St. John’s University School of Law Sponsors 13th Annual National Duberstein Bankruptcy Law Competition

Nation’s Law Students to Argue Church Bankruptcy Issues

Queens, NY – St. John's University School of Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute will sponsor the 13th Annual Chief Judge Conrad B Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, the only national competition devoted specifically to bankruptcy law, from Saturday, March 12 through Monday, March 14, 2005. The competition, which each year argues cutting-edge constitutional issues before sitting bankruptcy judges, will feature 38 teams from law schools from across the country.

“The Duberstein competition annually deals with issues that will eventually be decided by the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U. S. Supreme Court,” said Mary Daly, Dean of St. John’s University School of Law.  “The major issue in this competition is whether a bankruptcy court can appoint a trustee to run a church when that church is in bankruptcy.  The competition raises questions involving the free exercise and establishment of religion under the U.S. Constitution as well as bankruptcy issues, which courts are deciding in church insolvencies around the country. The research and analysis in this competition will help shape the opinions of the future, and students who argue cases in this competition often go on to great success in the working world.”

The preliminary rounds of the competition will be held at St. John’s University School of Law on Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13, 2005. The Final Round, which is open to the public, will be held in the Second Circuit Ceremonial Courtroom in the Federal Court House at Foley Square in Downtown Manhattan on Monday March 14, 2005, at 3:30 p.m. The Final Round will be presided over by judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th, 9th, and 10th Circuits, Hon. Michael J. Melloy, Diarmuid O’Scannlain, and Michael W. McConnell (respectively); Rosemary Gambardella, Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the District of New Jersey, and Stephen D. Gerling and Conrad B. Duberstein, Chief Bankruptcy Judges of the Northern and Eastern Districts of New York (respectively).  A gala awards banquet at Pier 60 in Chelsea Piers will follow the Final Round, and will award cash prizes and trophy plaques to the winning students. More than 600 judges, practitioners, academics and students are scheduled to attend the dinner.

The Duberstein Competition, named in honor of Chief Bankruptcy Judge Conrad B. Duberstein, a St. John’s School of Law alumnus and the oldest sitting bankruptcy judge in the nation, is designed to promote and recognize the finest oral and written advocacy on significant problems in bankruptcy practice and procedure. A warm, kind and considerate man of great intellect, Judge Duberstein has helped legions of debtors, served as mentor for innumerable numbers of students and helped shape the bankruptcy laws from the creation of the Chandler Act of 1938 to today’s Bankruptcy Code. Recently, the courtrooms and chambers of the new U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York were dedicated in his honor.

St. John’s School of Law 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 including 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 School of Law also maintains the Moot Court Honor Society, which provides an opportunity to develop and refine a student’s appellate advocacy skills.

American Bankruptcy Institute
The American Bankruptcy Institute is a multi-disciplinary, nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to issues relating to insolvency.  With membership of more than 10,000 judges, academics, attorneys, accountants, credit managers, investment bankers, and turnaround specialists, it is the world’s largest insolvency organization.

For more information about the 2005 Duberstein Moot Court Competition or to acquire tickets for the Awards Banquet, please contact Nancy Brady, Manager of Special Events at (718) 990-1946. 

Media inquiries can be directed to Jody Fisher, Director of Media Relations, at (718) 990-6185 or at fisherjo@stjohns.edu.