FACULTY BIOS
Angelos G. Angelou
Cell: 512-658-8400
Email: [email protected]
Angelos Angelou is the Founder and Principal Executive Officer of
AngelouEconomics, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in
economic & business development and site location consulting.
Angelos is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board of the
International Accelerator in Austin, Texas, which is focused exclusively on foreign born
entrepreneurs and launching their technology startup businesses in the US. Angelos is
an angel investor in half a dozen startups in Texas.
Angelos is also a founding member of the Site Selector’s Guild, the top site selector
consultants group in the world.
AngelouEconomics is a leading economic development consultancy in the US. The firm
has an impressive list of clients in both the private and public sector, having conducted
over 650 economic development strategies for its clients and the location of nearly $18
billion in capital investments projects throughout the world.
Prior to starting AngelouEconomics, Angelos spent nearly 12 years with the Austin
Chamber of Commerce as Vice President of Economic Development & Chief
Economist, and brings a practitioner’s approach to AE’s economic development
consulting practice.
During his time at the chamber, Angelos was responsible for the recruitment of 800
technology companies and some 70,000 employees. Including, IBM, Apple, Samsung,
Motorola, AMD, Cypress Semiconductor, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and
Sematech.
A highly visible leader in the field of economic development, Angelos is widely regarded
as an expert on technology based economic development, public policy, investment
attraction, marketing and entrepreneurship.The national and international media
regularly seek his comments and insights in the technology sector and on economic
development issues. He is also widely regarded as the chief architect in the
establishment of Austin as a nationally recognized high tech center.
He holds an M.A. in Economics Summa Cum Laude from St. Mary’s University in San
Antonio and B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Texas at
San Antonio. He has also completed 1 year towards his Ph. D. in Economics at
Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Angelos recently received a Proclamation from the Texas Governor and the Mayor of
Austin in recognition for his 30-year leadership and contribution to economic
development in the State of Texas and Austin.
Mr. Angelou is the Governor’s appointee to The CPRIT Oversight Committee (Texas
Governor Appointee), a $3 billion Texas Grant Program specializing in Cancer
Prevention, Research and Commercialization.
He is a fellow at the IC2, an international think tank on venture capital and
entrepreneurship. Current Board appointments include Advisory Board of The College
of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin (largest college at UT).
Angelos is also President of Schoox.com, and President of Gridmates, member
companies of the International Accelerator.
Past appointments include board and advisory posts at the International Economic
Development Council, the Social Sciences Department at St. Edwards University and
the World Information Technology Conference.
Angelos was awarded the US Economic Development of the Year award by Site
Selection Magazine.
Pam Bassel
Pam Bassel was appointed as a Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Northern District of Texas on
October 1, 2013. She LOVES her job. She was the senior partner of Bassel & Wilcox, PLLC from 2005 to
2013 and the senior partner of the bankruptcy section of Law, Snakard & Gambill in Fort Worth, Texas
from 1987 to 2005 (and an associate attorney from 1982 to 1987 with the firm). She also served as Law
Clerk to the Honorable John Flowers, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Texas,
Fort Worth Division, from September 1981 to September 1982. She is licensed before the United States
District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals. Education:
B.S.F.A. from Texas Christian University in 1976 ‐ graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981, with top honors. Activities:
Master in and one of the original members of the John C. Ford Inns of Court.
Outstanding Bankruptcy Lawyer in Tarrant County, Texas, in 1998.
Frequent speaker on bankruptcy topics most recently at the 2016 Bankruptcy 101 and Advanced
Consumer Seminar sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, 2015 Bankruptcy 101 and Advanced Consumer
Seminars sponsored by the State Bar of Texas; the 2015 Consumer Bankruptcy Practice seminar in
Galveston, Texas in July, 2015; and the DFW Area Chapter 13 Seminar in October, 2015.
Alane A. Becket
Becket & Lee LLP
16 General Warren Blvd.
Malvern, PA 19355
610-644-7800
[email protected]
Alane A. Becket is an AV® rated attorney and Managing Partner of Becket & Lee LLP, a
Malvern, Pa. law firm providing comprehensive nationwide representation of financial
institutions in bankruptcy matters, with a focus on consumer lenders and debt purchasers. In
addition to client and industry relations, Alane focuses on litigation strategy, and Becket & Lee
has been lead or co-counsel in some of the most influential decisions in consumer bankruptcy
over the last 10 years.
In addition to her duties at Becket & Lee, Alane is a member of the Executive Committee and
Vice-President of Publications for the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). She is on the
Board of Directors of the National Creditors Bar Association (NARCA), and a member of the
National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees (NACTT) and the National Association of
Bankruptcy Trustees.
Alane has written and lectured extensively on consumer bankruptcy issues for a variety of
professional organizations, including the Norton Bankruptcy Law Advisor, NARCA, the
NACTT, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, ABI, Commercial Law League of America
and a host of local and regional creditor organizations. Recently, Alane co-authored the revised
edition of the ABI treatise Consumer Bankruptcy: Fundamentals of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13
of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code (Third Edition).
Charles A. Beckham, Jr.
Mr. Beckham is a Partner with Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. in Houston, Texas. He has more than
thirty years experience helping a broad spectrum of clients with bankruptcy and insolvency
problems. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.B.A. and St. Mary’s
University School of Law, Mr. Beckham clerked for United States District Judge Halbert O.
Woodward in Lubbock, Texas. Following his clerkship, he was a partner at Kemp, Smith,
Duncan and Hammond, LLP in El Paso, Texas for almost twenty years and joined Haynes and
Boone, L.L.P. in 1999. Mr. Beckham has handled a variety of transactions including his
representations of Houston Regional Sports Network, LP in its Chapter 11 proceeding in
Houston, Texas, and of Credit Suisse as the Agent for the DIP Lenders in the ATP Oil and Gas
Corporation Chapter 11 in Houston, Texas. Some of Mr. Beckham’s former matters include his
representation of Credit Agricole as the Agent for the DIP Lenders in the Trinity Coal
Corporation Chapter 11 in Lexington, Kentucky, and his representation of Grupo Mexico, the
corporate parent of ASARCO, LLC in the successful confirmation of the parent’s Plan of
Reorganization in Corpus Christi, Texas. He also has represented numerous debtors and
creditors in energy cases and in cases with cross-border bankruptcy and insolvency issues in
Mexico. Mr. Beckham is board certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the Texas Board of
Legal Specialization and the American Board of Certification. He is the former Chair of the
State Bar of Texas Bankruptcy Law Exam Commission. In 2010, Mr. Beckham was named the
2010 St. Mary’s University School of Law Distinguished Graduate. He is a Fellow and the Fifth
Circuit former Regent of the American College of Bankruptcy, former Chair of the Bankruptcy
Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, former President of the Moller/Foltz American Inn of
Court and former Co-Chair of the United States-Mexico Bar Association. In 1991-1992, Mr.
Beckham served as President of the 20,000 member Texas Young Lawyers Association. In
2012, Mr. Beckham was recognized as the Go To Lawyer for Bankruptcy in Texas by the Texas
Lawyer. Mr. Beckham is listed in the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Business
Lawyers and in Best Lawyers in America.
DAVID M. BENNETT
Partner, Thompson & Knight LLP
One Arts Plaza, 1722 Routh Street, Suite 1500, Dallas, TX 75201
214.969.1486, Fax: 214.880.3293
[email protected]
David Bennett is a Partner in the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight LLP. He currently serves as the
Firm’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Practice Leader. David has played a leading role in business
reorganizations, both in and out of court, throughout the nation.
David has extensive expertise in the energy industry and the Chambers USA directory has described him as
“an expert in bankruptcies relating to the oil and gas sector.”
David has experience representing companies and creditor constituencies from every segment of the capital
structure. David’s energy bankruptcy experience includes, among many others, representation of an activist
creditor constituency in the Enron bankruptcy case, serving as counsel to an ad hoc bondholder group
(fulcrum creditors) in the Crusader Energy bankruptcy case, representation of Cano Petroleum, as debtor,
and representation of the Official Unsecured Creditors Committee in the Endeavour Operating Corporation
bankruptcy case.
Ralph Brubaker is the Carl L. Vacketta Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of
Law, where he teaches courses in bankruptcy, civil procedure, contracts, and conflict of laws.
Professor Brubaker has three degrees from the University of Illinois, including his J.D. summa
cum laude and an M.B.A., and he received Bronze Tablet distinction (highest honors) and C.P.A.
certification as an undergraduate. He clerked for Judge James K. Logan of the United States
Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and he practiced in the bankruptcy and corporate
reorganization group with the law firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Cleveland, Ohio.
Professor Brubaker was a member of the faculty at the Emory University School of Law in
Atlanta, Georgia from 1995 until 2004, when he returned to his alma mater. Professor Brubaker
is the Editor-in-Chief and a contributing author for Thomson Reuter’s Bankruptcy Law Letter, he
is co-author of a bankruptcy casebook, and he has written dozens of journal articles and essays.
He is particularly expert in the complex jurisdictional and procedural facets of federal bankruptcy
proceedings. Professor Brubaker has served as an editorial advisor for the American Bankruptcy
Law Journal, the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, and the Emory Bankruptcy
Developments Journal. He is a member of the American Law Institute, a Fellow of the American
College of Bankruptcy, and he has served as a member of the executive committee of the board
of directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Professor Brubaker was a member of the
advisory committee on 363 sales for the ABI’s 2014 Commission to Study the Reform of
Chapter 11.
RUDY J. CERONE
RUDY J. CERONE is a Member of McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC, resident in its New
Orleans, Louisiana offices. He graduated from the University of California at San Diego (B.A.,
summa cum laude) in 1976 and Boston College Law School (J.D., cum laude) in 1979. He was
the recipient of the Order of Coif (1979), was the Executive Editor of the Boston College
International & Comparative Law Review (1978 - 79) and received the Best Law Review Editor
Award (1979). He was admitted to the California Bar in 1979 and to the Louisiana Bar in 1984.
Mr. Cerone is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy (2001) and is certified as a
Business Bankruptcy Specialist by the American Board of Certification (1993) and by the
Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization (1997).
He is a long-time member of the American Bankruptcy Institute (Secretary and Executive
Committee Member, 2010 - 15); (Member, Board of Directors, 2004 - 15); (Co-Chair,
Bankruptcy Litigation Committee, 2005 - 06); (Chair, Hospitality, Entertainment Venues and
Gaming Subcommittee, 2001 - 05); (Member, Advisory Board, Southwest Bankruptcy
Conference, 2003 - 11). He also is former Chair, President and Board Member of the American
Board of Certification.
Mr. Cerone currently is a member of: State Bar of California; Louisiana State Bar
Association (Chair, Consumer Protection and Bankruptcy Section, 1994 – 97, Chair, Bankruptcy
Law Advisory Commission, Board of Legal Specialization, 2002 - 04); the Bar Association of the
Federal Fifth Circuit and the American Bar Association.
Mr. Cerone is an author and lecturer on both business and complex consumer bankruptcy
issues.
575269.5
John Czarnetzky Bio
Professor Czarnetzky is the Mitchell McNutt & Sams and Jessie D. Puckett, Jr.
lecture in law. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S.,
1982, Chemistry) where he played football, and the University of Virginia (J.D., 1989),
where he did not. After law school, he practiced bankruptcy and commercial law with
Sidley & Austin in Chicago, and McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe in Richmond,
Virginia.
Czarnetzky joined the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1994, and has
taught courses in bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, secured transactions, civil
procedure, business associations, international trade.
Professor Czarnetzky has been honored as outstanding professor three times by
the student body. Professor Czarnetzky’s scholarly interests are bankruptcy,
commercial and international law. He and his wife, Sylvia Robertshaw Czarnetzky,
reside in Cleveland, Mississippi.
HON. TONY M. DAVIS
Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division
Judge Davis received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and mathematics from the
University of Minnesota in 1980. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in
1983.
Prior to his judicial appointment in April of 2013, Judge Davis was a partner at Baker Botts for
19 years where he practiced corporate restructuring and bankruptcy law. Judge Davis was
selected as a leader in his field – bankruptcy and restructuring – by Chambers USA and was
repeatedly recognized as a Best Lawyer and Super Lawyer in Texas by those publications. He
also served as a member of the Honorable Arthur L. Moller/David B. Foltz, Jr. American Inn of
Court while in Houston.
Judge Davis is currently serving as the Program Chair and a founding officer of the Honorable
Larry E. Kelly American Inn of Court in Austin, and taught the Bankruptcy Course at the UT
School of Law for the fall semester in 2015.
DOUGLAS D. DODD is the United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of
Louisiana. He graduated from Stanford Law School in 1982, after receiving his
undergraduate degree magna cum laude with interdisciplinary honors in 1977 from
Tulane University, where he was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Judge Dodd
practiced law in New Orleans for nearly 20 years before his appointment to the bench in
May 2002. He has taught advanced bankruptcy law at Tulane Law School and currently
serves as an adjunct professor of law at the LSU Law Center, teaching a seminar in
bankruptcy reorganization.
Biographical information – Hon. Robert Drain
Robert Drain is a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District
of New York.
Judge Drain received his B.A. degree cum laude with honors from Yale
University in 1979 and his J.D. degree in 1984 from the Columbia University School of
Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar for three years.
At the time of his appointment in 2002, he was a partner in the Bankruptcy
Department of the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison,
where he represented debtors, trustees, secured and unsecured creditors, official and
unofficial creditors committees, and buyers of distressed businesses and distressed debt in
chapter 11 cases, out-of-court restructurings and bankruptcy-related litigation. He also
was actively involved in several transnational insolvency matters.
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.
Since his appointment he has presided over such chapter 11 cases as Loral,
RCN, Cornerstone, Refco, Allegiance Telecom, Delphi, Coudert Brothers, Frontier
Airlines, Star Tribune, Reader’s Digest, A&P, Hostess Brands, Christian Brothers, and
Momentive. He also has presided over the ancillary or plenary cases, as the case may be,
of Corporacion Durango, Satellites Mexicanas, Parmalat S. p. A. and its affiliated United
States debtors, Varig S.A., Yukos (II), SphinX, Galvex Steel, TBS Shipping, Excel
Maritime, and Nautilus and has served as the court-appointed mediator in a number of
chapter 11 cases.
He is the author of a novel, The Great Work in the United States of
America.
CRAIG A. GARGOTTA
United States Bankruptcy Judge
Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division
H.F. Garcia Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
615 E. Houston Street, Suite 505
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 472-5181
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
EDUCATION
B.A., History, Texas A&M University - 1981
M.A., History, Texas A&M University - 1984
J.D., St. Mary’s School of Law - 1989
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Law Clerk to United States Bankruptcy Judge Ronald B. King, Western District of Texas, 1989-1990
Assistant U.S. Attorney, San Antonio, Texas, 1990-2007
Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing, St. Mary’s School of Law, 2002-2006, 2013-present
United States Bankruptcy Judge, October 1, 2007 - present
Editor-in-Chief, The Federal Lawyer, 2001-2008
Contributing Editor, American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, 1993-2007
Contributing Editor, The San Antonio Lawyer, 1997-2001
President, San Antonio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, 1996-1998
LAW RELATED PUBLICATIONS AND HONORS
Speaker - Department of Justice Seminars regarding bankruptcy, legal writing and trial advocacy,
1997-2007.
Speaker - bankruptcy seminars with the State Bar of Texas, University of Texas Law School, American
Bankruptcy Institute, Federal Bar Association, and San Antonio Bankruptcy Bar.
I have written over 20 columns for the ABI Journal and published a law review article in the American
Bankruptcy Institute Law Review in 2003.
In addition, I have published roughly 35 columns or articles in other publications such as The San
Antonio Lawyer, The Federal Lawyer, In Bankruptcy (a DOJ publication), and the United States
Attorneys Bulletin.
Mark S. Goldstein is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School (Class of ’79) and holds joint
degrees in Law and Public Policy Studies. He enjoys Martindale Hubbell’s highest rating (AV), and has
been practicing law in Louisiana since 1981. Since 1996, he and Alicia M. Bendana have been affiliated
with Lowe Stein Hoffman Allweiss & Hauver, LLP, with whom they are “Of Counsel”. From 1989 through
2003, he was the supervisor of Tulane Law School’s Consumer and Foreclosure Advice Clinic.
With a practice focusing on bankruptcy and commercial litigation, Mark S. Goldstein has represented
hundreds of creditors, committees, trustees, and debtors, in cases under Chapters 7, 11, and 13 of the
Bankruptcy Code. As Trustee’s counsel, Mr. Goldstein has represented estates in complex commercial
fraud and directors and officers liability litigation, transfer avoidance actions, and claims allowance and
subordination proceedings. As creditor’s counsel, he has protected and prosecuted his clients’ rights
through the plan confirmation process, claims allowance process, and lift stay and lien ranking
proceedings, and has defended them in transfer avoidance litigation. As debtor’s counsel, he has
prepared and filed petitions under Chapters 7, 11, and 13, represented a wide range of debtors-inpossession, and has extensive experience representing both business and consumer Chapter 7 debtors
in every phase of those proceedings.
Mr. Goldstein has been invited to speak at numerous continuing legal education programs, and has
presented materials on the treatment and dischargeability of income tax liability, tax attributes, the
treatment of community property in bankruptcy, and individual Chapter 11 reorganizations under the
2005 amendments.
HONORABLE HARLIN D. “COOTER” HALE
United States Bankruptcy Judge
1100 Commerce Street - Room 1254
Dallas, Texas 75242-1496
214/753-2016
Fax: 214/753-2036
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Born in Natchez, Mississippi.
B.S., 1979, Louisiana State University.
J.D., 1982, Paul M. Hebert School of Law, LSU, Order of the Coif.
1982-1983, Law Clerk to the Honorable James L. Dennis, Associate Justice, Louisiana Supreme
Court, now Judge on United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
1983-2002, Private practice of law in Dallas, Texas.
November 1, 2002, appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Texas.
2009 - Present, Visiting Professor, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Memberships/Positions Held:
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Dallas Bar Association - Bankruptcy Section
Louisiana State Bar Association
State Bar of Texas - Bankruptcy Section, Executive Committee (2011-12 Chair)
American Bar Association
National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (2011-14 Fifth Circuit Governor)
Master, John C. Ford American Inn of Court (2007-08 Serjeant of the Inn Award)
Federal Bar Association (2006-07 Bankruptcy Section Chair)
American Bankruptcy Institute
American Law Institute
Rev. James L. Henley, Jr.
Rev. James L. Henley, Jr., a native of Jackson, Mississippi, serves as Pastor of Fresh Start Christian Church
and as a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee for the Southern District of Mississippi. Pastor Henley also
serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. He
is an attorney and a licensed Certified Public Accountant and holds the Certified in Financial Forensics
credential from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a Past President of both
the Magnolia Bar Association and the Magnolia Bar Foundation. He is a graduate of Callaway High
School, a cum laude graduate of Millsaps College and graduated 2nd in his class at the Mississippi College
School of Law. He is a life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He has been and continues to be
extensively involved in the development of Jackson’s inner-city youth and their communities through
Fresh Start Ministries, Inc. He has previously served on the boards of Bethany Christian Services, The
Metropolitan YMCA and the Jackson Young Lawyers Association. He and his wife Vivian have four
children. He lives to serve Christ by “Making Christ Visible” in all his actions and duties.
BIOGRAPHY OF BARBARA J. HOUSER
Barbara Houser is the Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Northern
District of Texas. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of
Nebraska with high distinction and her doctor of laws from Southern Methodist
University School of Law. She then joined Locke, Purnell, Boren, Laney & Neely in
Dallas and became a shareholder there in 1985. In 1988 she joined Sheinfeld, Maley &
Kay, P.C. as the shareholder-in-charge of the Dallas office and remained there until she
was sworn in as a United States Bankruptcy Judge in 2000. While at Sheinfeld she led
the firm’s representation of clients in a variety of significant, nationwide chapter 11
cases.
Judge Houser, who lectures and publishes frequently, is a past chairman of the
Dallas Bar Association’s Committee on Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization, is a
member of the Dallas, Texas and American Bar Associations, and is a fellow of the
Texas and American Bar Foundations. She is a contributing author to Collier on
Bankruptcy and has taught Creditors’ Rights as a Visiting Professor at the SMU Dedman
School of Law.
She was elected a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and currently
serves as a member of its Board of Directors. She was also elected a conferee of the
National Bankruptcy Conference, an organization of nationally recognized experts in
bankruptcy. In 1998, the National Law Journal named her as one of the fifty most
influential women lawyers in America. After becoming a bankruptcy judge, she joined
the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and has served as President in 2009-2010.
In February, 2011 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Judicial Service
from the SMU Dedman School of Law. She also received the 2014 William L. Norton
Jr., Judicial Excellence Award for her continuing contributions to the insolvency
community.
THOMAS A. HOWLEY (TOM)
[email protected]
PARTNER
Business Restructuring & Reorganization
Borrower / Workouts / Chapter 11 Debtor
Representations
Distressed Company Litigation
Distressed M&A Representations
EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
ERG Intermediate Holdings files for bankruptcy protection, obtains $17.5
million DIP facility and approval for 363 sale
RadioShack successfully navigates contentious bankruptcy sale
DayMen Group recapitalizes and positions itself for long-term growth
HONORS & DISTINCTIONS
Best Lawyers in America (2016)
Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the field of
bankruptcy/restructuring (2010-2015)
Texas Super Lawyers (2013-2015)
Texas Monthly "Rising Star" (2004-2006 and 2008-2010)
Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Texas 2009 Award of Merit
EDUCATION
University of Louisville (J.D. 1995); Indiana University (B.A. 1992)
BAR ADMISSIONS
Texas
Houston
(T) +1.832.239.3790
(F) +1.832.239.3600
Tom Howley represents all of the major stakeholders in
corporate workouts and restructurings. He also has
substantial experience in distressed M&A and advising
entities in the structuring of transactions to mitigate
potential downside risk in the event of a future
insolvency.
Tom's representative experience includes several
energy companies in current out-of-court workouts,
Radio Shack in its chapter 11 case in Delaware, the
DayMen Group in an out-of-court workout, MSD
Performance in its chapter 11 case in Delaware,
Sanchez Capital in the successful stalking horse bid
acquisition of Tri-Dimension Energy's assets out of
chapter 11, the official committee of unsecured
noteholders in the chapter 11 case of Energy Partners
Limited, Jefferies in the workout of Baseline Oil & Gas,
and Corus Bank in the chapter 11 case of a large
condominium project.
Prior to joining Jones Day, Tom advised Prime
Succession, along with 47 related debtors, in their
chapter 11 cases filed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and the
official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter
11 cases of Tony Roma's restaurant chain.
Tom recently served as president of the Bankruptcy
Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. The section is
the leading organization in Texas for professionals
involved in workouts, restructurings, and bankruptcy
cases. He is a past president of the Houston Chapter
of the Turnaround Management Association. He is also
a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
David R. Jones
United States Bankruptcy Judge
Southern District of Texas
Houston, Texas
David R. Jones was sworn in as a bankruptcy judge for the Southern District of Texas on
September 30, 2011. Prior to becoming a judge, Mr. Jones was a practicing lawyer in Houston,
Texas for approximately 19 years. Mr. Jones specialized in bankruptcy and bankruptcy-related
litigation.
Mr. Jones received his Juris Doctor from the University of Houston in 1992 where he
served as editor-in-chief of the HOUSTON LAW REVIEW. Mr. Jones received his Master of
Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in 1986 and his Bachelor of
Science in Electrical Engineering from Duke University in 1983.
As a practitioner, Mr. Jones has been recognized as a “Leader in the Field” of
Bankruptcy/Restructuring in the State of Texas by Chambers USA since 2009, and has been
listed in The Best Lawyers in America in Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law since
2007. Mr. Jones has been selected as a “Texas Super Lawyer” in Bankruptcy Law in surveys
conducted by Texas Monthly since 2005 and has been repeatedly named as one of the top 100
lawyers in the Houston Region. Mr. Jones has been selected as a top lawyer in Texas for
bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights by Super Lawyers - Corporate Counsel Edition since 2009.
John W. Kolwe
United States Bankruptcy Judge, Western District of Louisiana
John Kolwe was sworn in as a bankruptcy judge for the Western District of
Louisiana on August 12, 2015. He grew up in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. He received his B.S.
in Accounting from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1985. While at Centenary, he was a
member of the Centenary College Choir, and traveled and performed throughout the United
States and in Asia and Europe. John met his wife, Miriam, in the Choir. Following
graduation from Centenary he worked as a CPA with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.
John received his J.D. in 1991from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center which is part of
Louisiana State University. John practiced law in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1991until
joining the bench. Most recently, he was a partner in the litigation section of regional law
firm, Jones Walker LLP. His practice included complex commercial litigation, focusing on
bankruptcy (representing creditors), oil and gas and general commercial litigation. He also
has extensive experience examining oil and gas mineral titles and has published numerous
preliminary title opinions. Additionally, John has extensive gaming law and lien/secured
rights experience. Prior to Jones Walker, John was a shareholder with Longman Russo, PLC
(Jones Walker acquired Longman Russo in 2009). John began his practice in Lafayette with
Onebane, Donohoe, Bernard, Torian, Diaz, McNamara & Abell in 1991.
John has been married to Miriam for 28 years. He has two children, Kristen,
who is a sophomore at LSU, and ·Kevin, who is a senior at Lafayette High School.
John enjoys singing with community and symphony choruses and church choir in his
free time. He also enjoys running, and regularly competes in races (for fun only).
HEATHER LENNOX
[email protected]
PARTNER
Business Restructuring & Reorganization
Borrower / Workouts / Chapter 11 Debtor
Representations
Metals & Mining
New York
(T) +1.212.326.3837
(F) +1.212.755.7306
Cleveland
(T) +1.216.586.7111
(F) +1.216.579.0212
Heather Lennox has played a leading role in Jones Day's representations of debtors and potential debtors, creditors' committees, prepetition
secured lenders, bank groups, DIP lenders, credit card processors, and other significant creditors in many of the nation's largest in-court and
out-of-court corporate and municipal restructurings. She has substantial experience counseling clients in fraudulent conveyance, illegal
dividend, fiduciary duty, piercing the corporate veil, and mass tort issues in bankruptcy. She has represented entities in the structuring and
consummation of spin-offs, distressed sales and acquisitions, ring-fencing transactions, and other out-of-court restructuring transactions.
Heather has represented, among others: the City of Detroit, Copperweld Corporation, CSC Industries, Dana Corporation, Fruehauf Trailer
Corporation, Great American Communications Company (a prepackaged case), Hostess Brands, Inc., LTV Steel Company, Metaldyne
Corporation, Oglebay Norton Company, and St. Mary's of the Woods (a CCRC) as debtors' counsel and significant creditors in the Delta
Airlines, Forum Health, HomePlace Stores, Northwest Airlines, Pittsburgh Penguins, R.H. Macy, Southern Air Transport, United Airlines, US
Airways, and Wornick Company bankruptcies.
Heather has coauthored bankruptcy-related articles published in The Business Lawyer and the Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice. She is
listed in the Guide to the World's Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers and is a conferee of the National Bankruptcy Conference
(2012-present); a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy; and a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Cleveland
Metropolitan Bar Association, and the New York City Bar Association. Lawdragon 500 lists her among the "Leading Lawyers in America"
(2013-2014).
EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
GM prevails as Sixth Circuit affirms summary judgment in $450 million dispute with UAW
Jones Day successfully represented General Motors LLC ("New GM") in an appeal of the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the UAW in Michigan
federal district court.
City of Detroit's chapter 9 plan of adjustment confirmed
Jones Day served as lead restructuring counsel to the City of Detroit in connection with its chapter 9 bankruptcy case filed in July 2013 and
its ongoing restructuring efforts.
Certain Hostess bread brands and bakeries acquired by Flowers Foods for $355 million
Jones Day advised Hostess Brands, Inc. regarding the sale of its Wonder, Merita, Nature's Pride, Home Pride, and Butternut bread brands and
associated bakeries to Flowers Foods, Inc. for $355 million.
Hostess sells Hostess and Dolly Madison snack cake business to Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. for $410
million
Jones Day advised Hostess Brands, Inc. regarding the stalking horse bid by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC and Metropoulos &
Co. in the purchase for the majority of the assets of the snack cake business, including both Hostess® and Dolly Madison® branded
products, including the iconic Twinkies® brand for $410 million.
Hostess Brands commences bankruptcy proceedings
Jones Day represents client Hostess Brands, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries (collectively, "Hostess") as lead restructuring counsel,
in Hostess' January 11, 2012 (the "Petition Date") filing under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the "Bankruptcy Code") in the
Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Bankruptcy Court") with more than $800 million in secured debt and a $75 million
debtor-in-possession financing facility with Silver Point.
Yale-New Haven Hospital obtains antitrust approval for proposed Saint Raphael's acquisition
Jones Day represented Yale-New Haven Hospital ("YNHH") in connection with all antitrust matters related to its acquisition of a competing
hospital, the Hospital of Saint Raphael's in New Haven, Connecticut.
St. Mary of the Woods files for chapter 11
Jones Day represents Franciscan Communities St. Mary of the Woods in its chapter 11 case and related debtor-in-possession financing.
ZAIS Investment goes into involuntary bankruptcy
Jones Day served as prepetition counsel and postpetition special counsel to ZAIS Investment Grade Limited VII, a Cayman Islands special
purpose vehicle in a first of its kind involuntary prepackaged bankruptcy filed in the District of New Jersey.
Wireless communications provider restructures bond debt
Jones Day represented a $200 million local wireless communications provider in an out-of-court workout of $150 million in bond debt.
Metaldyne sells powertrain, balance shaft module, tubular products, and chassis assets to affiliate of The Carlyle Group and Solus
Alternative Asset Management
Jones Day advised Metaldyne Corporation, a leading designer and producer of engine, driveline, and chassis products, in the $400 million sale
of its powertrain, balance shaft module, tubular products, and chassis assets to an affiliate of The Carlyle Group and Solus Alternative Asset
Management LP via a sale under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Metaldyne files for bankruptcy protection
Jones Day represented Metaldyne Corporation -- one of the top 50 North American auto parts suppliers with over $1 billion in sales -- and its
subsidiaries in an out-of-court tender offer transaction pursuant to which over $350 million in long term debt was extinguished.
Axcelis Technologies sells interest in joint venture SEN Corporation to Sumitomo Heavy Industries
Jones Day advised Axcelis Technologies, Inc. in the $133 million sale of its 50% interest in SEN Corporation to joint venture partner Sumitomo
Heavy Industries, Ltd.
MBIA Insurance is secured creditor in Forum Health chapter 11 case
Jones Day represented MBIA Insurance Corporation ("MBIA") as a secured creditor in the chapter 11 cases of Forum Health and its affiliated
debtors (together, "Forum" or the "Debtors").
Metaldyne completes $65 million tender offer to purchase outstanding 10% Senior Notes and 11% Senior Subordinated Notes
Jones Day advised Metaldyne Corporation, a leading designer and producer of engine, driveline, and chassis products, in connection with its
$65 million offer to purchase for cash any and all outstanding 10% Senior Notes due 2013 and 11% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2012.
Dana Corporation obtains Global Settlement and creates VEBA trusts for retiree health care benefits
Jones Day successfully represented Dana Corporation in obtaining a series of settlements to eliminate an enormous accumulated liability for
health and life insurance benefits for retirees from its unionized and nonunion workforces, and to modify its collective bargaining agreements
with active employees, allowing Dana to compete in the troubled auto industry upon emergence from bankruptcy.
Dana Corporation successfully reorganizes in U.S. and U.K. in "Deal of the Year"
Jones Day advised Dana Corporation and 40 of its U.S. subsidiaries in their reorganization under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
Dana Corporation reaches groundbreaking labor settlement
Jones Day represented Dana Corporation in litigation and arbitrations related to various supply contracts as part of its Chapter 11
reorganization.
Dana Corporation resolves dispute with major supplier
Jones Day represented Dana Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries in their chapter 11 cases.
Dana Corporation seeks advice on employment matters in bankruptcy and restructuring
Jones Day represented Dana Corporation with respect to bankruptcy and restructuring issues dealing with represented and non-represented
employees.
National City Bank holds leases in Northwest Airlines chapter 11 case
Jones Day represented National City Bank in the chapter 11 cases of Northwest Airlines Corporation involving three leveraged lease
transactions.
HONORS & DISTINCTIONS
The Legal 500 USA (Corporate Restructuring, 2011 and Finance-Municipal Bankruptcy, 2013)
New York Metro Super Lawyers (2013-2015)
Ohio Super Lawyers (2005-2015)
IFLR 1000 (2006-2008)
Chambers USA (2005-2015)
Chambers Global, "Leader in Their Field" (2012-2015)
Member, American College of Bankruptcy (2009-)
The Best Lawyers in America (2006-2016)
Named one of 14 "Outstanding Young Turnaround Lawyers" by the Turnaround Management Association (2006)
Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2013-2015)
EDUCATION
Georgetown University (J.D. cum laude 1992; Law Journal); John Carroll University (B.A. summa cum laude 1989)
BAR ADMISSIONS
New York; Ohio; U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and Eastern
District of Michigan; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; and pro hac vice in several other venues
PUBLICATIONS
November 2014
Nine Lessons From Detroit's Chapter 9 Case
September 2013
Expansion by the Acquisition of Financially Distressed Health Care Facilities and Companies: Opportunities and Challenges
September/October 2012
KERP or KEIP: Fireworks Continue on Keeping Key Employees at the Helm in Chapter 11
2011
American College of Bankruptcy Best Practices Report, Formation, Function & Obligations of Equity Committees in Chapter 11
June 14, 2011
Practice Spotlight: Heather Lennox, Business Law Currents
February 2011
An Overview of Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code and Municipal Debt Adjustments, Westlaw
August 2010
An Overview of Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code: Municipal Debt Adjustments
June 2010
A Tectonic Shift For Administrative Rent Claims? Bankruptcy Court Rejects "Actual Use" Limitation On Debtor-Lessee's Obligation To Pay
Postpetition Rent Under Commercial Equipment Lease, Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice, Vol. 19, No. 3
2010
2009: A Changing Bankruptcy Landscape And How It Affected Labor and Benefit Issues, 2010 Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law
August 2007
Reinstatement v. Cramdown: Do Secured Creditors Win or Lose? Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice, Vol. 16, No. 4
June 2007
Reinstatement v. Cramdown: Do Secured Creditors Win or Lose? coauthor, Westlaw
1999
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Avoiding the Solvency-Related Pitfalls in Spinoff Transactions, The Business Lawyer
1996
'Safe Harbor in Uncharted Waters' — Securities Law Exemptions Under Section 1125(e) of the Bankruptcy Code,The Business Lawyer
1994
The Fiduciary Duties of Directors of Financially Troubled Companies, Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice
1993
Applying an Ax When a Scalpel Will Do: The Role of Exclusivity in Chapter 11 Reform, Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
October 4, 2013
The Imperishable Hostess Brands, Inc., TMA Annual Meeting
Washington, D.C.
February 7, 2013
2013 TMA Distressed Investing Conference
Las Vegas, Nevada
October 14, 2011
Shareholders Count Too: The Role of the Equity Committee in a Volatile Economy, Business Bankruptcy Fall Meeting CLE Program
Tampa, Florida
May 24, 2010
Credit Bidding, panelist, American Bankruptcy Institute's 12th Annual New York City Bankruptcy Conference
New York, New York
October 29, 2009
Pressure on the Supply Chain – Beginning of the End or End of the Beginning, TMA 2009 Webinar Series
Webinar
September 30, 2009
Labor & Employment Law Changes: What the New Administration Has Brought and What the Future Holds
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
March 31, 2009
Creating a Restructuring Process that Ensures a Successful Turnaround, panelist, ACI Distressed Debt Investing Summit
New York, New York
December 11, 2008
Protecting Your Human Capital: Indemnities and D&O Insurance in Troubled Times, Jones Day CLE Academy
Cleveland, Ohio
June 22, 2007
The Tenth Annual Conference on Corporate Reorganizations: Update on Autos and Auto Suppliers
Chicago, Illinois
April 27, 2007
The Administratively Insolvent Debtor, panelist, William J. O'Neill Bankruptcy Seminar
Cleveland, Ohio
November 1, 2006
The Automotive Industry - Where It Was, Where It Is and Where It's Going, panelist, Fall 2006 Conference, International Women's Insolvency
& Restructuring Confederation
San Francisco, California
October 6, 2006
Developing Opportunities for a Multicultural Workplace - How to Create Opportunities for All Women, panelist, Capgemini "Reach for the Stars"
Cleveland, Ohio
September 20, 2005
The Significant Business Provisions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005
Cleveland, Ohio
May 13, 2005
What Labor and Employment Lawyers Should Know About the Federal Bankruptcy Process for Corporate Debtors
Cleveland, Ohio
October 5, 1999
Issues in Debtor in Possession Financing, Jones Day CLE Program
Cleveland, Ohio
November 30, 1995
The Section 2-207 Battle of the Forms: Disclaimer of Damages and Other Issues
Cleveland, New York
September 28, 1994
Issues of Successor Liability in Section 363 Sales
Cincinnati, Ohio
JOHN S. LOWE is the George W. Hutchison Professor of Energy Law at Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, Texas, and the former Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at
SMU’s Dedman School of Law. A graduate of Denison University and Harvard Law School and
a member of the bars of Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio, Professor Lowe has written or co-written
many articles and books, including OIL AND GAS LAW IN A NUTSHELL (6th ed.West 2014), CASES
th
AND MATERIALS ON OIL AND GAS LAW 6 ed. West 2012), and HEMINGWAY’S OIL AND GAS
LAW AND TAXATION (4th ed. West 2004). He is a former President of the Rocky Mountain
Mineral Law Foundation, as well as a Past Chair of the Section of the Environment, Energy and
Resources Law of the American Bar Association. He is a member of the commercial panels of
the American Arbitration Association, the CPR Institute of Dispute Resolution, and the
International Chamber of Commerce, and a frequent continuing education speaker, expert
witness, and legal consultant.
THE HONORABLE ELIZABETH WALL MAGNER is a Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the United States
Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Louisiana. She received her Bachelor of Science in
Accounting from Louisiana State University in 1980 followed by a Juris Doctorate from the Paul
M. Herbert Law Center in 1983. Prior to her investiture on the bench, she was a partner with
the law firm of Lemle & Kelleher, LLP. In 1995, she resigned from the firm to form her own firm.
She is an associate editor of Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide. She is a Certified Public
Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and
Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants. She was Vice Chair of the ABA Subcommittee
on Bankruptcy Jurisdiction and Venue from 2005 to 2007 and is a career long member of the
New Orleans Pro Bono Project. She has also been involved in over twenty-five charitable
programs and projects in the New Orleans area. She is a frequent speaker for the local law
schools, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Federal Judicial
Center, the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, and the American Legal Institute of the
ABA. In 2007, she was named a Woman of the Year by New Orlean CitiBusiness. During her
twenty-three years in private practice, Judge Magner specialized in the areas of bankruptcy,
workouts, security instruments and liens, as well as foreclosures, seizures and other
commercial litigation matters. She has a broad range of experience in the representation of
debtors, creditors, trustees, and committees, both official and unofficial. Immediately prior to
taking the bench, she represented the Unofficial Committee of Select Asbestos Claimants in
twenty nationally significant Chapter 11 cases. For her work, she was recognized by Fortune
magazine as being one of the only five attorneys in the United States steering the
reorganization of over $200 billion in corporate debt. Judge Magner was sworn in on
September 9, 2005, nine days after Hurricane Katrina devastated her district. She was
instrumental in the re-establishment of the court in a remote location and developed
procedures for and administered over 10,000 cases in the following months. She has also been
applauded in articles published in The London Herald, New York Times, and USA Today for
opinions authored on the mortgage lending industry. The Federal Rules Committee of the
Judiciary codified the procedures she imposed in In re Jones, 2007 WL 2480494 (Bankr.E.D. La.).
Hon. Mark X. Mullin
The Hon. Mark X. Mullin was appointed to the United States Bankruptcy Court, Fort Worth division on
September 18, 2015. He received his B.S.B.A. degree in accounting from Creighton University in 1979
and his J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1986. Prior to attending law school, Judge Mullin
held CPA licenses in Nebraska and Texas and was employed by the international accounting firm of Peat,
Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (n/k/a KPMG). After graduating from law school in 1986, Judge Mullin joined the
Dallas, Texas office of Haynes and Boone, LLP where he became a member of the Bankruptcy and
Business Restructuring practice group where he continued to practice law with the firm until September
17, 2015.
Judge Mullin has served in many leadership roles in local and national legal organizations, including
serving as President of the Bankruptcy Section of the Dallas Bar Association, President and Executive
Committee Member of the Hon. John C. Ford American Inn of Court, and Education Director and CoChair of the Secured Credit Committee of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Judge Mullin was also
named as a 2010 honoree inducted into the DFW Serjeants of the Inn.
Judge Mullin and his wife Holli have two children, Ryan (and his wife Courtney) and Lacie (and her
husband Chase Arthur), and two grandsons, Ryder and Asher.
Dwayne M. Murray is the President-Elect of the National Association of
Bankruptcy Trustees and a Partner in the Baton Rouge Law Firm of Murray &
Murray, LLC. Murray holds the bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Juris Doctorate from the Southern University Law
Center. He has served as a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for 22 years with over 27 years
of legal experience. As a highly strategic, goal-focused, and results-oriented
executive leader, he has demonstrated progressive experience and proven success
leading and executing organizational change, restructuring, liquidation, and
mediation. Murray delivers optimal results in tough economic environments, often
exceeding objective operational, programmatic, and financial goals. He has
acquired a strong consumer and business reorganization bankruptcy background in
developing strategies with a history of effectively leading high-performance teams
of lawyers, CPAs, real estate agents, auctioneers, appraisers and other professionals.
He has been involved in liquidation cases, wage earner adjustment proceedings,
workout agreements, and business reorganizations proceedings. As a trustee he
seeks expeditious case closure, identifies areas of maximum recovery, all while
mitigating risk to streamline operations. He is an effective consensus builder,
community leader, confident spokesperson, and thought leader in guiding complex
litigation, building external alliances, developing strategic partnerships, and
increasing the visibility and credibility of organizations and operations.
On August 5, 2014, Jeffrey P. Norman was sworn in as bankruptcy judge for the Western
District of Louisiana, Shreveport Division. Judge Norman will also share part of the case load for
the Monroe Division of the Western District of Louisiana. His appointment was effective on August
9, 2014. Judge Norman received his B.A. from Houston Baptist University in Accounting and
Finance in 1982, and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1985.
Before his appointment, Judge Norman was appointed as a Chapter 13 Trustee for the
Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division on May 19, 2011, where he successfully served three
years. Prior to the appointment as a Chapter 13 Trustee, he had over 26 years as a practicing
bankruptcy attorney in the Southern District of Texas representing a variety of consumer and
business debtors and occasionally, creditors in all aspects of bankruptcy. During private practice,
Judge Norman limited his practice to bankruptcy matters and was Board Certified in Consumer
Bankruptcy by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the American Board of Certification. He
was AV rated by Martindale Hubble and was named a Texas Superlawyer in Bankruptcy while in
private practice. He has lectured extensively to bankruptcy lawyers on consumer bankruptcy and is a
chapter author of Bankruptcy Road Map, published by Texas State Bar Books in 2010.
Judge Norman and his wife Elizabeth have two daughters.
KEVYN D. ORR SHORT BIOGRAPHY – 2.16.2016
Kevyn is the Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day’s Washington office. He returned to the firm in
May 2015 after being appointed as the Emergency Manager for the City of Detroit by Michigan
Governor Rick Snyder and serving in that role from March 2013 until December 2014.
Kevyn led the City through the largest municipal bankruptcy ever filed where he rose to the
unprecedented challenges and delivered superb results. The Detroit News editorialized that Gov.
Snyder "won the lottery when he found Kevyn Orr to carry out his restructuring blueprint for
Detroit," adding that Mr. Orr had "the right mix of brains, charm, compassion and persistence to
deftly pull off the imposing task of working the many levers of a complicated bankruptcy."
Judge Steven Rhodes similarly made note of Mr. Orr's contribution in November 2014 when
confirming the City's Plan of Adjustment: "And here I want to single out Kevyn Orr for special
recognition and appreciation. His task was perhaps the most challenging of all of us. Yet he met
that challenge with skill, determination and commitment, and at great personal sacrifice. I hope
that someday soon, this City will recognize the singular contribution that he made to its fresh
start and give him the credit he truly deserves."
Kevyn has been named to Fortune magazine's "50 World's Greatest Leaders" (2015), selected as
"Newsmaker of the Year 2014" by Crain's Detroit Business, named to Worth magazine's "Fourth
Annual Power 100" (2013), named by The National Law Journal as one of "The 100 Most
Influential Lawyers in America" (2013), honored by Chambers USA (2011-2013) as "leader in
their field" in restructuring/insolvency and bankruptcy law, included by Washingtonian
magazine's December 2011 list of "Washington's Best Legal Minds-Stars of the Bar —
Bankruptcy." He was previously awarded outstanding service and performance awards from the
U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Resolution Trust
Corporation.
Kevyn practices all aspects of business restructuring, financial institution regulation, government
investigations, and commercial litigation. Throughout his career he has demonstrated the ability
to handle all aspects of complex and precedent-setting matters and has provided strategic advice
regarding crisis management situations.
Kevyn graduated from the University of Michigan in 1979 with a B.A. in Political Science and
received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1983.
LOUIS M. PHILLIPS
Partner
[email protected]
P: 225-338-5308 F: 225-336-9763
Baton Rouge
BIOGRAPHY
Louis M. Phillips is a partner at Kelly Hart & Pitre and leader of the Firm's Bankruptcy/Debtor-Creditor practice. Louis
provides legal representation and consultation for debtors, creditors, and trustees over a broad practice area, including
transaction and business structuring and restructuring, bankruptcy reorganization, and bankruptcy and commercial
litigation. He also handles civil cases in state and federal courts and has handled matters before the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals.
Mr. Phillips as well represents debtors, debtors-in-possession, and creditors in Chapter 11 cases, borrowers and lenders in
loan restructuring and workouts, and entities of all types in all practice areas of bankruptcy cases and proceedings.
Mr. Phillips serves as the permanent chair of the Annual Bankruptcy Law Seminar sponsored by the Louisiana State
University Center for Continuing Professional Development, a program he developed in 1995. He has taught educational
programs on bankruptcy law for state judges, and has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at LSU Law School since
1988. Phillips was formerly a contributing editor to the Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 2nd and is the author of
numerous articles for law reviews and other periodicals. Louis Phillips is a frequent speaker and writer for legal education
seminars across the country such as: the Advanced Bankruptcy Course of the State Bar of Texas, Western District of Texas
Bankruptcy Bench Bar (San Antonio, TX), LSU Annual Bankruptcy Law Seminar, LSU Family Law and Recent Developments
in Law Jurisprudence Seminars; and seminars sponsored by such esteemed groups as Stetson University College of Law,
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Texas Tech School of Law, Norton Institutes on Bankruptcy Law,
American Bankruptcy Institute, National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees,
Rocky Mountain Bankruptcy Symposium Law Education Institute, 5th Circuit Bench-Bar Bankruptcy Conference, Mississippi
Bankruptcy Conference, Bankruptcy Law Institute, MidSouth Commercial Law Institute, the Annual Oil & Gas Law
Conference (Houston, TX), and the American Bar Association as well as numerous federal district bar associations and those
of and in the states of Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. Among his many other
speaking engagements are lectures to the National Association of Attorneys General, Association of Consumer Bankruptcy
Attorneys, and VISA International.
From 1988 - 2002, Mr. Phillips served as the (Chief and only) U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana.
During his tenure, he authored numerous opinions of first impression of Louisiana state law and bankruptcy law, and was
the author of a number of opinions that ultimately were adopted by the Fifth Circuit and other courts as the law of those
courts (For Example: Matter of Mercer, 246 F.3d 391 (5th Cir.2001) (involving credit card fraud cases under section 523(a)(2)
and Matter of Orso, 283 F.3d 686 (5th Cir. 2002) (wherein the Court reversed the panel and prior jurisprudence concerning
the Louisiana law exemption over structured settlement annuities).
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
Mr. Phillips presided over the first conversion to a totally electronic filing and docketing system within the Federal Courts
of the United States.
AFFILIATIONS AND HONORS
Permanent Chair, Louisiana State University Center for Continuing Professional Development, Bankruptcy Law
Seminar (Since 1995)
Louisiana State University Law School, Adjunct Professor (Since 1988)
American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow
Band 1 Ranked in Chambers USA, Several Years
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Several Years
Recognized as a "Super Lawyer" by Thomson Reuters, Several Years
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University, J.D., 1980
Rhodes College, B.A., 1976
ADMISSIONS
State Bar of Louisiana, 1980
SPEECHES & PUBLICATIONS
Fifth Circuit Symposium: Bankruptcy, 35 Loy. L. Rev. 715 (1989) (with David J. Messina)
“Developments in the Law: Bankruptcy” 54 La. L. Rev. 599 (1994) (with Diane Sciacca)
“Ruminations on Property of the Estate: Does Anyone Know Why a Debtor's Postpetition Earnings, Generated by Her
Own Earning Capacity, Are Not Property of the Bankruptcy Estate?” 58 La. L. Rev. 623 (1998) (with Tanya Martinez
Shively)
Nab Talk, Journal Of The National Association Of Bankruptcy Trustees: Musings On “The Standard Of Care
Governing The Question Of Trustee Immunity And Trustee Liability: Part 1” Fall Issue 2008 Volume 24 Issue 3
Nab Talk, Journal Of The National Association Of Bankruptcy “Trustees: Musings On The Standard Of Care Governing
The Question Of Trustee Immunity And Trustee Liability: Part 2” Winter Issue 2008 Volume 24 Issue 4 (with Ashley
S. Green)
“Continuing Ruminations on Judicial Estoppel: Barging into the Consumer Field” 2004 No. 2 Norton Bank. L. Advisor
(with Brandon A. Brown)
More than 75 speaking and writing engagements since leaving the Bankruptcy Bench in 2002.
UTLEK SNOW
STEPHEN W. ROSENBLATT
PRACTICE AREAS AND INDUSTRY TEAMS
• Bankruptcy and Restructuring
• Commercial Litigation
BAR ADMISSIONS
ASSOCIATIONS
• Mississippi (all courts)
•
•
• Association of Insolvency and
U.S. Court of Appeals
• 5th Circuit
American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI)
Restructuring Advisors (AIRA)
• Turnaround Management Association
(TMA)
DISTINCTIONS
• AV-rated, Martindale-Hubbell
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2013
Jackson, Mississippi, Bankruptcy and
• Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference
• President, 1994
• Founding Member
• Mississippi Bar Association
Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and
• President, Mississippi Young Lawyers
Section, 1984-1985
Reorganization Law Lawyer of the Year.
• Board of Commissioners, 1983-1986
• The Best Lawyers in America®,
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor
Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization
Law (10+yrs)
• Chambers, USA: America's Leading Lawyers
for Business, Bankruptcy (2005-present)
• Mid-South Super Lawyers®, Bankruptcy
and Creditor/Debtor Rights (2006-
• Chairman, Bar Section Study
Committee, 1986-1987
• Chairman, CLE Study Committee,
2004-2005
• President, Jackson Young Lawyers
Association, 1981-1982
• Charles Clark American Inn of Court,
2009-2011
present)
• Capital Area Bar Association
•
Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy
• American Bar Association
•
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
•
Fellow, Mississippi Bar Foundation
• Mississippi Young Lawyers
• President, 2000
•
Business Bankruptcy Specialist, American
Board of Certification
• Mississippi Bar Foundation
• President, 2014
• Fellow, Mississippi Young Lawyers
• Chair, Butler Snow, O'Mara, Stevens &
Cannada, PLLC (1998-2005)
EDUCATION & HONORS
• University of Mississippi, J.D., with
honors
• Editor-in-Chief, Mississippi Law Journal
• Omicron Delta Kappa
• Vanderbilt University, B.A., Philosophy
Michael H. Rubin is one of the leaders of the multi-state law firm of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC
and heads the firm’s Appellate Practice Team; he also handles commercial disputes, banking,
real estate, and finance matters. He has presented over 400 major papers in the U.S., Canada,
and England on legal ethics, finance, appellate law, real estate, and legal writing. He is a pastPresident of the Bar Association of the U.S. Fifth Circuit, the Louisiana State Bar Association,
and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. He serves as a Life Member of the American
Law Institute and is a Commissioner for the Uniform Law Institute (the organization that writes
the UCC and other uniform laws). For more than three decades, he also has served as an Adjunct
Professor teaching courses in finance, real estate, and advanced legal ethics at the law schools at
LSU, Tulane, and Southern University. He is an author of, co-author of, and contributing writer
to more than a dozen legal books and over thirty articles, and his works are used in law schools
and have been cited as authoritative by state and federal trial and appellate courts. Mike has
been honored as the Distinguished Alumnus by the LSU Law School and as the Distinguished
Attorney of Louisiana by the Louisiana State Bar Foundation.
Rubin’s latest legal book, on Louisiana finance and real estate, is THE LOUISIANA LAW OF
SECURITY DEVICES, A PRÉCIS (Lexis/Nexis). His debut novel, a legal thriller entitled THE
COTTONCREST CURSE, has been published by the award-winning LSU Press and is available in
your local bookstores, as a hardcover and e-book at the websites of Amazon and Barnes &
Noble, and as an audio book on Audible and iTunes. Next year, Suhrkamp will be publishing a
German language edition of the novel. Publishers Weekly calls THE COTTONCREST CURSE a
“gripping debut mystery”; the Chicago CBA Record says that the “story is gripping, the writing
is masterful” and “Rubin has struck ‘gold’ in his debut novel”; and the Southern Literary Review
praises the novel, calling it “literary fiction” taking “readers on an epic journey.”
Team Biographies
Contact Information:
2200 Ross Avenue, Suite 1600
Dallas, TX 75201
D: +1.214.840.1721
F: +1.877.901.8115
C: +1.214.415.7167
Email: [email protected]
Industries:
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Accessory and Textile
Apparel
William Snyder
Principal
Deloitte CRG
With executive and entrepreneurial experience spanning more than 25 years, William Snyder has restructured,
managed, and guided a multitude of companies in a wide variety of industries.
As a broadly experienced interim executive and advisor who has participated in the restructuring of more than
70 companies, Mr. Snyder brings a results-driven leadership style to complex and crisis situations.
His recent interim-management engagements include:
Distribution
● Consulting partner on several E&P companies including Dune Energy and Quicksilver Resources
Food Services
● Consulting partner on O&G service firms
Health Care
● Court-appointed chief restructuring officer (CRO) of the Texas Rangers baseball team
High Technology
● Court-appointed examiner of Mirant, a $6.5 billion merchant energy company
Manufacturing
● CRO of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a $8.5 billion integrated poultry company
Outsourcing
● CRO of a $250 million fire engine and chassis manufacturer
Restaurants
● Chief operating officer (COO) of a $200 million furnishing retailer
Retail
Telecommunications
● Chief executive officer (CEO) of a $210 million mattress retailer
Transportation and Logistics
● Chief financial officer (CFO) of a $250 million building products manufacturer
● CFO of a $250 million computer manufacturer
● Primary advisor to a $500 million staffing company, a $1.4 billion logistics company and a $2 billion construction contractor
Education:
B.A., Texas A&M University
Previously, Mr. Snyder was president of his own financial consulting company, The Snyder Company, where he managed family
investments that included operating companies, limited partnerships and securities. Additionally, he has been principal in a
variety of different companies and held positions in increasing responsibility for global bottling companies in the United States.
Mr. Snyder has served as an interim-Officer/Examiner/Trustee in more than 20 bankruptcies and is a frequent speaker and
presenter on a wide range of turnaround topics.
Mr. Snyder is a Certified Turnaround Professional and has received numerous distinctions over the years, including being named
to Turnarounds & Workouts’ 2007 People to Watch list, an honor he shares with 11 professionals nationwide. Additionally, he
was recently selected to join the American College of Bankruptcy as a Fifth Circuit Fellow.
This biography may refer to client engagements performed prior to joining Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP (“Deloitte FAS”) in the Deloitte Corporate Restructuring Group (“Deloitte CRG”)
1
Copyright © 2013 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Martin A. Sosland
Retired Partner, Business Finance & Restructuring
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
200 Crescent Court, Suite 300
Dallas, Texas 75201
Phone: (214) 746-7730
[email protected]
Martin Sosland joined Weil when the Dallas office opened in 1987 and concentrated his practice in the
area of business reorganizations, debtor and creditors’ rights, and refinancings and acquisitions of
troubled companies.
Mr. Sosland led the firm’s representation in several major chapter 11 debtor cases including
SemGroup, Crescent Resources, Texas Rangers Baseball Partners, Blockbuster and Dallas Stars, and
co-led the firm’s representation of Pilgrim’s Pride. He served as one of the principal partners involved
in the firm’s representation of Enron Corp. and its affiliates in their chapter 11 cases and led the firm’s
representation of Sulzer Orthopedics in its class-action product liability settlement which allowed that
company to avoid seeking relief under the Bankruptcy Code. Mr. Sosland also was involved in the
firm’s representation of The Western Company of North America, Zale Corporation, MCorp, Edison
Brothers Stores, Inc., and PennCorp Financial Group, Inc. and led the firm’s representation of US ONE
Communications Corp., Heartland Wireless Communications, Verado Holdings and Hedstrom
Corporation in their chapter 11 cases.
Mr. Sosland led Weil’s representation of acquirors of Synagro Technologies, Option One Mortgage, Fitz
& Floyd and Trenwick America. He led the firm's representation of the statutory creditors’ committee
for Diagnostic Health Systems, Inc. and was involved in the representation of statutory creditors’
committees for First Republicbank Corporation, Texas American Bancshares, National Gypsum
Company and New Valley Corporation.
Mr. Sosland also led the firm’s representation of major financial institutions and other creditors in a
number of cases including Powerave Technologies, First Magnus, Harbor Financial Group, FirstPlus
Financial Group, Genesis Physicians Practice Association, Mirant, Senior Living Properties, Williams
Communications and Covad, as well as in numerous out of court restructurings.
Mr. Sosland has been recognized by Chambers USA and Chambers Global as a leading
bankruptcy/restructuring lawyer.
He is a member of the Dallas and American Bar Associations and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Education
Rice University (B.A., 1976); University of Texas (J.D., 1983)
US_ACTIVE:\43955218\01\US.DA
Richard S. Schmidt
UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE
Corpus Christi, Texas
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
EDUCATION
B.S. in Mathematics, with honors, New Mexico State University
J.D., The University of Texas
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
United States Bankruptcy Judge, Southern District of Texas
Col. U.S. Air Force Reserve, Retired
State Bar of Texas, Vice President of Professional Education, Bankruptcy Section
Louisiana Bar Association
LAW RELATED PUBLICATIONS, ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS AND HONORS
Selected one of top ten Bankruptcy Judges in America - Turn Around & Workout
Magazine
2004 - Judicial Appreciation Award – National Association of Chapter 13Trustees
Author/Speaker for the State Bar of Texas, Bankruptcy Seminar
University of Texas, Bankruptcy Seminar
National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges
Northwest Louisiana Legal Services (Chairman of Board of Directors)
Shreveport Bar Association (Secretary/Treasurer)
MISCELLANEOUS
Finisher 1995 Houston Tenneco Marathon
Professor Henry Higgins in 1995 Harbor Playhouse production of My Fair Lady
Frank Butler in 1998 Harbor Playhouse production of Annie Get Your Gun
Outstanding Young Man of Shreveport (1977)
2003 - Legion of Merit
Honorable Carl E. Stewart. Chief Judge Stewart received his B.A. degree (Magna Cum
Laude) from Dillard University in 1971 and his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in
New Orleans in 1974. Immediately following admission to the Louisiana Bar Association in
October 1974, he entered the United States Army and served as a Captain in the Judge Advocate
General Corps until October 1977. Following his service as a military lawyer, he has served as a
Staff Attorney with the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, Assistant United States Attorney,
Special Assistant City and District Attorney, and private practitioner. In 1985, he was elected as
a District Judge for the First Judicial District Court of Caddo Parish, Louisiana and was reelected
without opposition six years later. In 1991, again without opposition, he was elected to the
Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal. On May 9, 1994, he was appointed by President
William J. Clinton to the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals which encompasses Texas,
Mississippi and Louisiana and is located in New Orleans. On October 1, 2012, Chief Judge
Stewart became the first African-American Chief Judge on the Fifth Circuit. His resident
chambers is located in Shreveport.
He is a charter member of the Harry V. Booth and Judge Henry A. Politz Chapter of American
Inns of Court in Shreveport. He serves as President of the American Inns of Court Foundation
Board of Trustees. He is a member of the Black Lawyers Association of Shreveport-Bossier, the
American, National, Federal, Louisiana and Shreveport bar associations, and the Federal Judges
Association. Chief Judge Stewart is a member of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation,
the Louisiana Bar Foundation, the National Bar Association Judicial Council and the Just the
Beginning Foundation of African-American Federal Judges. He is a member of the Judicial
Conference of the United States and a past chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Federal
Rules of Appellate Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
Chief Judge Stewart serves on the Dillard University New Orleans, Louisiana Board of Trustees.
He is a past President of the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier, and past board of
trustee member of Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport. He holds honorary Doctor of
Laws degrees from Centenary College of Louisiana, Mississippi College School of Law, Loyola
University New Orleans College of Law, and Suffolk University Law School.
He has served in several capacities with the Boy Scouts of America Norwela Council, the
Southern Region, as well as the National Boy Scouts of America. He is the recipient of the
Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Silver Buffalo Awards for volunteer services to scouting at
the local, regional and national levels.
Publications authored by Chief Judge Stewart include: “Contemporary Challenges to Judicial
Independence,” LOYOLA LAW REVIEW, Loyola University School of Law, 1997; “Balancing
Professionalism, Ethics Quality of Life and the Successful Practice of Law,” THE
SOUTHWESTERN LEGAL FOUNDATION, PROCEEDINGS OF THE FORTY-FIFTH
ANNUAL INSTITUTE ON LABOR LAW DEVELOPMENTS, 1999; and “Abuse of Power &
Judicial Misconduct: A Reflection on Contemporary Ethical Issues Facing Judges,” THE
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS LAW JOURNAL, The University of St. Thomas School of
Law, 2003.
Chief Judge Stewart is married to the former Jo Ann Southall and is the father of three children:
Carl Jr., Karelia, and Kyle. He is the proud grandfather of three grandchildren: Karlie and twins,
Carson and Chloe’.
(7/30/15)
Arthur A. Vingiello is a board certified business bankruptcy law specialist recognized by the
American Board of Certification and the Louisiana Bar Association since 1998. He graduated from
Millsaps College with double B.A. degrees, cum laude, and where he was a member of Omicron
Delta Kappa honor fraternity. He then graduated from Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana
State University in 1978. Mr. Vingiello has represented individual and corporate debtors-inpossession, creditors and creditors’ committees in numerous Chapter 11 and Chapter 12
reorganization cases and in cases under Chapters 7 and 13. In addition, he handled the only Chapter
9 bankruptcy case ever confirmed in Louisiana. He frequently lectures in the area of business
bankruptcy law. For over 12 years, Mr. Vingiello has held the highest attorney rating by MartindaleHubbell, an AV rating. He is an active member of the pro-bono panel of the Baton Rouge Bar
Association, accepting representation for indigent parties through that panel. Mr. Vingiello is the
author of Fifth Circuit Symposium: Oil and Gas, 33 Loyola Law Review 831 (1987). He has been
recognized as one of the preeminent specialists in the field of Bankruptcy Creditor/Debtor Rights
by Louisiana Super Lawyers. He was a member of the Panel of Practitioner Contributors to Black’s
Law Dictionary (9th ed. 2009).