Jim joined the firm in 2006 as a member of the Bankruptcy and Creditor's Rights group. For more than twenty five years he has concentrated his practice in the areas of bankruptcy and troubled commercial relationships. He has represented significant secured and under-secured creditors in many cases including the high-profile In re: Phar-Mor, Inc. and the related case of its founder Michael I. Monus. He has been debtor-in-possession counsel in a number of corporate and personal Chapter 11 reorganizations and Chapter 11 liquidations. He has represented Official Committees of Unsecured Creditors, Chapter 7 Trustees and on one occasion, an Official Committee of Equity Holders. He has represented the purchasers of assets from bankruptcy estates and joint venturers in their struggle to take control of working assets from their bankrupt business partners. He has also prosecuted and defended involuntary bankruptcy cases and numerous fraudulent transfer and preference actions. Jim has been named an "Ohio Super Lawyer" by Cincinnati Magazine and Law & Politics magazine in the area of bankruptcy 2003-2006 and 2008-2011. Professional Associations American Bankruptcy Institute Turnaround Management Association International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation American Bar Association Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (Commercial, Banking and Bankruptcy Section) Awards/Honors Ohio Super Lawyer, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Presentations Speaker, Ohio Judicial College Seminar for Domestic Relations Judges and Magistrates, "Divorce in Times of Financial Crisis: Bankruptcy, Foreclosure and Property Division." December 1, 2009 and Bankruptcy Issues: What Happens When Bankruptcy Happens of One of Your Parties?" August 2, 2007 Speaker, Great Lakes Regional Bankruptcy Institute, Mortgage Madness, Credit Crunch, Measuring Means and More, "Expert Testimony." May 29-30, 2008 Speaker, Turnaround Management Association 9th Annual Business Workshop (Cleveland), "The Impact of the New Bankruptcy Legislation on Business Bankruptcies." Topics: commercial landlord protection, employee retention programs, and small business debtor provisions, October 27, 2005 Speaker, Cleveland Bar Association, Bankruptcy Reform: Are You Ready for It? Everything You Need to Know About the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, "Chapter 5: Priorities, Property of the Estate, and New Protections," July 29, 2005 Liquidating Chapter 11 Cases Are Not Necessarily "Failed" Chapter 11 Cases, to a panel of the National Bankruptcy Review Commission Seminar speaker on various bankruptcy topics, including "The Family Farmer Bankruptcy Act: What Every Urban Lawyer Needs to Know" Community Involvement General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, Board of Directors, 2008-2012; Trustee, 2008-2012 North Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church, Secretary, Rules Committee, 2004-2012; Missions Council, 1996-2000; Council on Finance and Administration, 1992-1996; Restructuring Task Force, 1995-1996 East Ohio Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, Council on Finance and Administration, 2004-2012 and 1988-1996 (President, 1991-1996); Restructuring Task Force, 1987-1992; Evaluation, Administration and Coordination Committee, 1982-1988; Delegate to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences, 2000 and 2004, Delegate to the Jurisdictional Conference, 1996 and 2008 and alternate to the Jurisdictional Conference, 1992 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, Delegate from the East Ohio Annual Conference, 2000 and 2004; General Council on Finance and Administration Task Force to Study Denominational Funding Patterns, 1996-2000 |