2023 Annual Bankruptcy Institute | Virtual

Seth Albin Related Seminars and Products

Summers Compton Wells, LLC

As a former small-business owner, Seth Albin is familiar with the needs of his clients.

His background as a solo practitioner informs his advice to his clients and equips him to serve as a special master and receiver in civil cases.

Seth focuses his practice on bankruptcy, creditor’s rights, family law, enforcement and collection of judgments, secured transactions, arbitration, litigation, and municipal law.

He counsels individuals and businesses experiencing financial difficulties, as well as businesses that are being sued or suing others to repossess their property. He is experienced in overseeing repossessions of assets ranging from aircraft to car dealerships and in completing commercial loan workouts.

In his family law practice, he represents clients in all aspects of divorce and adoption, including child custody, child support, maintenance, spousal support, and modifications. He has also served as a guardian ad litem in domestic cases and volunteers for the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court as a special prosecutor.

Seth’s legal experience runs the gamut from solo, small, and large firm practice to in-house and government work. He offers his clients big-firm experience and advice at a small-firm price.

He is skilled at bringing a practical perspective to the work – not just a legal one.

Kimber Baro Related Seminars and Products

Baro Law Firm

Kimber practiced family law for ten years and specialized in bankruptcy law for the last 20 years. She is a member of NACBA and licensed in the U.S. District Court for the EDMO, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

MaryAnn Black Related Seminars and Products

Codilis, Moody & Circelli, P.C.

MaryAnn Black has practiced in the consumer bankruptcy area for the last 15 years, first as a Debtors' attorney for consumers filing bankruptcy in the Eastern District of Missouri and now as a Creditors' attorney for mortgage lenders and servicers across Missouri and in the Southern District of Illinois.

Christopher Borniger Related Seminars and Products

Office of the United States Trustee (U.S. Department of Justice)

Chris Borniger is a trial attorney with the U.S. Trustee’s Kansas City office. Before turning to law, Chris spent five years as an editor at The Dallas Morning News. He has a journalism degree from the University of Kansas and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Adam Breeze Related Seminars and Products

Millsap & Singer, LLC

E. Rebecca Case Related Seminars and Products

Stone, Leyton & Gershman

Ms. E. Rebecca Case is board certified by the American Board of Certification (ABC) in both business and consumer bankruptcy and, for the past 27 years, has served as a Chapter 7 bankruptcy panel trustee for the Eastern District of Missouri. Rebecca has been practicing law for more than 35 years representing debtors and creditors in Chapters 7, 11, 12 and 13. She has served as an examiner in Chapter 7 and 11 cases.  Rebecca is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Business Reorganization and Consumer Bankruptcy Committees. She received her B.S. from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and her J.D. from Baylor University School of Law.

Andrea Chase Related Seminars and Products

Spencer Fane LLP

Andrea Chase represents secured and unsecured creditors and bankruptcy trustees in bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy insolvency proceedings such as receiverships and foreclosure proceedings, out of court workouts and restructurings, and other related insolvency matters.

Andrea graduated with highest distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law. During law school, she externed for Chief Judge Thad Collins of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa. She also served as a Managing Editor for the Iowa Law Review, was a member of the Pro Bono Society, and earned a Boyd Service Award. Andrea received her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in Business Administration and Government & International Affairs from Augustana College.

Andrea is involved in multiple bankruptcy organizations. She currently serves on the advisory board for the Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute, an annual program jointly sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Andrea also serves on the board of the Kansas City Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Hon. Bonnie Clair Related Seminars and Products

United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Missouri

Bonnie L. Clair is the Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Missouri. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Conference News and serves on the NCBJ-UST Liaison Committee for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, but people only want to hear about her appearance on Jeopardy! in 2006. 

Hon. Dennis Dow Related Seminars and Products

United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D.

Judge Dow was appointed a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Missouri by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on November 10, 2003.

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Dow was a partner with the firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. Judge Dow was listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of bankruptcy law continuously from 1995. 

Judge Dow is a member of the Missouri Bar, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Judge Dow is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, inducted in March 2013 and was selected in November 2014 to become a conferee of the National Bankruptcy Conference.  

He is a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.

He is Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel.  He served a term as Chair of the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules

Judge Dow received his B.A., with honors, from the University of Wyoming in 1975 and his J.D. in 1978 from Washburn University School of Law, where he was Notes Editor of the Washburn Law Journal.  

Corrine Edwards Related Seminars and Products

Walters & Edwards, LLC

Corrine Edwards graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. She then obtained her law degree from St. Louis University. She then worked for two years as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Phelps County. Corrine returned to St. Louis to work in bankruptcy and open her law firm eight years ago.

Robert Eggmann Related Seminars and Products

Carmody MacDonald P.C.

Robert E. Eggmann received his Bachelor of Arts from St. Louis University in 1986 and received his Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University School of Law in 1989. Mr. Eggmann is an attorney in the St. Louis, Missouri based law firm Carmody MacDonald P.C. Mr. Eggmann practices in the fields of bankruptcy, restructuring, creditor’s rights, commercial litigation and financial transactions. He has extensive experience in the field of the representation of Chapter 11 debtors and creditors’ committees. Mr. Eggmann also serves as a Chapter 7 panel trustee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Illinois and a Sub Chapter V trustee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of Illinois. 

Dana Estes Related Seminars and Products

Office of the Chapter 13 Trustee

Dana M. Estes has been a Staff Attorney for Richard V. Fink, the standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Missouri since 2004. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from William Jewell College in 1993 and her J.D. from Washington University School of Law in 1998.

Joshua Jones Related Seminars and Products

United States Attorney's Office

A native of St. Louis, Joshua attended Truman State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. After law school, Joshua spent two years working as a staff attorney for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals before joining the Missouri Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit. While there, Joshua prosecuted civil and criminal cases of consumer and securities fraud. Eventually, Joshua was promoted to lead the Attorney General’s no-call and telemarketing fraud enforcement unit, where he successfully prosecuted the first ever trial under Missouri’s telemarketing statutes. In April 2015, Joshua joined the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri. Joshua’s role includes all ranges of financial litigation matters, including representing the United States in bankruptcy proceedings, pursuing assets of defendants owing criminal restitution to crime victims, and defending the United States’ interests in general civil litigation. 

Kathryn A. Klein Related Seminars and Products

Riezman Berger, P.C.

Kathy Klein has represented creditors in all aspects of bankruptcy since 1991, primarily consumer cases. Kathy practices in the bankruptcy courts of Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and North Dakota. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri and her law degree from Saint Louis University.

Jesse Langford Related Seminars and Products

Licata Bankruptcy Firm, PC

Jesse Langford has been a member of the Licata Bankruptcy Firm team since February 2016. Prior to moving to Springfield, he was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Jesse attended undergraduate school at Missouri State University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2007.
While going to school in Springfield he developed a love for the community in southwest Missouri. He served as community service chair of his fraternity and helped organize Missouri State’s inaugural Up Til’ Dawn event to raise awareness and funds for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. He also lucked into the most fortunate moment of his life when he met his wife.
Initially, he intended to teach secondary education, however realizing that teaching was not his calling he attended law school at the University of Missouri – Kansas City and graduated in 2012. Subsequently, he established his own firm in Liberty, Missouri and began a general practice. In that time Jesse handled a variety of cases ranging from minor property disputes to wrongful death claims.
He moved to Springfield in 2014 and continued as a general practitioner with an emphasis on bankruptcy. Jesse believes that his wealth of experience in multiple areas of law has been instrumental to his ability to properly guide his clients through the bankruptcy process. He would describe his favorite part of being a personal bankruptcy attorney in Springfield Missouri as having a client leave his office after a consultation and witnessing the feeling of relief on their face knowing that there is light at the end of the tunnel regarding their financial issues.
In his free time, he enjoys playing in his backyard with his sons, reading, and doing projects around the house. Being a native son of Kansas City, Jesse is also a die-hard Kansas City sports fan as well as a passionate fan of his Missouri State Bears.

Adam Miller Related Seminars and Products

Office of the United States Trustee

Adam E. Miller has been a trial attorney with the Office of the United States Trustee in Kansas City, Missouri since 2007 where he is involved in administering and litigating cases under all Chapters of the Bankruptcy Code.  Previously, he served on detail in the Office of General Counsel for the Executive Office of United States Trustees where he advised program leadership and field offices on numerous issues of bankruptcy law.  Currently, he serves on the program’s working group responsible for supervising the collateralization and safekeeping of more than $3 billion in bankruptcy estate assets. 

Before joining the United States Trustee Program, he was in private practice with the consumer bankruptcy firm of Morgan, Allen and King in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and clerked for the Hon. Yvonne Kauger on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.  He has a B.A. degree from Oklahoma State University; a J.D. degree from Oklahoma City University (summa cum laude) where he served as the Acting Managing Editor of the Oklahoma City University Law Review; and an LL.M. degree from the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law at the Boston University School of Law where he served as the Graduate Editor of the Review of Banking and Financial Law.  He is a member of the bars of the state of Oklahoma and Missouri; the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the 8th and 10th Circuits and the United States Supreme Court and also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law where he teaches classes in Bankruptcy and Banking Law.

Christa Moss Related Seminars and Products

United States Attorney's Office

Christa Moss, Missouri Bar Board of Governor for the Southern District, currently serves as a Civil Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.  She was formerly a law Clerk for the Federal Chief Magistrate Judge, David Rush, as well as a civil defense litigator in a mid-size firm in Tulsa, OK, and an Assistant City Attorney for the Kansas City, MO, City Attorney's Office. Christa received her Bachelor’s degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Ok, and earned her J.D. from the College of William and Mary in 2012. Christa is an alumna of the Missouri Bar Leadership program and previously served on the Missouri Bar YLS Board. She is actively involved in the state and local bars as well as community activities, serving on a number of civic and non-profit boards. 

Hon. Cynthia Norton Related Seminars and Products

United States Courthouse

Chief Judge Cynthia A. Norton was appointed on Feb. 1, 2013. She is a frequent speaker and author on many bankruptcy and related topics. 

Nicolette Robovsky Related Seminars and Products

Reed Law, P.C.

Joseph Schlotzhauer Related Seminars and Products

Department of Justice, United States Trustee

Joe Schlotzhauer serves as a Trial Attorney for the United States Trustee in the Eastern District of Missouri. Previously, Joe was at the Missouri Attorney General, last serving as Deputy Chief of Consumer Protection. As an Assistant Attorney General, he litigated dozens of criminal and civil matters to trial.

Wendell Sherk Related Seminars and Products

Attorney At Law

Mr. Wendell J. Sherk is an attorney in St. Louis, practicing primarily in consumer bankruptcy and debtor representation. He graduated from Washington University in 1986 and Washington University School of Law in 1989. He is a principal of the firm Sherk & Swope, LLC as well as a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, American Bankruptcy Institute, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and The Missouri Bar. 

Sharon Stolte Related Seminars and Products

Sandberg Phonix & Von Gontard P.C.

Sharon is a shareholder and leader of Sandberg Phoenix’s bankruptcy and creditor rights group. She brings more than 25 years of experience in business law and business and commercial litigation. Her legal practice focuses on bankruptcy, Chapter 11 debtor and creditor issues, as well as Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 debtor matters.

Sharon has represented creditors in all aspects of creditor rights litigation, claim objection litigation, collateral realization, mechanic liens, collections, foreclosures, and replevin litigation. Sharon has also assisted financial institutions, lenders, and large suppliers with consumer and commercial restructuring of troubled credits and other business matters. In addition to representing clients before both state and federal courts, she has served as national counsel for several Kansas City-based construction industry firms. As a result of the breadth of her practice and her years of experience, Sharon is well-known and highly-regarded in the Kansas City legal community.

Sharon is licensed to practice in the Kansas Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, and the Missouri Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. She also appears before the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri, and the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas. Sharon is authorized to electronically file in most federal bankruptcy courts in the United States.

Sharon received her Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law. 

Benjamin Struby Related Seminars and Products

Lathrop GPM LLP

Ben Struby is a litigation attorney who focuses his practice on bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors’ rights. Ben represents clients in the matter areas of title insurance claims, breach of contract, suits on note, collections, tax sales, lien priority, condemnation/eminent domain, residential and commercial evictions and commercial real estate purchases. More specifically, he has represented creditors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 Bankruptcy proceedings, as well as assist clients with sales and rental managements of foreclosed properties. In addition, Ben assists loan servicing clients develop and implement compliance policies and procedures.

Ben has served as a member of the Attorney Advisory Committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Hon. Kathy Surratt-States Related Seminars and Products

US Bankruptcy Court

Judge Surratt-States was sworn in as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri on March 17, 2003 and appointed Chief Judge on February 1, 2013.

Judge Surratt-States received her B.A., cum laude, from Oklahoma City University and her J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.

Laura Toledo Related Seminars and Products

Sandberg Phoenix & VonGontard PC

Laura Toledo primarily focuses her practice on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters. She has successfully represented business debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcies and out-of-bankruptcy restructurings, as well as Chapter 7 trustees, committees of unsecured creditors, disbursing agents, and a liquidating trustee. Laura also represents creditors, including landlords, lessors and secured creditors in Chapter 11 and in commercial litigation. She also represents banks and financial institutions in loan workouts and in pursuing collection remedies.

Previously, Laura has served as an Attorney Advisor for the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.

Hon. Brian Walsh Related Seminars and Products

United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Brian Walsh was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri in January 2023. Before taking the bench, he practiced for more than 25 years in Atlanta and St. Louis. He is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy.

Daniel Wiggins Related Seminars and Products

Morris Anderson & Associates Ltd

Daniel Wiggins is a Principal at MorrisAnderson with notable turnaround and transaction experience. In building value for his clients Daniel focuses on enhancing stakeholder relationships that optimize business continuity and he frequently leads negotiations with clients’ key suppliers, customers, and lenders – particularly during restructuring initiatives. An additional focus of Daniel’s engagements is mentoring management and developing strategies during times while the company may be operating outside its normal course of business.