Presentation presented at Bankruptcy from a Government Perspective Seminar (Ohio, 2012)

1. Bankruptcy From a Government Perspective Seminar
Cleveland, Ohio
September 30, 2012
Reading Financial Statements:
Finding the Facts; Finding the
Fraud
Richard S. Lauter, Esq
Wendy E. Morris-Campbell, Esq.
Freeborn & Peters LLP

2. Internal Pages Omitted
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3. Richard S. Lauter
Chair of the Bankruptcy, Reorganization and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group
rlauter@freebornpeters.com
Direct Phone: 312.360.6641
Direct Fax: 312.360.6572
Mr. Lauter has almost 30 years of experience representing and advising financial institutions, real estate firms, corporations and
bankruptcy trustees in all aspects of creditors‟ rights and insolvency matters, including the reorganization of financially distressed
companies in the United States. He has served as counsel in multiple airline bankruptcy cases, counseled chapter 7 trustees in
liquidation cases, and represented and chaired numerous chapter 11 creditors‟ committees. Mr. Lauter served as lead counsel in the
restructuring of a minority supplier to the automotive industry and as national bankruptcy counsel for a telecommunications
equipment company. He is currently representing a number of real estate development companies in their corporate restructuring and
chapter 11 creditors‟ committees.
He is a member of the Advisory Board for the American Bankruptcy Institute (“ABI”) Central States Bankruptcy Workshop, Program
Chairman for the ABI Commercial Fraud Committee, and a frequent speaker at ABI events. Mr. Lauter is also a contributing author of
the ABI‟s recently published Commercial Fraud Manual, which provides a detailed interdisciplinary approach to identifying and
responding to business fraud.
Richard Lauter has been consistently selected by his peers by as a „Leading Lawyer‟ in U.S. bankruptcy and corporate restructuring
since 2005. He is also a member of the team ranked by Chambers USA: America‟s Leading Lawyers for Business, as one of the top
Bankruptcy/Restructuring practices for 2010 and 2011.
Mr. Lauter received his official Certificate of Eligibility from the Japanese Government and has been a recurring Visiting Professor at
Tsukuba University, one of Japan‟s most prestigious national universities. His course on corporate restructuring and turnaround is
featured in Tsukuba‟s MBA Program for International Business.
Early in his legal career, Mr. Lauter served as a law clerk for the late Honorable Richard L. Merrick of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the
Northern District of Illinois.
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4. Wendy E. Morris-Campbell, Associate
wmorris@freebornpeters.com
Direct Phone: 312.360.6681
Direct Fax: 312.360.6573
Ms. Morris‟ experience includes substantial research on bankruptcy matters and a significant contribution to several published
opinions. Some of these opinions involve companies that are included on the Fortune 500 and Global 500 lists.
Following her graduation from law school, Ms. Morris served as a Judicial Law Clerk to Chief John J. Thomas, U.S. Bankruptcy Court,
Middle District of Pennsylvania. She also served as a Law Clerk to the Chief Judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of
Illinois where she reported directly to then Chief Judges Eugene Wedoff and Carol Doyle and was a Judicial Law Clerk to Judge
Jacqueline P. Cox, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Illinois. While clerking for Chief Judge Thomas, Ms. Morris additionally
volunteered as a law clerk to Chief Bankruptcy Judge Mary F. Walrath, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Delaware.
As a law clerk, Ms. Morris assisted federal judges with determining issues related to bankruptcy court jurisdiction, debtor-in-possession
financing arrangements, asset sales, claims litigation, assumption and rejection of lease agreements, confirmation of plans of
reorganization, avoidance action litigation along with issues related to the interpretation of confirmed plans of reorganization. These
issues involved debtors from the automobile, retail, telecommunication, manufacturing, real estate development, mining,
construction, broadcasting, investment services, trucking, gas utilities, education, cable television, radio broadcasting, religious,
cemetery, dairy, transportation and restaurant industries.
Ms. Morris was selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers – Rising Stars for 2011 by Super Lawyers (Thompson Reuter) in the
area of Bankruptcy and Debtor/Creditor law. Rising Stars are lawyers under the age of 40 who have been in practice for 10 years or
less. No more than 2.5 percent of up-and-coming attorneys in the state of Illinois are named to the Rising Stars list.
Ms. Morris also devotes her time to pro bono matters by volunteering on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois‟
Volunteer Attorney Panel, a group made up of attorneys willing to represent pro se parties. She also volunteers her time at the
Bankruptcy Assistance Desk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which provides limited bankruptcy advice
to pro se parties.
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