Leonard Bernstein, Esq., REED SMITH
Leonard A. Bernstein is a partner at Reed Smith, and chair of the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Group. Mr. Bernstein concentrates his practice in the representation of banks, thrifts, mortgage bankers and finance companies in providing consumer credit compliance advice on federal, Pennsylvania and New Jersey laws and regulations. He is a graduate of Temple University School of Law (J.D. 1983) and the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. and B.S. 1980). He is a member of the Governing Committee of the Conference on Consumer Finance Law, and a member of the ABA’s Consumer Financial Services Committee. Bernstein is a noted authority on consumer lending law and has written numerous articles and given many presentations on the subject to a broad variety of state and national banking industry and legal community publications and associations. Reed Smith’s Consumer Financial Services Group reviews and/or prepares forms of loan documents and consumer disclosures, advises licensees on compliance issues, assists clients with due diligence reviews of loan portfolios, provides opinions of counsel on compliance issues, defends lenders subject to consumer litigation, handles multistate legal searches, negotiates servicing agreements and credit card operating contracts, and as the largest group of its kind in the region, provides immediate response to day-to-day compliance issues that arise.
Website: REED SMITH, Philadelphia, PA.
Phone: 215-851-8143.
Email: lbernstein@reedsmith.com
Timothy P. Duggan, Esq., STARK & STARK
Timothy P. Duggan is Chair of the Bankruptcy & Creditor's Rights group. Mr. Duggan represents local and national financial institutions as secured lenders in commercial workouts and bankruptcy litigation. Among Mr. Duggan's clients are secured creditors, landlords, leasing companies, and creditors' committees in commercial bankruptcies.
Mr. Duggan has defended preference actions filed in many large Chapter 11 cases including Enron, PSINet, and Arch Wireless. He has also represented many equipment leasing companies in complex Chapter 11 cases including Ames Department Stores, WestPoint Stevens and Metro Affiliates.
Website: STARK & STARK, with 6 offices in PA, NJ & NY.
Phone: 609-895-7353.
Email: tduggan@stark-stark.com.
Barry Frost, Esq., TEICH GROH FROST & ZINDLER
Attorney Barry W. Frost has practiced in the field of Bankruptcy representing clients, both debtors and creditors, since the 1980's. Whether a Chapter 7, 11 or 13 is necessary to protect and assist an individual or business, Barry has always stressed getting to the client early enough so that he can maximize his skills in aiding his clients. Unfortunately, "most people wait too long in the process," says Frost, "until it is too late to do anything except file a liquidating Chapter 7." Of course, as Frost is quick to point out, "straight Bankruptcy (Chapter 7) does not have nearly the same stigma it did even ten years ago. In fact, it may be the best bet for rehabilitating someone's credit status. "Still, the earlier in the process that a debtor speaks to an attorney, the more options he or she will have." Attorney Frost's firm is well respected in debtor and creditor circles, representing clients primarily in Bankruptcy Courts in New Jersey.
Website: TEICH GROH FROST & ZINDLER, Trenton & Hamilton, NJ.
Phone: 609-890-1500.
Email: bfrost@teichgroh.com
Tom Lee, Esq., BECKET & LEE LLP
Becket & Lee has specialized in servicing bankrupt accounts since 1984, with an emphasis on consumer debt. Unlike other law firms and collection agencies, all of our resources, processes and staff are focused on maximizing our clients' bankruptcy recoveries. We do not purchase our clients' accounts, thus avoiding any possible conflict of interest. Our goal is to provide service and advice to each of our clients as if we were an in-house bankruptcy department.
Website: BECKET & LEE, Malvern, PA.
Phone: 610-664-7800.
CONSUMER
BANKRUPTCY
Joann Needleman, Esq., MAURICE & NEEDLEMAN
Joann Needleman is Vice President of Maurice & Needleman, P.C., where she is the Managing Attorney of the firm’s Philadelphia office. Joann has 13 years of extensive litigation experience in state and federal courts, successfully defending creditors against claims brought under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act and, in Pennsylvania, under the Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act. She provides counsel, consultation and litigation services to financial institutions, law firms and debt buyers throughout the country.
Website: MAURICE & NEEDLEMAN, with offices in Flemington, NJ and Philadelphia, PA.
Phone: 215-665-1133.
Email: joann@mnlawpc.com
Prof. Nathalie Martin, THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO SCHOOL OF LAW
Nathalie Martin joined the UNM law faculty in 1998. She focuses her teaching and research on business law, with an emphasis on professionalism and ethics. She also has published articles and books on elder law. She taught business law courses at Temple University School of Law, where she obtained an LL.M. While there, she received an Abraham L. Freedman Fellowship. Martin turned to teaching after 10 years in private practice as a bankruptcy attorney.
Website: THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO SCHOOL OF LAW.
Kevin K. Kercher, Esq., THE LAW OFFICE OF KEVIN K. KERCHER, P.C.
The Law Office of Kevin K. Kercher, P.C. specializes in serving the bankruptcy and commercial needs of the community. Their firm handles legal matters in the following areas: bankruptcy, commercial bankruptcy, consumer bankruptcy, commercial law, and commercial litigation.
Website: THE LAW OFFICE OF KEVIN K. KERCHER, P.C., Whitehall, PA.
Phone: 610-264-4120.
Email: info@kercherlaw.com.
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