ABI's Mass Torts Committee studies bankruptcy issues arising from product liability claims against manufacturers of asbestos and other products. It is co-chaired by Theodore L. Freedman and Richard Cohen. The committee presented a two-part program at the 2005 ABI Annual Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., where it addressed class actions in bankruptcy.

Ted L. Freedman is a senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York, where he focuses his practice on restructurings, workouts and bankruptcy. He also advises Kirkland's private equity and corporate clients when a portfolio company is in financial distress, the sale of acquisition of assets and companies in bankruptcy. He is the co-author of the Collier International Business Insolvency Guide and co-chair of ABI's Mass Torts Committee. Mr. Freedman earned his B.A. cum laude from Lawrence University and his J.D. cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. An ABI member since 1992, he is admitted to practice in New York, Illinois and the District of Columbia.

Richard Cohen is senior vice president and managing director of legal services at Garden City Group (GCG). A former general counsel and senior executive of several large corporations, he assists GCG in providing legal support and settlement administration services for corporations and law firms. Prior to joining GCG, Mr. Cohen was the COO at INTEGREX Professional Claims Services. Previously, Mr. Cohen was vice president at Lexford Residential Trust and general counsel of Ohio Power and Columbus Southern Companies. He is the president of The American Corporate Counsel Association in Ohio and a member of the American and Ohio State Bar Associations, and he has served as a chair of the American Bar Association. In addition, Mr. Cohen is a member of the Corporate Counsel Advisory Board for The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel and is a prior recipient of the Distinguished Legal Service Award sponsored by the Corporate Legal Times. Mr. Cohen earned his B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law.

More Members in the News

Alex Moglia, president of national corporate restructuring firm Moglia Associates in Schaumburg, Ill., was appointed vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the Bankruptcy Court Liaison Committee for the Northern District of Illinois. Moglia Associates also recently opened its Los Angeles office, where Henry Ritter and Mike Smith will be managing directors. The firm has other offices in Chicago and Phoenix.

Hon. Jeff Bohm was sworn in on Dec. 30, 2004, as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Texas in Houston. Judge Bohm formerly practiced at McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas and his masters from Johns Hopkins. He has been an ABI member since 2003.

Jeffrey R. Waxman joined Cozen O'Connor's Wilmington, Del., office as a member of the firm's bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring group, where he represents debtors, official committees of unsecured creditors and equity-holders and secured creditors, among others, in chapter 11 cases. Cozen O'Connor has 22 offices in London, Toronto and across the United States. Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society, presented Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University alumnus Gerald P. Buccino with the 2005 Medallion for Entrepreneurship in April. Mr. Buccino, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Buccino & Associates Inc. in New York, is one of three entrepreneurs nationwide that were awarded the 2005 medallion. In 1996, Mr. Buccino established a scholarship at the Stillman School of Business Center for Leadership Studies. This four-year scholarship also includes regular communication and interaction with Mr. Buccino in both social and professional settings. In 1990 he founded, and annually funds, The Buccino Foundation, which provides significant financial assistance toward medical research, the handicapped, battered women, the homeless and other philanthropic causes. Mr. Buccino, a former member of the ABI Board of Directors, has been a member since 1990.

Steven N. Cousins, founder and group leader of Armstrong Teasdale's financial restructuring, reorganization and bankruptcy practice in St. Louis, was twice recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal recently regarding his leadership in the legal profession as well as being a significant contributor to the St. Louis community. For the second year in a row, Mr. Cousins has been recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the St. Louis-area "Influentials," which honors business and civic leaders who serve in the St. Louis region. The publication also honored him with the "Most Influential Minority Business Leader" award, which recognizes minority executives and entrepreneurs who make an impact on the local business community.

Daniel A. Zazove joined Perkins Coie LLP's bankruptcy practice as a partner in April. Mr. Zazove, who has 30 years of experience working on complex bankruptcy reorganizations and insolvency matters, will practice in the firm's Chicago office. Mr. Zazove started his career as a staff attorney in the Corporate Reorganization Branch of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He founded a leading bankruptcy boutique law firm in Chicago and most recently practiced at Kaye Scholer LLC.

Pittsburgh-based national law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott LLC recently welcomed Ronald S. Gellert among its equity members. He practices in the firm's bankruptcy and creditors' rights area in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. Mr. Gellert concentrates in debtor/creditor matters, primarily in major chapter 11 bankruptcy cases.

Stephen H. Case joined Cohen & Co. LLC in New York as managing director and general counsel. Previously, Mr. Case was a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he engaged in advisory, transaction, workout and bankruptcy cases. He is an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and has served on the faculty of ABI's Views from the Bench program. He has been an ABImember since 1984.

Michael J. Goldberg has joined Cohn, Whitesell & Goldberg LLP in Boston. He has over 20 years of experience in insolvency matters representing creditors' committees, debtors, landlords, secured creditors and acquirors.