga and a graduate of Appalachian State University in 2006 and North Carolina Central University in 2009 with honors. He was honored as a 2012 Rising Star in the bankruptcy field.

William Brewer
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, Raleigh

Colleen A. Brown

COLLEEN A. BROWN

COLLEEN A. BROWN has served as the United States. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Vermont since April 10, 2000. She received a B.A., cum laude, with honors in philosophy, from Colgate University in 1979, and a J.D., cum laude, from Buffalo Law School in 1983. Judge Brown chaired the first Vermont Rule of Law Conference (2008), served as a member of the First Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (2002 - 2003), represented the Second Circuit on the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts -- Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Group (2004 - 2007), chaired the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges -- NCBJ - United States Trustee Liaison Committee (2005 - 2008), and currently serves as the Second Circuit representative to the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and on the Second Circuit Bankruptcy Committee. Additionally, Judge Brown is an author for Collier on Bankruptcy 15th edition, served on the NCBJ Education Committee (2008), is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy consumer law topics, and regularly teaches about the intersection of state law and bankruptcy law. Formerly, Judge Brown served as Law Clerk to Hon. Beryl E. McGuire, Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court, Western District of New York, and as the Assistant United States Trustee for the Western District of New York. Judge Brown has been active in state and local bar associations for over 25 years and was the recipient of the New York State Bar Association's President's Pro Bono Service Award in 1992 and of the Vermont Bar Association's Pro Bono Service Award in 2006.

William H. Brown

Honorable William Houston Brown retired in 2006 as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, and he had been designated to sit also in the Middle District of Tennessee, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Michigan and Western District of Kentucky. Judge Brown served a four-year term on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Sixth Circuit from 1999 through 2002. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was Order of the Coif. Judge Brown is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, having served on its Board and Executive Committee, and he is a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. He is the author or co-author of several texts, including Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, 2005 Bankruptcy Reform Legislation with Analysis 1st and 2d editions, Bankruptcy and Domestic Relations Manual, The Law of Debtors and Creditors, as well as bankruptcy form books, all published by Thomson West. He is also a principal contributing editor for Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 3rd, published by Thomson West. Judge Brown prepares a quarterly update of consumer cases for the Federal Judicial Center, which distributes those materials to all bankruptcy judges, and he is a speaker at the Federal Judicial Center's annual seminars for bankruptcy judges. He also speaks regularly at seminars throughout the United States, on consumer bankruptcy topics. Judge Brown co-authors Chapter 13 Bankruptcy 4th ed., a digital publication, available at ch13online.com. Judge Brown also acts as a mediator in bankruptcy-related disputes, has conducted mock trials, and has testified as an expert witness in bankruptcy court trials.

Jessica Gabel. Cino
Associate Dean
Georgia State University College of Law, Decatur, Georgia

Professor Gabel teaches courses on Forensic Evidence and Forensic Medicine. She also teaches bankruptcy and contracts. Her primary research focuses on fraud and ethics at the intersection of law and science. Professor Gabel has been interviewed by PBS Nova, National Public Radio, TruTV, RT America, and other news outlets. She has lectured throughout the U.S, in Poland, China, Taiwan and Australia.Professor Gabel received her JD magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and her bachelor of science, summa cum laude, from the University of Central Florida. While in law school, Professor Gabel co-founded and served as the executive director for the Wrongful Convictions Project, which assisted defendants with claims of actual innocence. The Project continues its work and is now a fully-funded Innocence Clinic.
Prior to joining Georgia State University College of Law, she clerked for the Honorable Peter T. Fay, Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She then practiced law with Covington & Burling LLP in San Francisco, California, focusing on white collar crime, bankruptcy, and pro bono death penalty work. While at Covington, Professor Gabel also taught classes at the University of California Hastings School of the Law.
Professor Gabel presents on forensic evidence, criminal law, business law, bankruptcy, and trial strategy. She also has written on a wide-range of topics, including the validity of forensic evidence genetic testing, forensic DNA identification, trial and jury tactics, bankruptcy fraud, lender liability, legal ethics, and bioethics.
Professor Gabel is also a frequent contributor of opinion pieces for various publications. In addition to being the author of a treatise titled The Law of Lender Liability, she is co-author of the Bankruptcy Appeals Manual, published by the American Bankruptcy Institute. In 2009, she received the American Bar Association's Kathryn R. Heidt Memorial Award for her service, scholarship and practice, and in 2010 received a publication award from the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Professor Gabel consults on various criminal and bankruptcy matters and has engaged in numerous pro bono criminal defense representations. Recently, she successfully appealed a wrongful conviction and death sentence in Mississippi, resulting in her client's freedom.

Paul Collier

Mr. Collier has had two careers in the law: as a trial lawyer and as a teacher. As a trial
lawyer, he has tries over fifty cases to verdict, in the state and federal courts. He tried
the first-in-the-nation medical negligence case alleging the failure to diagnose and treat AIDS - twice. Before the Bankruptcy Court (D.Mass) he successfully tried a mortgage foreclosure defense case on grounds that the borrower lacked capacity to comprehend the terms of the confounding Merrill Lynch securitized mortgage. Over forty appellate decisions followed from his trial court work, including Miles v. Beneficial Finance, 436 F3d 291 (1st Cir., 2006)(Successful appeal of bankruptcy judge granting lender relief from stay) and Drakopoulos v. United States Bank Nat'l Ass'n, 465 Mass. 775, 790 (Mass. 2013)(Predatory mortgage, and liability of securitized trust mortgage assignee).

As a teacher, Mr. Collier trained law students in clinical legal practice at Harvard Law School for twenty five years. He taught Advanced Civil Litigation, Trial Advocacy Workshop, Predatory Lending, and Landlord/Tenant Law. As Director of Litigation of the Wilmer/Hale Legal Services Center, he also supervised and trained Law School Clinical Instructors in legal practice and litigation.

James (Jim) H. Cossitt
Attorney
James H. Cossitt, PC, Kalispell, Montana

James H. Cossitt has practiced in Kalispell, Mont., since 1999 in the areas of bankruptcy & workouts, business & commercial litigation, real estate, landlord / tenant, secured transactions and construction law. He began his career in insolvency law as a bankruptcy attorney with the FDIC in Des Moines, Iowa, served as a chapter 7 panel trustee in the N.D. of Iowa from 1988-95 and as a chapter 11 trustee in the W.D. of Michigan from 1997 to 2000. Mr. Cossitt is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Montana, Colorado, Michigan and Iowa, is board-certified by the American Board of Certification in both Business & Consumer Bankruptcy Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and a lifetime member of the American Bankruptcy Institute. In addition, he is the Montana editor of West Group’s Bankruptcy Exemption Manual and in 2009 was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Certification (ABC).
As chair of the Task Force on Attorney Discipline’s Best Practices Working Group of the Ad Hoc Committee on Bankruptcy Court Structure and Insolvency Process, Mr. Cossitt supervised the publication of the “Working Paper: Best Practices for Debtors’ Attorneys”, 64 Bus. Law 79 (2008), which was a follow up to an earlier Report by the Task force, entitled “Attorney liability under section 707(b)(4) of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005”, 61 Bus. Law. 697 (2006).
A frequent speaker to professional and trade groups on bankruptcy and related topics, Mr. Cossitt was a member of a task force of US bankruptcy judges, law professors and others who consulted with the Slovak Parliament and research institutes in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 1993 on drafting a new bankruptcy law and the transition to a market economy. He served as an invited lecturer at a Russian Bankruptcy School sponsored by the Iowa State University Center for International Agricultural Finance, held in Ames, Iowa, in 1995. Mr. Cossitt received his B.A., with distinction, in 1982 from Iowa State University and his J.D. in 1986 from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Jenny L. Doling

Ms. Doling is admitted to practice in California and Nevada. She opened her law firm in 2001, representing debtors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies, as well as related consumer rights litigation. Ms. Doling received an Academic Achievement Award in Bankruptcy and was also honored with an award for excellence from the American Bankruptcy Law Journal. Ms. Doling is a long-standing member of NACBA, NCLC, and the Inland Empire Bankruptcy Forum. She also serves on the Central District of California Chapter 13 Committee working with local trustees and judges. She is a board member for IEBF. In addition, Ms. Doling has presented seminars on Judgment Enforcement in California, and was formerly a California State Licensed Collection Agent prior to attending law school. These experiences have given Ms. Doling a unique perspective on the collection agency industry. Ms. Doling recently presented at NCBJ on the Social Security exclusion issue and will be presenting at NACTT in August, 2013.

Robert D. Drain

Robert Drain is a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York, appointed in 2002. He received his B.A. degree cum laude with honors from Yale University and his J.D. degreefrom the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fisk Stone Scholar for three years. Judge Drain is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the International Insolvency Institute, and the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. He is a past member and secretary of the Bankruptcy and Reorganization Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He is an adjunct professor at St. John's University School of Law's LLM in Bankruptcy Program and has lectured and written on numerous bankruptcy-related topics. He has presided over many prominent bankruptcy cases, including several transnational cases and has served as a mediator in a number of chapter 11 cases. He is also the author of a novel, The Great Work in the United States of America.

Rachel Lynn Foley
Owner
Foley Law - KC Bankruptcy, Independence

Rachel has been recognized for her constant commitment to the representation of debtors. Rachel is the inaugural winner of the K. Colleen Nunnelly Award by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and recognized by her peers as being the Best of the Kansas City Bar in the area of bankruptcy. These recognitions are in addition to being named to the Pro Bono Wall of Fame by the Missouri Bar Association.

As a result of Rachel focusing her attention to the area of consumer bankruptcy representation, she is called upon to speak nationally and locally regarding consumer bankruptcy. Currently, Rachel is a proud and active member of the following:

Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney - 7 & 13's - Kansas & Missouri
Co State Chair - NACBA for Missouri
Co-Chair - ABI Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute
Member - International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation
Member - Kansas City Bankruptcy Bar Association
Member - Kansas City Bankruptcy Women's Association
Member - Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

Eric L. Frank
Judge
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Pa.), Philadelphia

Eric L. Frank has been serving as a bankruptcy judge serving in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since February 2006. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Frank had more than 27 years experience as a bankruptcy practitioner and was counsel in several cases that were decided by the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

While in practice, Judge Frank was a shareholder in DiDonato and Winterhalter, P.C. (from 2004 to 2006), a partner in Miller, Frank & Miller (from 1991 to 2004) and a supervising attorney at Community Legal Services, Inc. (from 1978 to 1991), all in Philadelphia, PA. He served as a law clerk to the late Justice Samuel J. Roberts of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1976-77 and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Bruce I. Fox in 1986-87.

From 1998 to 2005, Judge Frank served as a member of the federal Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. He is a Contributing Author to the treatise Collier on Bankruptcy (15th rev. ed.). Judge Frank is a past Chair of the Steering Committee of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference and a past President of the Board of Directors of the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project in Philadelphia, which provides referrals and representation in chapter 7 bankruptcy cases on a pro bono basis for eligible, indigent persons.

Judge Frank received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1976, where he served on the Law Review, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1973.

Richard Gaudreau

Richard Gaudreau is an attorney with a solo practice focusing on bankruptcy and student loan issues. In addition to his law degree, he holds a Masters of Law from Boston University. He was a contributor to Boston University Law Review and then served as a law clerk to the Massachusetts Appellate Division. He is board certified in consumer bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification, and is New Hampshire chair of NACBA. He is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. He volunteers at the Upper Room in Derry, NH in a juvenile diversion program. He is married with one son, and is an avid golfer, chess player, and music lover. Rich can be reached at Richard@AttorneyGaudreau.com

Robert Gerber

Robert E. Gerber is a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York. Since his appointment to the bench in September 2000, Judge Gerber has presided over a wide variety of chapter 11, chapter 7, chapter 15, section 304 and SIPA cases.

Judge Gerber earned a B.S. degree in industrial engineering, with high honors, from Rutgers University (from which he graduated in 1967), and a J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Columbia Law School, from which he graduated in 1970, and where, among other things, he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and then a James Kent Scholar. Before going on the bench, he practiced with the firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, in New York City, specializing in securities and commercial litigation and, thereafter, bankruptcy litigation and counseling.

He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Columbia Law School; a contributing author to Collier on Bankruptcy; and a Fellow (and Director) of the American College of Bankruptcy. He has been named by Turnarounds and Workouts as one of the nation’s outstanding bankruptcy judges six times.

Martin Glenn

Martin Glenn was sworn in as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York on November 30, 2006. He received his B.S. degree from Cornell University in 1968 and his J.D. degree from Rutgers Law School in 1971. He was an Articles Editor of the Rutgers Law Review.

Judge Glenn was a law clerk for Hon. Henry J. Friendly, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, from 1971-72. From 1972 until his appointment to the bench, Judge Glenn practiced law with O’Melveny & Myers LLP, in Los Angeles from 1972-85 and in New York from 1985-06, focusing on complex civil litigation, including securities, RICO, financial and accounting fraud, and unfair competition.
Judge Glenn is a member of the American Law Institute, the International Insolvency Institute, the Federal Bar Council, the Federal Bar Council American Inns of Court, and the New York City Bar and its Federal Courts Committee. He is a member and former Co-Chair of the Advisory Group to the New York State-Federal Judicial Council. He is also a member of the NCBJ Bankruptcy Rules Committee, and is a Contributing Author of Collier on Bankruptcy. He is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy-related issues.

Peter Goldberger
Principal
Law Office of Peter Goldberger, Ardmore

Peter Goldberger is the founder and principal of a three-lawyer firm, located in Ardmore, PA, near Philadelphia, which for over 20 years has focused its practice on the post-conviction aspects of federal criminal cases, especially sentencing and appeals. Admitted to appear before every Circuit, Goldberger has argued some 200 federal appeals, including appeals in bankruptcy fraud cases and from decisions in ancillary proceedings. He has also been appointed twice for cases on the merits, and has argued, before the Supreme Court of the United States. Beginning with the 15th Edition in 1996, Peter has been a contributing author for Collier on Bankruptcy, responsible for Chapter 344 on Fifth Amendment privilege and immunity, as well as for subchapter 521.08 (Use of Schedules as Evidence). He also served as a reviewer and editor for the Bankruptcy Crimes chapter of the recently released16th Edition. Goldberger has been repeatedly named one of Pennsylvania's "SuperLawyers" by Philadelphia Magazine, and has been listed for more than a decade in Best Lawyers in America. A founding member of the Board of Governors of the Third Circuit Bar Association, Peter was elected in 2007 to the exclusive American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He co-chairs the Committee on Federal Rules of Procedure for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and serves as a vice-chair of NACDL's Amicus Committee and as its liaison to the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code sentencing reform project. He is also a Board member of the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia ACLU affiliates, as well as of the Penna. Ass'n of Criminal Defense Lawyers. In 2001, he was honored as the first winner of the Cesare Becarria Champion of Justice Award by Families Against Mandatory Minimums, whose legal Advisory Committee he now chairs. Working for over ten years under a court appointment, Goldberger was one of the attorneys who won the first DNA exoneration from Pennsylvania's death row, in 2003. His work has contributed to overturning many other unjust and unlawful convictions and sentences, in cases of all sorts ranging from murder to drug offenses to tax violations and other white collar crimes. After graduating from Yale Law School (1975), Goldberger served as law clerk to then-U.S. District Judge (later Chief Circuit Judge), the late Edward R. Becker. Goldberger is a former professor at the Villanova University and Whittier College Law Schools, where he taught criminal law and procedure, corporate and white collar crime, and other subjects. He also served two years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender. He has presented many well-received CLE programs, and co-authored a two-volume Practice Guide for Federal Appellate Procedure in the Third Circuit (1997). More recently, Peter co-authored a 100-page chapter on criminal appeals in the Third Circuit Appellate Practice Manual (Penna. Bar Inst. 2007, revised 2010). On several occasions, he has also taught a course on Law and Morality at Haverford College, his undergraduate alma mater.

Allan Gropper

Allan L. Gropper was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York on October 4, 2000. Prior thereto he was a member of the law firm of White & Case and represented clients in connection with many of the nation=s largest Chapter 11 cases, including Manville Corporation, Texaco, LTV Corporation, Federated Department Stores/Allied Stores Corp, Maxwell Communications Corp., MGM, United States Lines, Pan American World Airways, and Waterman Steamship Corp. He was also active in international insolvencies and restructurings and was located in the White & Case Hong Kong office during the year 1999-2000. Judge Gropper is a co-editor of a two-volume text entitled International Insolvency published in 2000, an adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School, a member of the National Bankruptcy Conference and a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. He is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.

Norma Hammes
NACBA

Ms. Hammes received her A.B. in Communications and Public Policy from the University of California (Berkeley) in 1972 and received a J.D. from Santa Clara University Law School in 1977. She is certified as a Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Hammes has represented consumer debtors in bankruptcy since 1978. She is admitted to the California State Bar, U.S. District Court - Northern District of California; U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits; and the U.S. Supreme Court. On behalf of NACBA, Ms. Hammes filed amicus briefs in the Seventh Circuit, In re Hoskins, 102 F.3d 311 (1996); the Fifth Circuit, In re Rash, 90 F.3d 1036, en banc 1996); and the U.S. Supreme Court, Associates v. Rash, 117 S.Ct. 1879 (1997), regarding the valuation of secured claims in Chapter 13 cases. Ms. Hammes testified on consumer bankruptcy issues before the National Bankruptcy Review Commission (1996-97) and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Economic and Commercial Law (1998). She has been a speaker on consumer bankruptcy topics at various seminars and conventions, including NACBA's. Since mid-2009, she has served as NACBA's representative in connection with the Administration's implementation of Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). In late 2009, at the U.S. Treasury Department's invitation she served on its Bankruptcy Working Group that proposed improvements to the HAMP program regarding bankruptcy debtors. She continues to advise Treasury on these matters. She was instrumental in the planning and preparation of curriculum for NACBA's two BAPCPA practice workshops held in 2005 (Chicago and Orlando), as well as the Basic Bankruptcy track of NACBA's workshops since then. She is a co-founder of NACBA and served as a Director of NACBA since its formation in 1992 to 2009. She served as its president from January 1997 to July 2001.

Susan Hauser

Susan E. Hauser teaches Civil Procedure, Bankruptcy, and Business Associations and has been a member of the faculty at North Carolina Central University School of Law since August of 2005. She received the University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2013, and was named Professor of the Year by her students in 2008 and 2011. In October 2012, Professor Hauser received the American Bankruptcy Law Journal Editors’ Prize, awarded by the ABLJ’s Editorial Board to the best article from the preceding year, and she has recently been elected to serve as a member of the ABLJ’s Editorial Board. In the fall of 2012, Professor Hauser served as the Robert M. Zinman Resident Scholar at the American Bankruptcy Institute, and she was an American Bankruptcy Law Journal Fellow in the fall of 2005.
Professor Hauser publishes and presents on the treatment of student loan debt in bankruptcy, predatory lending, bankruptcy procedure, and the intersection between constitutional law and bankruptcy law. Most recently, she was the co-author of Graduating With Debt: Student Loans Under the Bankruptcy Code, a book published in the fall of 2013 by the American Bankruptcy Institute. Professor Hauser is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina. She began her legal career as an attorney for Legal Aid in Robeson County, North Carolina, and later clerked for United States Bankruptcy Judge J. Rich Leonard and United States District Judge W. Earl Britt. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Marvin Isgur
Chief Judge
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston, Texas

Marvin Isgur Chief Judge United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas
Marvin Isgur has been a United States Bankruptcy Judge since February 1, 2004. Judge Isgur's first bankruptcy experience was as an expert witness before the bankruptcy court and then as a principal of a number of real estate partnerships that became chapter 11 debtors.
Judge Isgur received his bachelors degree from the University of Houston in 1974. In 1978, he received an MBA, with honors, from Stanford University. Between 1978 and 1990, Judge Isgur was an executive with a large real estate development company in Houston. In 1987, he returned to the University of Houston where he received a law degree (with high honors) in 1990. Between 1990 and 2004, Judge Isgur represented trustees and debtors in chapter 11 and chapter 7 cases. He also represented various parties in 14 separate chapter 9 bankruptcy cases.
Judge Isgur has written over 150 memorandum opinions. He was one of the first judges to issue opinions interpreting the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act.
Judge Isgur is a volunteer with the Houston Urban Debate League, a non-profit organization that works in partnership with the Houston Independent School District to bring policy debate to high school students. He is one of the principal organizers of the annual University of Texas Consumer Bankruptcy Conference in Galveston, Texas and is a frequent speaker at continuing education programs.
When his volunteer and court activities permit, Judge Isgur spends his weekends sailing on Galveston Bay.

Michelle Kainen

Michelle Kainen was admitted to practice in Vermont in 2003 and in New Hampshire in 2008. Michelle has been a solo practitioner since 2007. She practices in the areas of tax, criminal defense and bankruptcy law (debtor representation).

Michelle received her B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University. Michelle received her Masters Degrees in Social Work and Accounting also from San Diego State University. She completed Vermont’s Four-Year Law Office Study Program in lieu of a traditional law school program.

From 2008 - 2012 Michelle served as the chairperson of the Bankruptcy Section of the Vermont Bar Association. She is the NACBA State Chairperson for Vermont. Michelle also teaches Accounting and Psychology courses at the Community College of Vermont. Michelle has a number of published decisions on pivotal issues impacting the rights of debtors in bankruptcy.

Lee Kravitz

Lee was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a proud graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and received his law degree in 1980 from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Lee began his law career in Miami, Fla., returning to Cleveland in 1983. He worked for a large creditor firm in their bankruptcy department. He has met with and counseled thousands of clients about their financial needs. Lee realized that there was more he could offer in a small firm environment. He wanted to offer clients a one on one personal service that he felt would improve a client’s experience, so in 1989 he opened his own law firm, and by opening his own firm, he is now able to give his clients a one on one experience that they all deserve.

Erlene W. Kriegel

Erlene W. Krigel is one of the managing partners of Krigel & Krigel, P.C., an eleven lawyer law firm. The firm is a general practice firm. She heads the bankruptcy department which has four attorneys who handle Chapter 7, 11 and 13 matters for both debtors and creditors.

In February, 1985, she was appointed by the United States Department of Justice to serve as a Chapter 7 panel trustee in the Western District of Missouri. She was the first woman appointed as a trustee in the Western District of Missouri. She is regularly appointed to approximately 600 cases per year. In addition, in September, 1996, she was appointed by the United States Trustee's Office to serve as a Chapter 12 panel trustee in the Western District of Missouri. She is a regular speaker at bankruptcy seminars in the Western District of Missouri.

Erlene Krigel was admitted to the Missouri Bar in September, 1979. She is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri and for the District of Kansas. She attended the University of Arizona for her undergraduate degree and the University of Missouri at Kansas City for her law degree.

She is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees. She serves on the Justice for All Committee for Legal Aid of Western Missouri and as a trustee on the Law Foundation board for the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law. She is a past President of Jewish Family Services and a past President of the Law Foundation. She was awarded the Robert C. Welch Volunteer Attorney Project Award in 2005.

Jason M. Krumbein

Mr. Krumbein graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA in 1995 with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice. He then went on to law School at the Claude W. Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University, where he graduated in 1998. Mr. Krumbein was admitted to the Virginia Supreme Court as well as all state courts in 1999, and the Federal Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western District of Virginia, as well as the Federal District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, as well as the US 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Krumbein limits his practice to representing consumers in State and Federal Courts in collection defense, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and Fair Credit Reporting Act claims. He has previously represented consumers in Bankruptcy court in prosecution of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

Mr. Krumbein has been quoted in USA Today and The Richmond Times-Dispatch and interviewed by the local ABC and NBC affiliates..

Mr. Krumbein is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

Greta LaMountain. LaMountain Biagi

Greta LaMountain Biagi was born in western Massachusetts and has spent most of her life in the Amherst area. She spent 13 years in Boston, where she graduated from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor Degree in Vocal Performance then received her Law Degree from Boston College Law School (2003). Between degrees, she worked primarily in business but always kept her community in mind, doing volunteer work for numerous service organizations over the years. Attorney Biagi entered the legal field because she felt driven to work with people and to help them find real solutions to their legal needs. Before starting her own practice, she practiced at two local firms where she was able to hone her varied legal skills under the supervision of numerous experienced mentors.

Whether dealing with business owners or individuals, Attorney Biagi is committed to really listening to her clients and providing a truly individualized approach to each situation as it presents itself. Her emphasis is always on providing a human touch and on giving advice with professionalism and compassion, explaining the legal process and answering questions as understandably as possible.

Attorney Biagi is now a solo practitioner with a particular focus on financial matters including Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcies and debt negotiation where filing for bankruptcy protection may not be the best option. Her practice also includes residential and commercial real estate transactions, small business formation and representation, estate planning, family law. Attorney Biagi has represented business and individual clients in zoning appeals matters and has defended business clients in matters surrounding complaints and prosecutions with state agencies such as the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure. She also has appeared regularly in court representing both plaintiffs and defendants in both pre- and post-judgment proceedings and has experience in estate planning, probate and family law.

Attorney Biagi is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Connecticut in the State, District and Bankruptcy Courts. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Hampshire County Bar Association, National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy (NACBA), and Real Estate Bar Association (REBA) among others. She is a member of the Amherst Rotary Club, Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, and sits on the Board of Directors of Stavros Center for Independent Living, Inc. She has been a Massachusetts Bar Association panelist discussing Bankruptcy issues and practice, as well as a panelist at Boston College Law School discussing career path options for attorneys.

Sean Lane

Sean H. Lane was sworn in as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York on September 7, 2010. Judge Lane earned his B.A. from New York University College of Arts & Science in 1987 and his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law in 1991. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Edmund V. Ludwig, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, from 1991-92. Judge Lane also clerked for the Honorable Charles R. Richey, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, from 1992-93. From 1993 through 1997, he practiced with the law firm of Baker Hostetler in Washington, D.C., and thereafter he served as a Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice, Civil Division, National Courts Section, until 2000. From 2000 until he was appointed to the bench, Judge Lane served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, including serving as the Chief of the Tax & Bankruptcy Unit of that Office. During his time in the US Attorney's Office, he was
awarded the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award in 2005 and 2010. He also received the Henry L. Stimson Medal from the New York City Bar Association in 2008.
Judge Lane is a member of the Federal Bar Council. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at both New York University School of Law and Fordham Law School.

Jeffrey D. Mapes

Jeffrey D. Mapes is the founder of Mapes Law Offices PLC, a multi-office firm located in Western Michigan. His practice focuses exclusively on representing consumer debtors in bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. He is a snappy dresser, and is all things to all men and one lucky woman. Mr. Mapes is a Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy attorney, has served as a panelist for numerous CLE programs, and is a member of NACBA, ABI, and is on the Executive Board for the Debtors Bar of Western Michigan. Mr. Mapes received his B.A. from Kalamazoo College and his J.D. with honors from Michigan State University.

Eugene S. Melchionne
Member Board of Directors, NACBA
Eugene S. Melchionne, Attorney at Law, Waterbury, Connecticut

Gene Melchionne is a native of Waterbury, Connecticut and currently resides and practices there. He is an avid boater, amateur musician, and MacUser, spending every weekend on his boat with his guitar and iPad. He is a member of the Board of Directors for National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. He graduated from Drake University School of Law in 1980 where he received the American Jurisprudence Award for academic excellence. In 2007, he was appointed to the Supreme Court’s Commission on Foreclosures, a role he continues in to this day. Formerly, Melchionne was Vice President of the Waterbury Credit Bureau and a member of the Northwestern Regional Council of the American Institute of Banking and the only attorney to receive its prestigious Ken Kovel Award. He has also been repeatedly recognized by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Pro Bono service to indigent consumers.Gene is a long-time member of NACBA and a national speaker on bankruptcy law, consumer representation and use of technology in the law office. He has been featured on the PBS show “NOW“, appeared on a segment of “Your Money” on CNN and the CBS Evening News. He has been interviewed by the New York Times, Business Week, the Connecticut Law Tribune and numerous Connecticut newspapers. He has testified before the Connecticut legislature and in court as an expert in bankruptcy law issues.

Jill A. Michaux
Attorney
Neis & Michaux, P.A., Topeka, Kansas

Jill A. Michaux was appointed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts to a three-year term on the national Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules on November 30, 2012. She practices law with the firm of Neis & Michaux, P.A., of Topeka, Kansas. She was a founding member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and served on its board of directors six years from 1993 to 1999. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree and from the Washburn University School of Law with Dean's Honors in 1982. Michaux and Mark Neis, her husband and law partner, are the only Topeka attorneys, and two of seven in Kansas, to be board certified in consumer bankruptcy law by the American Board of Bankruptcy Certification. Michaux is a founding member and past president of Topeka Area Bankruptcy Council and the Kansas Bar Association Bankruptcy and Insolvency Section. She blogs on her own site, www.bankruptcykansas.info. She served as judge for the Municipal Court of the City of Rossville, Kansas, for 16 years until 2010.

Cathy Moran

Cathleen Moran has practiced bankruptcy law in the Silicon Valley of California for 31 years, representing debtors, creditors, and trustees. She is certified as a specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California and has particular interest in the intersection of bankruptcy law and the fields of family law and tax..



Cathy is the author of Bankruptcy in Brief, found at www.moranlaw.net. Currently she writes for consumers on bankruptcy issues at www.bankruptcylawnetwork.com and on issues for lawyers new to consumer bankruptcy law at www.bankruptcymastery.com.



Cathy serves as the Northern California chair of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the Vice President of the Bankruptcy Law Network. She is a frequent speaker at NACBA conventions, as well as at local and regional bankruptcy forums.

Richard H. Nemeth
Managing Member
Nemeth & Associates, LLC, Cleveland, Ohio

Mr. Nemeth is a consumer and small business bankruptcy practitioner and litigator in Cleveland, Ohio and the ND Ohio state chair for NACBA. He has been practicing bankruptcy law in Cleveland for over 25 years.In July, 2008, Mr. Nemeth was named NACBA Member of the Month for spearheading a successful effort to get the Ohio legislature to adopt a new and far more consumer-friendly exemption statute. Mr. Nemeth is a frequent speaker at local, regional and national continuing legal education seminars, and is often asked by reporters to comment on consumer issues for local and national media publications. He has been involved in a considerable amount of consumer litigation, representing borrowers against lenders, mortgage brokers, servicers, collection agencies and their law firms in stay and discharge violation, breach, fraud, civil conspiracy, truth-in-lending, RESPA, FDCPA and other matters in which he has won substantial awards for his clients. Mr. Nemeth is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Karen Oakes
Attorney
Oakes Law Offices, P.C., Klamath Falls, Oregon

Ms. Oakes graduated from Averett College with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1995. While in law school at the University of Idaho, College of Law, Ms. Oakes began a significant involvement in community service. She also was accepted to the Idaho Law Review and participated in the Legal Aid Clinic. Upon graduation in 1998, Ms. Oakes accepted the position of law clerk to the five circuit court judges of Klamath County and one circuit court judge of Lake County. In 1999, Ms. Oakes began work as a deputy district attorney at the Klamath County District Attorney’s Office, specializing in domestic violence prosecution. Also in 1999, Ms. Oakes began teaching at the Oregon Institute of Technology as an adjunct professor in the paralegal studies program. Ms. Oakes began private practice in September 2001, as a general practice legal services office. From 2001 through 2004, the cases handled by the office were mostly family law, estate planning and landlord-tenant (representing tenants). However, in 2004, the practice evolved into a consumer protection law firm, exclusively handling bankruptcy cases, FDCPA cases, and FCRA cases. In 2004 Ms. Oakes was elected to the bench as justice of the peace for Klamath County and was re-elected in 2010 for a second six-year term. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Oregon Trial Attorneys Association, the Oregon State Bar, the National Women Judge's Association, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, NACBA, and the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees. Ms. Oakes is currently serving on the Executive Committee for the Debtor/Creditor Section of the Oregon State Bar, the Unlawful Practice of Law Committee for the Oregon State Bar, and participates in the C.A.R.E. program administered through the Eugene Division of the Oregon Bankruptcy Court. She attended the NACTT Bankruptcy Academy in 2011 and Max Gardner's Boot Camp in 2006. Ms. Oakes was one of the original founding members of Bankruptcy Law Network and is currently serving a term as president of Bankruptcy Law Network.

Peter Orville

Peter Orville has been representing consumers needing to file bankruptcy since 1989. His practice area includes the Utica and Syracuse Divisions of the NDNY Bankruptcy Court, as well as occasional Albany Division and WDNY cases. He operates the Consumer Bankruptcy Law Center of Peter A. Orville in Binghamton, NY.
Peter graduated from Ithaca College in 1973 and Syracuse University School of Law in 1980. He was the Upstate NY State Chair for the National Assn. of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) and is a member of the Bankruptcy Law Network. ww.bankruptcylawnetwork.com.
Peter has served as a board member of the Central NY Bankruptcy Bar Association and the Broome County Bar Association where he served as chair of the Association’s Bankruptcy Committee. He has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” each year since 2006 in the area of consumer bankruptcy. He has taught law related courses as an adjunct at inghamton University and Ithaca College since 1985. In his former life, he was the Publisher of weekly “alternative” newspapers in Ithaca (Ithaca Times) and Syracuse (Syracuse New Times) and operated a “progressive” bookstore in Ithaca, NY. Peter also worked as a migrant farm worker (picking apples in Oregon and lemons in Arizona).

Peter’s legal practice also includes criminal defense.

Johnie Patterson
Attorney
Walker & Patterson P.C, Houston, Texas

Mr. Patterson is a founding partner in the Houston law firm of Walker & Patterson, P.C. His practice consists primarily of consumer bankruptcy representation and bankruptcy litigation. Before practicing in Houston, he earned his B.A. in finance at Southern Methodist University and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University. Following law school, Mr. Patterson practiced bankruptcy law with the law firm of Creel & Atwood in Dallas. He is currently a member of NACBA and is a past council member of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.

Daniel M. Press
Chung & Press, P.C., McLean, Virginia

Daniel M. Press is a bankruptcy lawyer with the law firm of Chung & Press, P.C., in McLean Virginia and Cumberland and Greenbelt Maryland. A 1988 magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, he was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He received his B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University. After graduating from law school, Mr. Press served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Jaime Pieras Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.


Mr. Press and his law partner Brett Weiss are the authors of Individual Bankruptcy Under Chapter 11, published by Collier/Lexis-Nexis.


Mr. Press practices in the Bankruptcy and Federal District Courts in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, as well as other U.S. Appellate, District and Bankruptcy Courts around the country. He is a State Chair for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and a member of the Section Council of the Consumer Bankruptcy Section of the Maryland State Bar Association. He has spoken on bankruptcy and related topics at Continuing Legal Education seminars and programs locally and nationwide sponsored by groups such as NACBA, the Virginia Bar Association, Virginia CLE, the Maryland State Bar Association, Minnesota CLE, and the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the District of Maryland.

John Rao
Attorney
NCLC, Boston, Massachusetts

John Rao is an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, Inc. Mr. Rao focuses on consumer credit and bankruptcy issues and has served as a panelist and instructor at numerous bankruptcy and consumer law trainings and conferences. He has served as an expert witness in court cases and has testified in Congress on consumer matters. Mr. Rao is a contributing author and editor of NCLC's Consumer Bankruptcy Law and Practice; co-author of NCLC's Foreclosures; Bankruptcy Basics; Guide to Surviving Debt; and NCLC Reports: Bankruptcy and Foreclosures Edition, and contributing author to NCLC's Student Loan Law. He is also a contributing author to Collier on Bankruptcy and the Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide. Mr. Rao serves as a member of the federal Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules, appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts in 2006. He is a conferee of the National Bankruptcy Conference, fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, vice-president for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, and former board member for the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is an adjunct faculty member at Boston College School of Law. Mr. Rao is a graduate of Boston University and received his J.D. in 1982 from the University of California (Hastings).

Lewis Roberts

I am a small firm practitioner in the Orlando area. I have concentrated on consumer bankruptcy practice since 2007, after handling real estate closings for ten years after law school. I have one associate that does not handle bankruptcy, but our practice areas complement each other.
I consider myself to be in the best possible district to help debtors. The Middle District of Florida was one of the first locations to start a mortgage mediation program in 2010. In 2014, I was a NACBA speaker on the mortgage mediation panel in New York City.
Around 2013, I added student loan law to my consumer practice. I was asked to speak for NACBA again for the Student Loans in Bankruptcy Workshop Webinar in October 2015.
As more of my chapter 13 clients obtain their discharges, I am exploring other areas in which I can help old and new clients and turn their matters into opportunities to supplement and pivot my practice during a downturn in bankruptcy filings.
I don’t have any awards to mention or published articles to list. But I do have many happy clients, and that is what matters most.

Susanne Robicsek
Solo Practitioner
Law Office of Susanne M. Robicsek, Charlotte

Mark Segal
Attorney
Mark Segal, Chartered, Las Vegas, Nevada

Mark Segal graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Finance and Commerce with a B.S. in Economics, and received his J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. Mr. Segal practices with the law firm of Mark Segal, Chartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an emphasis on personal bankruptcy and tax law. His practice also includes all aspects of civil IRS controversy representation. Mr. Segal is admitted to the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Claims Court, various U.S. District Courts, the United States Supreme Court, and the New York, Arizona, and Nevada State Bars. He served as Special Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, from 1968 to 1973. He is a member of the American Bar Association Taxation, Business Law and Law Office Management Sections; and the State Bar of Nevada Executive Committees on Taxation and Bankruptcy. He served on the Tax Advisory Committee to the National Bankruptcy Review Commission's Government Working Group in 1997. Mr. Segal has lectured on discharging taxes in bankruptcy at conventions of the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees (NACTT), the State Bar of Nevada, and NACBA's prior conventions. He has been a member of NACBA since its formation in 1992. Mr. Segal was a 2003 recipient of NACBA's Distinguished Service Award.

Jan M. Sensenich

Jan Sensenich graduated from Windham College in Putney, Vermont in 1978 and Vermont Law School in 1983. He served as Core Faculty and Director of the Woodbury College Legal Clinic from 1983 to 1987and from 1990 to 1992. Jan was an Associate with Jerome I. Meyers, P.C. from 1987 to 1990 when he opened his own practice primarily representing bankruptcy debtors in both Vermont and New Hampshire. He has been serving as Vermont’s Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Standing Trustee since 1991 and has been a member of the adjunct faculty of Vermont Law School since 1994, teaching Bankruptcy. Jan has been a member of the Vermont Bar Association Bankruptcy Section and the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees since 1992 and currently serves on the NACTT Due Process Committee.

David B. Shaev

David B. Shaev, Esq., is a consumer bankruptcy attorney located in New York City, and a partner in the law firm of Shaev & Fleischman, LLP, with offices located in New York City and Pasadena, California. The law office is dedicated to protection of consumer rights and mortgage abuse. Mr. Shaev is regularly interviewed for television, radio and newspaper articles related to bankruptcy, consumer rights issues and legislation. He has appeared as a witness before the Federal Rules Committee and serves as a panelist at bankruptcy and consumer law trainings and conferences, as well as training for federal bankruptcy law clerks.
Currently, Mr. Shaev is a leading participant in litigation concerning mortgage fraud and unsecured proof of claims/fraud in bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York, including In re Minbatiwalla, In re Paredes and In re Mims. In re Obasi and In re Dadzie.
Mr. Shaev is an active member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, NACA, ABI, NY County Bar Association, Mid-Hudson Valley Bankruptcy Bar Association, Westchester County Bar Association. Mr. Shaev is also a veteran graduate of Max Gardner’s Bankruptcy Boot Camp.
Mr. Shaev is a Cutler Scholar graduate of Ohio University and received his J.D. from the University of Louisville in 1974. He became a member of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Bar and then the NY bar in 1976. From 1976 until 1981, he represented individuals in plaintiff’s derivative and class action securities litigation until opening his practice in 1981, concentrating in matrimonial and bankruptcy law. His practice is currently limited to consumer bankruptcy and related issues.
Mr. Shaev is the New York State Chairman for NACBA.
The office has recently expanded its case load to include Student Loan debts outside of bankruptcy, as well as avenues of relief and objection within the bankruptcy system.

Ike Shulman
Attorney
Shulman Law Offices, San Jose

Mr. Shulman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law. Mr. Shulman has practiced bankruptcy law in San Jose, California, since 1986. His practice has been devoted almost entirely to small business and consumer bankruptcy debtors. He is certified as a specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.


In 1992, Mr. Shulman led the effort to organize the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys to provide consumer debtors with an effective voice in the legislative process. Mr. Shulman served on the NACBA Board of Directors from 1992 to 2004, and was elected its first president in 1992. In 1997 he took over as NACBA Treasurer and also currently serves as Chair of NACBA's Legislative Committee. He has served as a panelist at each of NACBA's annual conventions and has appeared as a speaker at numerous other conventions and seminars. In 1996 and 1997, Mr. Shulman testified on consumer bankruptcy issues before the National Bankruptcy Review Commission. In March 1998, he also testified on pending bankruptcy legislation before the House Judiciary Committee.


Mr. Shulman is a member of the State Bar of California, and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Seventh and Ninth Circuits. In 1989, he organized and served as the first Chair of the Santa Clara County Chapter 13 Committee and served again as its Chair in 1990 and 2002. In 2004, he was selected by the Bankruptcy Judges of the Northern District of California to serve on that Court's Bench-Bar Liaison Committee, and in 2006 was chosen by his colleagues to be Chair of that committee. Also in 2006, he was appointed Chair of the Northern District Bankruptcy Court's Advisory Committee on Rules.

John Skiba

Mr. Skiba practices in the areas of consumer bankruptcy and consumer litigation, with a focus on "debt buyer" cases, in Phoenix, Arizona. He graduated with a JD from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2003 and prior to that completed undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University. While at UNLV he had the opportunity to study bankruptcy law under the Hon. Bruce Markell, bankruptcy judge and nationally known expert in bankruptcy law. Mr. Skiba is a member of NACBA and the National Association of Consumer Advocates. He is an avid blogger and podcaster. Mr. Skiba produces a podcast on legal marketing, social media, content creation, and law practice management at www.JDBlogger.com. . He also produces a podcast on bankruptcy and consumer issues at www.ConsumerWarrior.com In his spare time he is a wanna-be farmer with four cows, three pigs, and 40 chickens.

Henry Sommer
Supervising Attorney
Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Henry J. Sommer is Supervising Attorney at the pro bono Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project in Philadelphia. He has litigated many major cases involving bankruptcy, consumer law, civil rights and other issues. Previously, he was the head of the Consumer Law Project at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, where he worked for over 21 years. Mr. Sommer has also served as a Lecturer-in-Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and is an Adjunct Professor at Temple University School of Law. He received his A.B. degree from Harvard College, magna cum laude and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School, cum laude.



Mr. Sommer is Editor in Chief of Collier on Bankruptcy and the entire Collier line of bankruptcy publications. He is the author of Collier Consumer Bankruptcy Practice Guide (Matthew Bender); Consumer Bankruptcy Law and Practice, (9th Ed. 2009) published by the National Consumer Law Center, Boston, Ma., and Consumer Bankruptcy: The Complete Guide to Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Personal Bankruptcy (John Wiley & Sons 1994) as well as numerous articles on bankruptcy law. He is the co-author of Collier Family Law and the Bankruptcy Code (Matthew Bender).



Mr. Sommer is a former President of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA), a former member of the Federal Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules (appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) and a member of the National Bankruptcy Conference. He is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a member of the American Law Institute, and a former member of the Federal Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council. He is also President of the National Consumer Bankruptcy Rights Center and a former Chairman of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference.



He has been asked to testify many times before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, as well as the National Bankruptcy Review Commission, on bankruptcy and consumer law issues. He has served on the faculty of numerous continuing legal education programs including those presented by the Federal Judicial Center, NYU Law School, the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute, the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees, the ABA Family Law Section, NACBA, ALI-ABA and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Mr. Sommer was the first recipient of the National Consumer Law Center's Vern Countryman Consumer Law Award.

Pamela L. Stewart

PAMELA L. STEWART, Houston, Texas - Ms. Stewart was admitted to the State Bar
of Texas in 1991 and has been practicing Consumer and Bankruptcy Law, with a focus
on mortgage servicing issues, in the Houston area for nineteen years and Victoria area for four years. While attending the university of Houston Law Center, Ms. Stewart completed an internship with former Bankruptcy Judge William Greendyke.

Ms. Stewart has been actively involved in the governance and as a member of
numerous local bar associations and national professional Bankruptcy Law organizations.
Ms. Stewart is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the Bankruptcy Section of the Houston Bar Association, the Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and the Moller-Foltz American Inns of Court. She is a member and former Secretary of Bankruptcy Law Network, the founder and current President of the Houston Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (formerly known as the Houston Association of Debtor Attorneys), former President and Vice-President of the Upper Kirby Optimist Club, and a former Vice-President of the
Katy Bar Association. Ms. Stewart is a Fellow of the College of the State Bar of Texas
and the Houston Bar Foundation. Ms. Stewart also has served as a member of the Texas Supreme Court's Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.

In 2003, the Coalition for Consumer Bankruptcy Debtor Education certified Ms.
Stewart as a Debtor Educator. Ms. Stewart has spoken frequently on Bankruptcy Law
and related issues, among other places, at the State Bar of Texas Advanced Consumer
Bankruptcy Seminar, the People's Law School at The University of Houston Law
Center, Center for Consumer Law, and NACBA conferences and workshops.

Maureen Thompson
The Hastings Group LLC, Arlington

Ms. Thompson is a senior principal of The Hastings Group LLC, a 20-year-old strategic communications consulting firm that has handled a wide range of Hill, coalition management, investor education, public relations and Web campaigns for a variety of financial-related issues and organizations. For more than a
decade, Ms. Thompson has served as NACBA’s legislative director. In that capacity, she has helped build a strong coalition of organizations that support the work of bankruptcy attorneys in seeking a fair bankruptcy code that recognizes the importance of a 'fresh start" for individuals and families facing extreme financial difficulties. Thompson works with NACBA Board and its Legislative Committee to develop and implement a legislative strategy for each Congress.

Linda Tirelli

Linda Tirelli is a partner in the Law Firm of Garvey Tirelli & Cushner LTD located in White Plains, New York. Garvey Tirelli & Cushner LTD is a multidisciplinary finance, business, and criminal law firm seeking to provide clients with the best representation available.

Linda Tirelli was raised in the most wonderful community of Rockland County, New York. She graduated from the State University of New York at Albany in 1990 where she majored in Political Science and Criminal Justice. Linda graduated in 1995 from Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut.

As a partner Garvey Tirelli & Cushner LTD, Ms. Tirelli is committed to empowering the average consumer. Linda Tirelli is admitted to practice in the Federal Bankruptcy Courts for both the District of Connecticut and the Southern District of New York. She is also a proud member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA); the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) and is counted among the elite graduates of Max Gardner’s Bankruptcy Bootcamp.

Tara Twomey

Tara Twomey is currently Of Counsel to the National Consumer Law Center and the Amicus Project Director for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. She has been a Lecturer in Law at Stanford, Harvard and Boston College Law Schools. Ms. Twomey is a former Clinical Instructor at the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School where her practice focused, in part, on sustainable homeownership for low- and moderate-income homeowners. She is a contributing author of several books published by the National Consumer Law Center including, Foreclosures: Defenses, Workouts and Mortgage Servicing and Bankruptcy Basics. Ms. Twomey earned her J.D. from Boston College Law School and received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego. After law school, she served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Herbert P. Wilkins of the Massachusetts Supreme Court.

Tara Twomey
Amicus Project Director
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, Carmel, California

Tara Twomey is the Amicus Project Director for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and currently Of Counsel to the National Consumer Law Center. She is currently a Lecturer in Law at Stanford, and has previously lectured at Harvard and Boston College Law Schools. Tara is a former Clinical Instructor at the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School where her practice focused, in part, on sustainable homeownership for low- and moderate-income homeowners. She is a contributing author of several books published by the National Consumer Law Center including, Foreclosures: Defenses, Workouts and Mortgage Servicing and Bankruptcy Basics. Ms. Twomey is also a co-principal investigator, along with Professor Katherine M. Porter of the University of Iowa, for a national study examining mortgage claims in consumer bankruptcy cases.

Brett Weiss
Principal
Chung & Press, LLC, Greenbelt, Maryland

Judith Wizmur

Judge Judith H. Wizmur was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge in 1985, and was reappointed to a second term in 1999, and a third term in 2013. She served as Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court of the District of New Jersey from August 2005 to August 2012.

Judge Wizmur is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and the Rutgers University School of Law - Camden. Following a state clerkship with the Honorable Michael Patrick King, J.A.D., and several years of private practice, she served as an Administrative Law Judge and a Workers Compensation Judge in the state of New Jersey, and as Assistant Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles. She served as the Chair of the Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Group to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and presently serves on the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference as the Chair of the Business Subcommittee. Judge Wizmur is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and is a contributing editor of Collier on Bankruptcy. She is a recipient of the Equal Justice Award from New Jersey Legal Services, the Mary Philbrook Public Interest Award from Rutgers Law School, the Stanley Van Ness Leadership Award in Public Interest Advocacy from New Jersey Appleseed, the Conrad B. Duberstein Memorial Award for Excellence and Compassion in the Judiciary from the New York Institute of Credit and the Honorable Joseph M. Nardi, Jr. Distinguished Service Award from Rutgers University School of Law–Camden.

Jonathan R. Yarowsky

Jonathan Yarowsky provides strategic advice to clients in an array of areas including antitrust, telecommunications policy, intellectual property, and administrative practice and procedure. Mr. Yarowsky also maintains a robust practice in congressional investigations as well as in antitrust representation. He joined WilmerHale after holding a number of senior-level positions in federal government, including Special Counsel to former President Clinton, General Counsel of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Chief Counsel of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Economic and Commercial Law.

Mr. Yarowsky joined private practice in 1998 after serving as a Special Counsel to former President Clinton, where he advised on legislative and policy matters, including telecommunications, antitrust and crime policy matters. In his work at the White House, among other policy duties, Yarowsky directed the selection and confirmation of federal judicial nominees.

Prior to his position at the White House, Mr. Yarowsky served as General Counsel of the House Committee on the Judiciary. During his five-year tenure there, he supervised a staff of 40 lawyers and was responsible for developing legislative policy agenda and overseeing the work of six subcommittees in the areas of: administrative law; constitutional law and civil rights; crime and criminal justice; economic and commercial law; intellectual property and judicial administration; and international law and immigration. In addition, during this period Mr. Yarowsky also developed a series of antitrust bills that were enacted into law, and developed other legislative initiatives in the areas of telecommunications, financial services, insurance, banking, civil justice and international trade.

Prior to serving in the House, Mr. Yarowsky was Chief Counsel of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Economic and Commercial Law, where he gained extensive experience in antitrust and competition policy, and worked closely with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice as well as the Federal Trade Commission. Mr. Yarowsky is a 1977 graduate of UCLA Law School. In 1974, he received an MS from Cornell University. He received an AB from the University of Michigan, summa cum laude, in 1971.