Mr. Timothy P. Kirkpatrick
Timothy P. Kirkpatrick is the managing member of a law firm Kirkpatrick & Associates, LLC. He received a BSM in 1987 from Tulane University, A B Freeman School of Business and his Juris Doctorate from Tulane University in 1990. His practice focuses on representing consumer debtors in chapter 13‘s and 7’s in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Timothy P. Kirkpatrick is the managing member of a law firm Kirkpatrick & Associates, LLC. He received a BSM in 1987 from Tulane University, A B Freeman School of Business and his Juris Doctorate from Tulane University in 1990. His practice focuses on representing consumer debtors in chapter 13‘s and 7’s in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Judge John W. Kolwe
John W. Kolwe was appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, effective August 12, 2015. He was sworn in by Bankruptcy Judge Robert R. Summerhays and served in the Alexandria and Monroe Divisions of the Western District of Louisiana until April 25, 2019. On October 5, 2018, he was appointed to the Lafayette and Lake Charles Divisions to fill the vacancy left by Judge Summerhays. He served as Chief Judge for the Western District of Louisiana from April 2018 to April 2023. He received his B.S. in Accounting from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1985. Following graduation from Centenary, Judge Kolwe worked as a CPA. Judge Kolwe received his J.D. in 1991from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. He practiced law in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1991 until joining the bench. John is presently the Fifth Circuit Governor of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. He is also a member of the Dean’s Council for the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. John and his wife, Miriam, reside in Lafayette, Louisiana, where they raised their two children.
John W. Kolwe was appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, effective August 12, 2015. He was sworn in by Bankruptcy Judge Robert R. Summerhays and served in the Alexandria and Monroe Divisions of the Western District of Louisiana until April 25, 2019. On October 5, 2018, he was appointed to the Lafayette and Lake Charles Divisions to fill the vacancy left by Judge Summerhays. He served as Chief Judge for the Western District of Louisiana from April 2018 to April 2023. He received his B.S. in Accounting from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1985. Following graduation from Centenary, Judge Kolwe worked as a CPA. Judge Kolwe received his J.D. in 1991from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. He practiced law in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1991 until joining the bench. John is presently the Fifth Circuit Governor of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. He is also a member of the Dean’s Council for the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. John and his wife, Miriam, reside in Lafayette, Louisiana, where they raised their two children.
Ms. Kimberly J. Lewis
Kimberly J. Lewis– Secretary of Revenue, Louisiana Department of Revenue
Secretary Lewis is a 1998 graduate of the LSU Law Center. She attended LSU where she received her B.A. in Political Science in 1993 and a M.A. in Public Administration in 1995.
Before becoming Secretary of Revenue, Ms. Lewis was a partner in the Tax & Estates Practice Group at Jones Walker, LLP focusing primarily on state and local tax matters, economic development financing, incentives and government relations.
Before joining Jones Walker, Ms. Lewis served as Special Counsel for the Office of the Governor of the State of Louisiana, where she provided legal counsel to Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and served as Senior Policy Advisor on Revenue, Economic Development and Insurance Policy. She also worked for six years at the Louisiana Department of Revenue, serving as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Legal Affairs and Confidential Assistant to the Secretary. From 1998–2000, she served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Justice Bernette J. Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Secretary Lewis currently serves as an ex-officio member of the Resilient Louisiana Commission, which is charged with helping chart the state’s path from COVID-19 to a stronger and healthier economy that is more resistant to future disruptions. She is a board member of the Federation of Tax Administrators Board of Trustees and the Louisiana Sales and Use Tax Commission for Remote Sellers. She was the 2016-2017 President of the Southeastern Association of Tax Administrators (SEATA), and is a highly sought-after speaker on matters involving income, franchise, sales/use, severance, ad valorem property, and other tax issues. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Sales Tax Streamlining and Modernization Commission, the Task Force on Ad Valorem Tax Structure, and the Transportation Infrastructure Funding Task Force. She co-chaired the Task Force on Structural Changes in Budget and Tax Policy and chaired the Louisiana Retail Food and Beverage E-Commerce Task Force.
Ms. Lewis was listed in The Best Lawyers in America© in 2015 in the area of Tax Law, and in the 2014 edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Tax. She has chaired the Section of Taxation for the Louisiana State Bar Association. In 2015, she received the Distinguished Achievement award from LSU Law Center and the Diversity Journal recognized her as one of the “Women Worth Watching.” In 2016, The LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business Public Administration Institute honored Ms. Robinson as the Distinguished MPA Alumnus.
Prior honors and awards: Leadership Greater Baton Rouge Class of 2003, Leadership Louisiana Class of 2003, Baton Rouge Business Report Forty Under 40 Honoree 2006, Louis A. Martinet Legal Society Trailblazer Award 2013, Baton Rouge Business Report Influential Women in Business Honoree 2014, Law360 Minority Powerbrokers Q&A Series 2015, and State Tax Notes Notable Person of 2017.
Kimberly J. Lewis– Secretary of Revenue, Louisiana Department of Revenue
Secretary Lewis is a 1998 graduate of the LSU Law Center. She attended LSU where she received her B.A. in Political Science in 1993 and a M.A. in Public Administration in 1995.
Before becoming Secretary of Revenue, Ms. Lewis was a partner in the Tax & Estates Practice Group at Jones Walker, LLP focusing primarily on state and local tax matters, economic development financing, incentives and government relations.
Before joining Jones Walker, Ms. Lewis served as Special Counsel for the Office of the Governor of the State of Louisiana, where she provided legal counsel to Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and served as Senior Policy Advisor on Revenue, Economic Development and Insurance Policy. She also worked for six years at the Louisiana Department of Revenue, serving as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Legal Affairs and Confidential Assistant to the Secretary. From 1998–2000, she served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Justice Bernette J. Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Secretary Lewis currently serves as an ex-officio member of the Resilient Louisiana Commission, which is charged with helping chart the state’s path from COVID-19 to a stronger and healthier economy that is more resistant to future disruptions. She is a board member of the Federation of Tax Administrators Board of Trustees and the Louisiana Sales and Use Tax Commission for Remote Sellers. She was the 2016-2017 President of the Southeastern Association of Tax Administrators (SEATA), and is a highly sought-after speaker on matters involving income, franchise, sales/use, severance, ad valorem property, and other tax issues. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Sales Tax Streamlining and Modernization Commission, the Task Force on Ad Valorem Tax Structure, and the Transportation Infrastructure Funding Task Force. She co-chaired the Task Force on Structural Changes in Budget and Tax Policy and chaired the Louisiana Retail Food and Beverage E-Commerce Task Force.
Ms. Lewis was listed in The Best Lawyers in America© in 2015 in the area of Tax Law, and in the 2014 edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Tax. She has chaired the Section of Taxation for the Louisiana State Bar Association. In 2015, she received the Distinguished Achievement award from LSU Law Center and the Diversity Journal recognized her as one of the “Women Worth Watching.” In 2016, The LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business Public Administration Institute honored Ms. Robinson as the Distinguished MPA Alumnus.
Prior honors and awards: Leadership Greater Baton Rouge Class of 2003, Leadership Louisiana Class of 2003, Baton Rouge Business Report Forty Under 40 Honoree 2006, Louis A. Martinet Legal Society Trailblazer Award 2013, Baton Rouge Business Report Influential Women in Business Honoree 2014, Law360 Minority Powerbrokers Q&A Series 2015, and State Tax Notes Notable Person of 2017.
Mr. Armistead M. Long
Army joined Gordon Arata in March 2011, bringing the knowledge and experience he earned over the course of his successful entrepreneurial career. His practice focuses on bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and commercial transactional work for corporate, oil, gas and energy clients in Louisiana and Texas.
Army is a skilled and diplomatic contract negotiator, facilitating his clients’ national and international service and supply agreements, leases, licensed manufacturing, distribution and labor agreements. His experience includes successfully leading his clients through corporate mergers, acquisitions and sales. It also includes successful “bet the farm” crisis management.
Army understands process, manufacturing and quality control. He served as chief executive officer of JBLCo Holdings, Inc., a leading North American manufacturer of bulk materials sampling systems and mine safety equipment he co-founded in 1986. He is also the co-inventor of several U.S. patents for control and design of bulk material sampling equipment. Following the sale of JBLCo, Army entered law school in the fall of 2002.
Excelling in and out of the classroom while in law school, Army interned with the Honorable Pamela A. Mathy, Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas and with Region 7 (Western District of Texas – San Antonio) of the Office of the U.S. Trustee. He also clerked with a leading San Antonio intellectual property law firm.
Following law school graduation in May 2005, Army served as law clerk to the Honorable Ronald B. King, Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas before moving to Asheville, North Carolina to work in the business and litigation practice groups of one of the state’s most respected and established law firms.
Now happily residing in the Louisiana sportsman’s paradise, Army and his family enjoy fishing and hunting along with Cajun food and culture.
Army joined Gordon Arata in March 2011, bringing the knowledge and experience he earned over the course of his successful entrepreneurial career. His practice focuses on bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and commercial transactional work for corporate, oil, gas and energy clients in Louisiana and Texas.
Army is a skilled and diplomatic contract negotiator, facilitating his clients’ national and international service and supply agreements, leases, licensed manufacturing, distribution and labor agreements. His experience includes successfully leading his clients through corporate mergers, acquisitions and sales. It also includes successful “bet the farm” crisis management.
Army understands process, manufacturing and quality control. He served as chief executive officer of JBLCo Holdings, Inc., a leading North American manufacturer of bulk materials sampling systems and mine safety equipment he co-founded in 1986. He is also the co-inventor of several U.S. patents for control and design of bulk material sampling equipment. Following the sale of JBLCo, Army entered law school in the fall of 2002.
Excelling in and out of the classroom while in law school, Army interned with the Honorable Pamela A. Mathy, Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas and with Region 7 (Western District of Texas – San Antonio) of the Office of the U.S. Trustee. He also clerked with a leading San Antonio intellectual property law firm.
Following law school graduation in May 2005, Army served as law clerk to the Honorable Ronald B. King, Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas before moving to Asheville, North Carolina to work in the business and litigation practice groups of one of the state’s most respected and established law firms.
Now happily residing in the Louisiana sportsman’s paradise, Army and his family enjoy fishing and hunting along with Cajun food and culture.
Judge Keith M Lundin
Judge Keith Lundin was appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in 1982. He retired in June 2016. He served as a judge on the first Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Sixth Circuit from 1997-99. He is on the faculty of the Federal Judicial Center. In addition to teaching as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School, he taught at the University of New Mexico, where he was the Weihofen Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law in 2006, at Emory University School of Law and on numerous seminar and institute faculties. He is the author of LundinOnChapter13.com and has been a managing editor for Norton Bankruptcy Law Adviser (Thompson/Reuters/West) since 1982. After earning his law degree from Vanderbilt, he clerked for Chief Judge Harry Phillips of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While in private practice, he served as standing Chapter 13 trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee. He teaches Effective Legal Writing for the Real World; Marijuana and Bankruptcy; Discharge and Dischargeability; and Chapter 13.
Judge Keith Lundin was appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in 1982. He retired in June 2016. He served as a judge on the first Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Sixth Circuit from 1997-99. He is on the faculty of the Federal Judicial Center. In addition to teaching as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School, he taught at the University of New Mexico, where he was the Weihofen Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law in 2006, at Emory University School of Law and on numerous seminar and institute faculties. He is the author of LundinOnChapter13.com and has been a managing editor for Norton Bankruptcy Law Adviser (Thompson/Reuters/West) since 1982. After earning his law degree from Vanderbilt, he clerked for Chief Judge Harry Phillips of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While in private practice, he served as standing Chapter 13 trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee. He teaches Effective Legal Writing for the Real World; Marijuana and Bankruptcy; Discharge and Dischargeability; and Chapter 13.
Mr. Joseph R. Moore
Law School: Loyola University New Orleans College of Law 2011
Practicing in Consumer Bankruptcy and Litigation since 2012 with E. Orum Young Law
Partner E. Orum Young Law
Law School: Loyola University New Orleans College of Law 2011
Practicing in Consumer Bankruptcy and Litigation since 2012 with E. Orum Young Law
Partner E. Orum Young Law
Mr. Dwayne M Murray
Dwayne M. Murray is a Past President and CEO of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and the Managing Member in the Baton Rouge Law Firm of Murray & Murray, LLC. He 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 since 1993 for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Louisiana. He has been appointed Chapter 11 Trustee, Liquidating Trustee and as Special Master in state court. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, United States District Courts for the Middle, Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana. Murray is affiliated with the Turnaround Management Association, American Bankruptcy Institute, National Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, and the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees.
Dwayne M. Murray is a Past President and CEO of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and the Managing Member in the Baton Rouge Law Firm of Murray & Murray, LLC. He 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 since 1993 for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Louisiana. He has been appointed Chapter 11 Trustee, Liquidating Trustee and as Special Master in state court. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, United States District Courts for the Middle, Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana. Murray is affiliated with the Turnaround Management Association, American Bankruptcy Institute, National Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, and the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees.
Mrs. Cherie Dessauer Nobles
Cherie Dessauer Nobles concentrates on debtor and creditor rights.She has experience in representing large, complex companies and small companies in bankruptcy. Her experience includes representation of debtors, trustees , unsecured creditors’
committees, and creditors in commercial bankruptcy and workout business cases in chapter 11 and chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings. Mrs. Nobles has been listed in Super Lawyers (2021), as a Rising Star in Super Lawyers (2019-2020), Top Lawyers by New Orleans Magazine (since 2018), Best Lawyers (2019), and as "Up and Coming" lawyer by Chambers (2021).
Cherie Dessauer Nobles concentrates on debtor and creditor rights.She has experience in representing large, complex companies and small companies in bankruptcy. Her experience includes representation of debtors, trustees , unsecured creditors’
committees, and creditors in commercial bankruptcy and workout business cases in chapter 11 and chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings. Mrs. Nobles has been listed in Super Lawyers (2021), as a Rising Star in Super Lawyers (2019-2020), Top Lawyers by New Orleans Magazine (since 2018), Best Lawyers (2019), and as "Up and Coming" lawyer by Chambers (2021).
Mr. Kevin J. Payne
Kevin J. Payne received his BBA from Baylor University (1999) and his JD/BCL from LSU (2003). He is a partner in the firm of Rogers, Carter & Payne, LLC.
Kevin J. Payne received his BBA from Baylor University (1999) and his JD/BCL from LSU (2003). He is a partner in the firm of Rogers, Carter & Payne, LLC.
Stewart F. Peck
Stewart focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; marine finance and vessel documentation; asset-based finance; litigation, corporate and commercial law; and oil and gas. Stewart is listed as one of the Top 50 Lawyers in the State of Louisiana by Super Lawyers and is ranked in Chambers and Partners.
Stewart has been practicing law in New Orleans for more than 40 years. He is a 1974 graduate of Kenyon College, magna cum laude, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated top in his class in 1977 from Tulane Law School where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a member of the Tulane Law Review.
Stewart has been lead trial and appellate counsel in over 80 reported cases in the federal and state courts. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in New Orleans, Louisiana Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA. He has participated in oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 19 times, as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and the Louisiana Courts of Appeal. He is either presently acting or has previously acted as debtor’s lead counsel or creditors’ counsel in a number of Chapter 11 bankruptcies involving companies operating in and outside of the Gulf Coast region. These cases include a number of relatively large reorganizations, including Torch Offshore, Inc., Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc., Gulf Fleet Holdings, Inc., Trico Marine Services, Inc., Force Energy, Inc., and Borders Group, Inc. Stewart has also handled significant marine finance transactions, as well as substantial mergers and acquisitions. He acts as general counsel to a number of regional businesses in providing counsel and his legal expertise.
Stewart focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; marine finance and vessel documentation; asset-based finance; litigation, corporate and commercial law; and oil and gas. Stewart is listed as one of the Top 50 Lawyers in the State of Louisiana by Super Lawyers and is ranked in Chambers and Partners.
Stewart has been practicing law in New Orleans for more than 40 years. He is a 1974 graduate of Kenyon College, magna cum laude, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated top in his class in 1977 from Tulane Law School where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a member of the Tulane Law Review.
Stewart has been lead trial and appellate counsel in over 80 reported cases in the federal and state courts. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in New Orleans, Louisiana Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA. He has participated in oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 19 times, as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and the Louisiana Courts of Appeal. He is either presently acting or has previously acted as debtor’s lead counsel or creditors’ counsel in a number of Chapter 11 bankruptcies involving companies operating in and outside of the Gulf Coast region. These cases include a number of relatively large reorganizations, including Torch Offshore, Inc., Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc., Gulf Fleet Holdings, Inc., Trico Marine Services, Inc., Force Energy, Inc., and Borders Group, Inc. Stewart has also handled significant marine finance transactions, as well as substantial mergers and acquisitions. He acts as general counsel to a number of regional businesses in providing counsel and his legal expertise.
Mr. Louis M. Phillips
Louis M. Phillips is a partner at Kelly Hart & Pitre and leader of the firm's Bankruptcy & Business Reorg. practice. Mr. Phillips 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 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. Mr. Phillips is a frequent speaker and writer for legal education seminars across the country, including the Advanced Bankruptcy Course of the State Bar of Texas, Western District of Texas Bankruptcy Bench Bar; 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, 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 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 (i.e., 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).
Mr. Phillips presided over the first conversion to a totally electronic filing and docketing system within the Federal Courts of the United States.
Louis M. Phillips is a partner at Kelly Hart & Pitre and leader of the firm's Bankruptcy & Business Reorg. practice. Mr. Phillips 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 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. Mr. Phillips is a frequent speaker and writer for legal education seminars across the country, including the Advanced Bankruptcy Course of the State Bar of Texas, Western District of Texas Bankruptcy Bench Bar; 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, 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 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 (i.e., 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).
Mr. Phillips presided over the first conversion to a totally electronic filing and docketing system within the Federal Courts of the United States.
Mr. Ryan J Richmond
Ryan J. Richmond is a partner at the law firm of Sternberg, Naccari & White, LLC where he is the managing member of the firm’s Baton Rouge office. Since 2020, he has served as a Subchapter V trustee throughout Louisiana. Ryan earned his JD from LSU in 2006 and later an MBA in 2017. He clerked for the Hon. Douglas D. Dodd from 2006-07. Ryan's practice focuses on small business clients, both in and out of bankruptcy.
Ryan J. Richmond is a partner at the law firm of Sternberg, Naccari & White, LLC where he is the managing member of the firm’s Baton Rouge office. Since 2020, he has served as a Subchapter V trustee throughout Louisiana. Ryan earned his JD from LSU in 2006 and later an MBA in 2017. He clerked for the Hon. Douglas D. Dodd from 2006-07. Ryan's practice focuses on small business clients, both in and out of bankruptcy.
Mr. Ryan C. Robison
Ryan Robison is Staff Attorney for Chapter 13 Trustee, Keith A. Rodriguez in the Lafayette and Lake Charles Divisions of the Western District of Louisiana. He previously held the same position for Chapter 13 Trustee, Jon C. Thornburg, in the Alexandria Division from 2013-2019. Prior to joining the Chapter 13 Trustee’s office in 2013, he served as associate counsel for the Wheelis & Rozanski Law Firm representing local and national creditors.
Ryan Robison is Staff Attorney for Chapter 13 Trustee, Keith A. Rodriguez in the Lafayette and Lake Charles Divisions of the Western District of Louisiana. He previously held the same position for Chapter 13 Trustee, Jon C. Thornburg, in the Alexandria Division from 2013-2019. Prior to joining the Chapter 13 Trustee’s office in 2013, he served as associate counsel for the Wheelis & Rozanski Law Firm representing local and national creditors.
Mr. Bill J. Rochelle III
Bill Rochelle joined the American Bankruptcy Institute in 2015 as its Editor-at-Large, writing every day on developments in consumer and reorganization law. For the prior nine years, he was the bankruptcy columnist for Bloomberg News.
Bill got his undergraduate and law degrees from Columbia University, where he received Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar awards from the law school. Before turning to journalism, he practiced bankruptcy law for 35 years, including 17 years as a partner in the New York office of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP.
In addition to writing, Bill travels the country for ABI, speaking to bar groups and professional organizations on hot topics in the turnaround community and trends in consumer bankruptcies.
Bill Rochelle joined the American Bankruptcy Institute in 2015 as its Editor-at-Large, writing every day on developments in consumer and reorganization law. For the prior nine years, he was the bankruptcy columnist for Bloomberg News.
Bill got his undergraduate and law degrees from Columbia University, where he received Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar awards from the law school. Before turning to journalism, he practiced bankruptcy law for 35 years, including 17 years as a partner in the New York office of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP.
In addition to writing, Bill travels the country for ABI, speaking to bar groups and professional organizations on hot topics in the turnaround community and trends in consumer bankruptcies.
Peter Segrist
Peter J. Segrist is a partner in the New Orleans office and practices primarily in the commercial litigation, banking and lender liability, bankruptcy, and oil and gas practice areas. He also represents orthodontic and dental practices in a wide array of litigation and transactional matters, including assisting clients in buying or selling their practices. He has represented individual and corporate clients in a variety of civil practice areas, including complex commercial litigation, insurance disputes, mass tort actions, construction disputes, environmental litigation, and fraud actions. Peter is engaged in an active trial practice, and has extensive experience in the complications and demands of electronic data retention, preservation, collection, and production in multi-party, complex litigation. He has also been named as a Super Lawyers 2020 Rising Star in Business Litigation.
Peter is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Tulane University with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Cell and Molecular Biology and English. He attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he was a William L. Crowe scholar and graduated magna cum laude in 2013 in the top five percent of his class. While at Loyola, he was elected to serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola Law Review. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Judge Patricia Minaldi in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
Peter J. Segrist is a partner in the New Orleans office and practices primarily in the commercial litigation, banking and lender liability, bankruptcy, and oil and gas practice areas. He also represents orthodontic and dental practices in a wide array of litigation and transactional matters, including assisting clients in buying or selling their practices. He has represented individual and corporate clients in a variety of civil practice areas, including complex commercial litigation, insurance disputes, mass tort actions, construction disputes, environmental litigation, and fraud actions. Peter is engaged in an active trial practice, and has extensive experience in the complications and demands of electronic data retention, preservation, collection, and production in multi-party, complex litigation. He has also been named as a Super Lawyers 2020 Rising Star in Business Litigation.
Peter is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Tulane University with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Cell and Molecular Biology and English. He attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he was a William L. Crowe scholar and graduated magna cum laude in 2013 in the top five percent of his class. While at Loyola, he was elected to serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola Law Review. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Judge Patricia Minaldi in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
Hon. Robert R. Summerhays
Judge Robert Summerhays was appointed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by President Trump in September 2018. Prior to this appointment, Judge Summerhays served as the Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the Western District of Louisiana. Judge Summerhays was previously a partner in the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where his primary practice area was federal court litigation. Judge Summerhays served as a law clerk for Judge W. Eugene Davis (U.S. Court of Appeals) in Lafayette from 1994 to 1995. Judge Summerhays received his law degree in 1994 from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review.
Judge Robert Summerhays was appointed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by President Trump in September 2018. Prior to this appointment, Judge Summerhays served as the Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the Western District of Louisiana. Judge Summerhays was previously a partner in the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where his primary practice area was federal court litigation. Judge Summerhays served as a law clerk for Judge W. Eugene Davis (U.S. Court of Appeals) in Lafayette from 1994 to 1995. Judge Summerhays received his law degree in 1994 from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review.
Mrs. Madison M Tucker
Madison Tucker is an associate in Jones Walker's Litigation Practice Group. Madison’s practice focuses primarily on the areas of bankruptcy and creditor and debtor rights. She represents, debtors, Unsecured Creditors Committees, secured and unsecured creditors in all types of bankruptcy cases.
Madison is a graduate of Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where she received her juris doctor degree, cum laude. She also earned a diploma in comparative law and received CALI awards for immigration law, conflict of laws, and legal research and writing.
Madison Tucker is an associate in Jones Walker's Litigation Practice Group. Madison’s practice focuses primarily on the areas of bankruptcy and creditor and debtor rights. She represents, debtors, Unsecured Creditors Committees, secured and unsecured creditors in all types of bankruptcy cases.
Madison is a graduate of Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where she received her juris doctor degree, cum laude. She also earned a diploma in comparative law and received CALI awards for immigration law, conflict of laws, and legal research and writing.
Mr. R. Patrick Vance Sr.
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Ms. Rachel Thyre Vogeltanz
Rachel Thyre Vogeltanz graduated second in her law school class at the University of California at Davis. After passing the California bar exam, she started out in a boutique bankruptcy firm where she learned on the job, doing both consumer and commercial work. She soon returned to her home state of Louisiana, where she first worked as a criminal law clerk at the Louisiana Supreme Court, and since then has primarily represented bankruptcy clients. Board-certified in consumer bankruptcy by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization and the American Board of Certification, she is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Rachel is a solo practitioner in Covington.
Rachel Thyre Vogeltanz graduated second in her law school class at the University of California at Davis. After passing the California bar exam, she started out in a boutique bankruptcy firm where she learned on the job, doing both consumer and commercial work. She soon returned to her home state of Louisiana, where she first worked as a criminal law clerk at the Louisiana Supreme Court, and since then has primarily represented bankruptcy clients. Board-certified in consumer bankruptcy by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization and the American Board of Certification, she is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Rachel is a solo practitioner in Covington.
Mr. David F Waguespack
David F. Waguespack is managing partner of Carver Darden. He has represented lenders, debtors, creditor committees, investors, officers and directors, and other parties in complex Chapter 11 cases and related litigation and has served as a Chapter 11 trustee. Mr. Waguespack is recognized for his work in bankruptcy and restructuring in Best Lawyers, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Tier 1), Louisiana Super Lawyers (Top 50) , and the Legal 500. He is board certified in business bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification and by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. He has chaired several subcommittees of the Business Bankruptcy Committee of the American Bar Association, including Courts and Administration, Corporate Governance, Limited Liability Companies, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Mr. Waguespack served as an adjunct professor of business law at Tulane University for 20 years. Mr. Waguespack graduated from Rhodes College in 1988 with the John Henry Davis Award for the outstanding History major and from Tulane University Law School in 1991 as an Associate Editor of the Tulane Law Review and member of the Order of the Coif.
David F. Waguespack is managing partner of Carver Darden. He has represented lenders, debtors, creditor committees, investors, officers and directors, and other parties in complex Chapter 11 cases and related litigation and has served as a Chapter 11 trustee. Mr. Waguespack is recognized for his work in bankruptcy and restructuring in Best Lawyers, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Tier 1), Louisiana Super Lawyers (Top 50) , and the Legal 500. He is board certified in business bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification and by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. He has chaired several subcommittees of the Business Bankruptcy Committee of the American Bar Association, including Courts and Administration, Corporate Governance, Limited Liability Companies, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Mr. Waguespack served as an adjunct professor of business law at Tulane University for 20 years. Mr. Waguespack graduated from Rhodes College in 1988 with the John Henry Davis Award for the outstanding History major and from Tulane University Law School in 1991 as an Associate Editor of the Tulane Law Review and member of the Order of the Coif.
