Bankruptcy: Discharge & Case Strategies

I have devoted my entire career to bankruptcy law as an attorney representing clients. I handle all aspects of business bankruptcy cases, including representing debtors, secured creditors, unsecured creditors, official committees and trustees. I also represent parties in commercial disputes, including loan workouts and forclosures. In addition to my law practice, I am a writer and author of bankruptcy publications and a teacher of bankruptcy law at seminars and Vanderbilt Law School . I am also a mediator and arbitrator. Specialties: Business Bankruptcy and Mediation

Hon. William Houston Brown retired in 2006 as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, and he had been designated to sit also in the Middle District of Tennessee, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Michigan and Western District of Kentucky. Judge Brown served a four-year term on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Sixth Circuit from 1999 through 2002. He received his law degree from University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was Order of the Coif. Judge Brown is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, having served on its Board and Executive Committee, and he is a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. He is the author or co-author of several texts, including Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, 2005 Bankruptcy Reform Legislation with Analysis 1st and 2d editions, Bankruptcy and Domestic Relations Manual and The Law of Debtors and Creditors, as well as bankruptcy form books, all published by Thomson Reuters. He is also a principal contributing editor for Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 3rd, published by Thomson Reuters. Judge Brown prepares a quarterly update of consumer cases for the Federal Judicial Center, which distributes those materials to all bankruptcy judges, and he is a speaker at the Federal Judicial Center’s annual seminars for bankruptcy judges. He also speaks regularly at seminars throughout the U.S. on consumer bankruptcy topics. Judge Brown also acts as a mediator in bankruptcy-related disputes, has conducted mock trials, and has testified as an expert witness in bankruptcy court proceedings. Judge Brown is currently the editor and adviser to the Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education, the education arm of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees. In 2011, Judge Brown received the Excellence in Education award from the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, and in 2012, he received the Judicial Excellence Award from the American Bankruptcy Institute and Thomson Reuters Publishing Company.

Keith M. Lundin is a former bankruptcy judge for the United States bankruptcy court, Middle District of Tennessee. He announced his retirement in July 2015. Lundin retired on June 16, 2016

Mr. Hildebrand is the Chapter 12 and 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee. Standing trustees evaluate the financial affairs of the debtor, make recommendations to the court regarding confirmation of the debtor’s repayment plan, and administer the court-approved plan by collecting payments from the debtor and disbursing the funds to creditors. He obtained his law degree from George Washington University and his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University.

Richardo I. Kilpatrick has concentrated his practice in the area of bankruptcy for over 30 years, first as a member of Shermeta, Chimko & Kilpatrick, P.C., and since 2000, as the founding member and President of Kilpatrick & Associates, P.C. Since founding his Firm, Mr. Kilpatrick has had innumerable opportunities to contribute to the bankruptcy community. These opportunities include participating extensively in the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), including being its President from April 2001 to April 2002; being inducted as a fellow into the American College of Bankruptcy (ACB); and being invited to join the National Bankruptcy Conference (NBC), where he advises members of Congress on important and key bankruptcy legislative points. Mr. Kilpatrick is also a member of the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules, where he works to directly craft, tweak, update, and change bankruptcy rules in an ongoing effort to improve the practice of bankruptcy for all involved. Mr. Kilpatrick’s extensive involvement with the bankruptcy community has enabled him to provide expert guidance to numerous clients in all areas and types of insolvency matters and creditors’ rights including Corporate, Consumer and Commercial Litigation, Real Property Remedies for Creditors, Real Property Transactions, and General Corporate Counseling. Mr. Kilpatrick also works as a consultant to numerous companies assuring that they are compliant in their bankruptcy practices by offering his insight and expertise on how they may structure and strengthen their bankruptcy practices in a sound, ethical, and legal way. Practice Kilpatrick & Associates, P.C., President (January 2000 – Present) Shermeta, Chimko & Kilpatrick, P.C., Partner (1987 – 1999) Shermeta, Tardie, Chimko & Hocking, P.C., Associate (1984 – 1986) Education University of Michigan Law School - Juris Doctor Harvard University - Bachelor of Arts, Economics Admissions State Bar of Michigan, 1983 United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1983 United States District Court, Western District of Michigan, 1984 United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1988 United States Supreme Court, 1997 Bankruptcy Organizations American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) - President of the American Bankruptcy Institute from April 2001 to April 2002. Other committees and/or prior positions held at the ABI include Vice-President of Membership Relations, Board of Directors, Executive and Management Committees, Bankruptcy Reorganization Committee, Board Bylaws Committee, Research and Education Committee, Vice-Chair, Membership Committee, and Contributing Editor of the ABI Journal “Toxins-Are-Us”. Currently, Mr. Kilpatrick serves as a Commissioner on the ABI Consumer Bankruptcy Commission. American College of Bankruptcy–Inducted as a Fellow, 1999 to Present National Bankruptcy Conference - Conferee , 2011 to Present Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules – Member, 2011 to Present Norton Litigation Institute - 1992 to Present Contributing Editor for Norton’s Bankruptcy Law and Practice Treatise St. John’s University Law School–Board of Advisors & Adjunct Professor, Current Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Practice Institute--Current Other Affiliations / Memberships The American Bar Association, Litigation Committee and Business Law Committee Federal Bar Association National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, Ethics Committee National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, Bankruptcy Arbitration and Mediation Services, Board of Directors Trustees' Education Network, Board Member Harvard Alumni Association Mr. Kilpatrick also regularly presents as a speaker / panelist at numerous bankruptcy conferences, including most recently at the: Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Practice Institute (ACBPI) - 2016 Norton Litigation Institute - 2016 National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees (NABT) - 2016 American Bankruptcy Institute Central States Workshop - 2016 National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT) - 2017