St. John's University School of Law Hosts 11th Annual Bankruptcy Competition

Jamaica, NY - Thirty-two teams from law schools across the country will participate in the Eleventh Annual Chief Judge Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, sponsored by St. John's University School of Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute, from Saturday, March 29 through Monday, March 31, 2003.

The 32 law school teams represent the largest number of participants in the competition's history and include the University of Alabama, Brooklyn, University of Chicago, Emory University, University of Florida, George Washington University, Hofstra University, University of Houston, University of Mississippi, University of Miami, University of Missouri, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas, University of San Diego and many others. The students will argue a cutting-edge issue involving the disposition of proceeds of directors and officers liability policies when the officers are being sued for securities law violations and the corporation is in bankruptcy.

The competition, named in honor of Chief Bankruptcy Judge Conrad B. Duberstein, a St. John's alumnus, is the only national competition devoted to bankruptcy law in the nation. Preliminary rounds will be held at St. John's University School of Law, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, New York. The Final Round, which is open to the public, will be held in the Second Circuit Courtroom in the Federal Court House at Foley Square in Downtown Manhattan on Monday March 31, 2003, at 3:30 p.m. The Final Round will be presided over by judges for the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd, 5th, and 8th Circuits, Hon. Thomas L. Ambro, Edith Hollan Jones, and Michael J. Melloy, and the Chief Bankruptcy Judges of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, Stuart M. Bernstein and Conrad B. Duberstein. An Awards Banquet at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers, 23rd Street (at West Street) will follow the Final Round. More than 500 judges, practitioners, academics and students will attend.

St. John's Law School is a national leader in the field of bankruptcy law, offering the only Master of Laws in Bankruptcy program in the nation. The innovative LL.M. program includes multi-disciplinary courses such as Bankruptcy Taxation, Mass Tort Bankruptcy, Real Estate Workouts and Bankruptcy, and Domestic Relations in Bankruptcy. The program has attracted much attention from recent law school graduates and seasoned practitioners. St. John's law students also publish the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, a leading scholarly journal dedicated to the improvement of the administration of bankruptcy.

The American Bankruptcy Institute is a multi-disciplinary, nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to issues relating to insolvency. With membership of more than 9000 judges, academics, attorneys, accountants, credit managers, investment bankers, and turnaround specialists, it is the world's largest insolvency organization.

The Duberstein Moot Court Competition is designed to promote and recognize the finest oral and written advocacy on significant problems in bankruptcy practice and procedure. For tickets and more information, please contact Nancy Holihan at 718-990-1946 or at holihann@stjohns.edu. Media inquiries can be directed to Jody Fisher, Director of Media Relations, at 718-990-6185 or at fisherjo@stjohns.edu.