In this episode, learn how a debtor was forced into bankruptcy only to flee to France with his wife, a land rover, their beloved dogs…and some notorious diamonds. What do you do when your lavish lifestyle, complete with designer clothes, giant diamond rings, and high-end cars, is brought crashing down by an involuntary bankruptcy petition? 
 
In the case of the once highly successful developer Michael Mastro, you hide everything you can from the reach of the Courts and flee to Europe with your wife, dogs, and a Land Rover. A central part of this case involved two missing diamonds, one of 27.8 carats and one of 15.93 carats, which the FBI eventually recovered.  In this episode, “Bad Boys of Bankruptcy” host Judge Elizabeth Gunn sits down with the chapter 7 Trustee James Rigby; Thomas Buford, the then assistant U.S. Trustee; and Aimee Willig, one of the trustee’s counsels, to discuss the broad reach of bankruptcy law when attempting to pull assets back into the estate.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: Episode 1: Michael Mastro – A Debtor’s Stylish French Exile

In Episode 2, host Jordan L. Fischer, Esq. interviews Eamon Gallagher, currently the Director of the Entrepreneurial Law Clinical at Drexel Law School and advisor to start-ups.  Jordan and Eamon walk through the recent events surrounding Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the impact of SVB on the start-up ecosystem. Drawing on his work with hundreds of start-ups, Eamon provides practical take-aways that we can learn from SVB, and key insights into challenges that businesses who rely on investments may face in the coming months. 

For more information on Mr. Gallagher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eamongallagher/. To contact our host, Jordan L. Fischer, Esq., regarding this podcast or to inquire into becoming a guest, please contact Ms. Fischer at jordan@jordanfischer.me.

Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: S3E2: Understanding Silicon Valley Bank and the Fall Out

In this episode, Judge Elizabeth Gunn speaks with Kristen E. Burgers, partner at Hirschler Law, on how a bankruptcy trustee almost got away with millions . . . and how he got caught.    

Bankruptcy trustees hold a unique position of public and judicial confidence, being charged with the honest marshaling and accounting of debtors’ assets. In this episode, we explore what happens when a trustee violates that confidence by misappropriating funds and weaving a web of lies to cover his tracks. Bruce Matson was a renowned member of the Virginia bankruptcy community, often assigned some of the largest – and most complex – bankruptcy and receivership cases in the region. Yet when he took the helm of LandAmerica Financial Group, a series of seemingly innocuous anomalies led to the discovery of millions of dollars in wrongfully siphoned funds.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: Episode 3: From the Courthouse to the Big House: Bruce Matson

In this episode of “Pathway to the Bench: A Discussion with Judge Timothy Driscoll,” Lindsay Powell, a civil litigator at Wilson Elser, speaks to Judge Driscoll, of New York, about his pathway to the bench, how his background shaped his view of the law, and the importance of passion in the pursuit of the law. Judge Driscoll also shares what it takes to excel as an attorney, as well as tips for lawyers considering a career in public service.

Timothy S. Driscoll is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.   Judge Driscoll serves in the Nassau County Commercial Division, as well as the Appellate Term for the 9th and 10th Judicial Districts.  He is also the co-chair of the Chief Administrative Judges working group on electronic discovery.  He is a member of the Chief Judges Advisory Council on Commercial Litigation in New York State, and serves as co-chair of the Subcommittee on Alternative Dispute Resolution.  In addition to his judicial responsibilities, Judge Driscoll has been an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School since 1998, and a teaching team member at the Harvard Law Schools Trial Advocacy Workshop since 2003.   He is also an adjunct associate professor at Nassau Community College, where he was among the first group of the College’s faculty to receive the New York State Education Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching.

Prior to taking the bench in January 2008, Judge Driscoll served as Deputy Nassau County Executive for Law Enforcement and Public Safety from July 2004 to December 2007.   In that position, Judge Driscoll oversaw all of the public safety and law enforcement agencies in the County, including the Police, Fire Marshal, Probation, Sheriff, Office of Consumer Affairs, Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, Medical Examiner, and Office of Emergency Management. Judge Driscoll was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York from November 2000 to July 2004, and an Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County from September 1996 through November 2000.

Lindsay Powell works as a civil litigator at Wilson Elser in McLean, Virginia. Lindsay represents businesses in all aspects of civil litigation. Lindsay practices in Virginia and DC.  Prior to entering private practice, Lindsay worked in the aviation arena as an attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Washington and Lee University School of Law.  Beyond her practice, Lindsay serves as a Business Law Fellow for the American Bar Association (2022-2024).

Pathway to the Bench: Episode 1: A Discussion with Judge Timothy Driscoll

In this episode, host Stephen Pike, partner at Gowling WLG in Toronto, talks with Bruce Dravis about Directors’ Fiduciary Duties, Corporate Purpose and Stakeholder Interests, the three pillars of the Board’s engagement on ESG.

Stephen A. Pike is a Toronto-based partner at Gowling WLG and co-leader of the firm's Canadian ESG Advisory Services practice.
As a senior legal advisor to Canadian, American, and global businesses, Stephen regularly advises on corporate, governance, ESG, transactional, operational, and risk management issues, including supply chain, regulatory, product distribution, compliance, as well as product liability matters.
He also advises businesses outside of Canada on setting up operations in Canada and bringing new products and services into the Canadian market.
He is co-editor of ESG in the Boardroom: A Guidebook for Directors, published by the American Bar Association. He writes and speaks frequently on ESG issues and how businesses can address the risk of modern slavery, forced labour, and child labour in their operations and supply chains.
Stephen is a member of the board of directors of the International Commission of Jurists – Canada; and co-chair of the ESG Subcommittee of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association. He also serves on the Canadian Cancer Society's Finance, Audit, and Risk Management Committee.

Bruce Dravis has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in corporate and securities matters with an emphasis on corporate governance.   Bruce F. Dravis joined the Sacramento office of Downey Brand LLP as a partner in 2001. He serves as outside corporate counsel to publicly traded corporations, privately held corporations, and investors.

ESG in the Boardroom: Episode 1: Director’s Fiduciary Duties and Corporate Purpose

In Episode 3, host Jordan L. Fischer, Esq. interviews Chris Hoofnagle, Professor of Law at University of California, Berkeley. Chris and Jordan explore the evolving impact of emerging technologies on the practice of law. Chris provides key insight into legal informatics, and his predictions regarding ChatGPT and its impact on the law. Diving into the pros and cons of new technologies for lawyers, Chris discusses the way that lawyers should think about technology, and how it can complement their practice. 

For more information on Prof. Hoofnagle, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hoofnagle/. To contact our host, Jordan L. Fischer, Esq., regarding this podcast or to inquire into becoming a guest, please contact Ms. Fischer at jordan@jordanfischer.me.

Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: S3E3: Exploring the Evolving Impact of Emerging Technologies

A serial chapter 13 filer routinely used his estranged son’s Social Security number, and multiple variations, to avoid detection for more than a decade.  That ended when the last filing was done to frustrate an eviction by a world famous rapper who would not let the fraud slip.  But no one could actually find the filer to enforce various orders and findings of civil contempt which stalled the case.  When the IRS filed a proof of claim, an address on the tax return led to a disgruntled relative who had all the necessary information.  The podcast explores how serial filers are handled and identified in chapter 13 proceedings, civil contempt remedies and due process requirements, and criminal remedies available in bankruptcy.

In this episode Host Judge Elizabeth Gunn speaks with Stephen Fender and Michael Bolling, Fender, Bolling, and Paiva P.A., to discuss bad debtor and Mr. Zamora’s “the magical social security scheme.”

Steven Fender focuses his practice on bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Steven has an active practice in federal and state court. Mr. Fender routinely handles chapter 7 trustee adversary proceedings and contested matters. Mr. Fender has more than 20 years of experience litigating and trying cases in all business disputes.

Michael Bolling focuses his practice on bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Prior to starting the firm, Mr. Bolling was the judicial law clerk to the Honorable John K. Olson, United Bankruptcy Judge in the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Bolling has previously worked for the Florida Office of the Attorney General and the Miami Heat.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: Episode 4: Fender Bolling

Host Gary J. Ross talks with Troy Zander, partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, who started out practicing in the Ch. 11 bankruptcy space 30 years ago and then moved to the venture debt space, where he has been ever since.  Troy represents lenders to tech and life science companies, sharing the distinctions between how venture debt deals are structured for each. Troy discusses the nuances of venture debt and its various forms, including dilutive vs. non-dilutive funding and asset-backed lending vs. cash flow lending. Silicon Valley Bank had been a major player in the venture debt space, so Troy and Gary finish the episode by briefly discussing the recent SVB collapse.

VC Law: Episode 15: A Discussion of Venture Debt with Troy Zander of Barnes & Thornburg

In this episode, Kaamil Ansar, partner and founder of The Ansar Law Firm, discusses the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for financing renewable energy projects. Kaamil is a specialist in energy and renewable energy, infrastructure and international project finance, cross-border mergers and acquisitions including private equity.

Financing Renewable Energy Projects: Episode 2: Financing Renewable Energy Projects in Brazil

Law firms have a duty to protect their clients’ best interests, but that duty does not give cover for defrauding clients’ creditors or running afoul of judicial rules governing how debtors are represented.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: Episode 5: Fast Lawyers and Slow Cars: The Saga of UpRight Law

In this episode, host Stephen Pike, Co-Leader of the ESG Advisory Services practice at Gowling WLG in Toronto, talks with Peter Tomczak, Chair of Baker McKenzie's North America Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice Group, about ESG Litigation and Risk Management - two critical issues that are challenging businesses and their boards of directors today.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: Episode 1: Michael Mastro – A Debtor’s Stylish French Exile

ABA Business Law

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