ABI's Bankruptcy Taxation Committee monitors the activities of the congressional committees and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on matters concerning bankruptcy tax legislation and regulations. ABI President Michael Richman has named two new co-chairs, Patricia L. Barsalou and David Howard Stein.

Pat Barsalou joined the San Antonio office of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP in 2002. Her practice centers around bankruptcy and insolvency and has included representations of both creditors and debtors, as well as administrative oversight of bankruptcy cases for the U.S. Trustee and regulatory work for various state agencies. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Barsalou served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Trustee component of the U.S. Department of Justice and also served for many years as an assistant attorney general with the Bankruptcy and Collections Division of the Texas Attorney General's Office. Her focus on bankruptcy began when she served as briefing attorney to Hon. Leif M. Clark, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Texas. Ms. Barsalou is a member of the San Antonio Bankruptcy Bar Association and has given many presentations. She earned her B.A. magna cum laude from Wright State University and her J.D. from St. Mary's University, where she was an editor on the Law Journal.

David Howard Stein is a partner at Duane Morris LLP in Newark, N.J., where he practices in the areas of commercial litigation and bankruptcy law and litigation. He is a member of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Debtor-Creditor Committee of the Essex County Bar Association and the Union County Bar Association. He has been appointed to serve as co-chair of the Debtor-Creditor Committee of the Essex County Bar Association, and has also been appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to serve on the District V-A Ethics Committee in Essex County, N.J. In addition, he has been appointed by the New Jersey Superior Court to serve on the Juvenile Conference Committee in Union County, N.J. Mr. Stein has received various honors and awards, including certificates of appreciation by the Superior Court of New Jersey, Union County, and by the New Jersey Supreme Court in recognition for serving for four years as a member of the District Ethics Committee of Essex County, N.J. A former judicial clerk to Hon. Steven J. Bercik and Hon. Miriam N. Span of the Superior Court of New Jersey, he is a 1986 graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and of Rutgers University.

More Members in the News

Chicago-based turnaround firm Morris-Anderson & Associates was awarded the title of "Outstanding Turnaround Firm" of 2004. James P. Ross and his team were among the firm's top performers honored by the Beard Group for the achievement of turning around Archibald Candy Corp., Fannie May's parent company.

Pillsbury Winthrop LLC, with offices worldwide, announced the arrival of Rick B. Antonoff to the firm's New York office and its insolvency and restructuring group. Mr. Antonoff's recent representations include the official creditors' committee in the chapter 11 case of Napster Inc. He earned his B.A. at Binghamton University and his J.D. cum laude from Cardozo Law School, where he was senior editor of the Law Review. In related news, Pillsbury Winthrop and Shaw Pittman agreed to merge last month, creating a 900-lawyer firm that spans 16 international offices. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP will boast practices including capital markets, corporate finance, outsourcing, litigation, governmental regulation and real estate, among other areas. The deal will also give Pillsbury Winthrop a boost in Washington, D.C., and will add strength to its technology practices that cover Northern Virginia. For both firms, it will also increase London legal practices. The deal is subject to approval by the partners of both firms and is expected to close by spring. Pillsbury Winthrop, based in San Francisco, has offices in London, Los Angeles, New York, Northern Virginia, Orange County, Sacramento, Calif., San Diego, Silicon Valley and Century City, Calif., Stamford, Conn., Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and Houston. Washington, D.C.-based Shaw Pittman has additional offices in London, Taipei, New York, Northern Virginia and Northern California. ABI members in Pillsbury Winthrop include Gregor Baer, Craig A. Barbarosh, Leo T. Crowley, Richard L. Epling, William B. Freeman, Sue J. Hodges, Kenneth N. Russak, Lara. R. Sheikh, Philip S. Warden and Andrea A. Wirum.

Burns & Levinson LLP in Boston was named a "Go-To Law Firm" in the practice area of litigation by its client Reebok International Ltd. "Go-To Law Firms" are the outside counsel Fortune 500 general counsel turn to and are printed in the Directory of In-House Law Departments at the Top 500 Companies, published by Corporate Counsel Magazine. ABI members include Victor Bass and Leonard Gold.

Kilpatrick Stockton LLP in Charlotte, N.C., added Deborah Fletcher to the firm's financial restructuring practice, where she will join as a partner at the head office. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy engagements, workouts and commercial transactions. She is admitted before all North Carolina and Virginia courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Ms. Fletcher earned her B.A. summa cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University and her J.D. at the University of Richmond.

Craig V. Rasile will co-head the firmwide bankruptcy and creditors' rights practice for Hunton & Williams in its Miami office. He will share the leadership role with Benjamin C. Ackerly, a bankruptcy partner in the firm's Richmond, Va. office. As practice co-head, Mr. Rasile will be responsible for marketing, managing and growing the department both nationally and internationally. Mr. Rasile joined the firm in 2003. He has been named one of the best bankruptcy attorneys in the United States by various publications and peer polls, most recently The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA and Florida Trend's Legal Elite. Mr. Rasile received his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law and his undergraduate degree with honors from Grinnell College (Iowa).

Last December, The Sagres Co. in San Diego became the 23rd company to achieve Professional Practices Management System (PPMS) certification through ACA International's Best Practices program, making The Sagres Co., a distressed debt-purchasing specialist, the first non-contingency agency to have achieved this certification. Sagres successfully completed a rigorous, year-long application and audit process. ABI members include Thomas F. Ferris and Jerry Greenblatt. The Sagres Company has purchased and managed more than $1 billion in distressed receivables.

Vinson & Elkins LLP, with offices worldwide, elected 10 of the firm's lawyers to the partnership in January, including ABI member John E. Mitchell in Dallas.