Presenters

Hon. Lisa G. Beckerman was sworn in as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York on February 26, 2021. 

Judge Beckerman received an A.B. from University of Chicago in 1984, an M.B.A. from University of Texas in 1986 and a J.D. from Boston University in 1989. From May 1999 until she was appointed to the bench, she was a partner in the financial restructuring group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. From September 1989 until May 1999, she was an associate and then a partner in the bankruptcy group at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. 

Prior to her appointment, she served as a co-chair of the Executive Committee of UJA-Federation of New York’s Bankruptcy and Reorganization Group, a co-chair and as a member of the Advisory Board of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s New York City Bankruptcy Conference, and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute from 2013 through 2019.

Judge Beckerman is a Fellow and a Member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Bankruptcy. She is a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ) and was a member of the 2021 NCBJ Education Committee. She is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for Boston University School of Law. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Tina’s Wish.

Ben Farrow was born in west Texas and raised in Colorado, Idaho and Louisiana attending Tulane University and the Louisiana State University for Law School. He worked as deckhand on the Mississippi River and in the Gulf of Mexico to pay for college and law school. After graduation and passing the Louisiana State Bar in 1992 he began his legal career as an Admiralty lawyer in New Orleans. He subsequently moved to Alabama and passed the Alabama Bar exam in 2000. He practiced as an insurance defense attorney for a few years and then found work at his current firm in 2002, becoming a partner in 2006. In 2015 he obtained his license to practice in Mississippi and the firm opened its Jackson office that same year.

Ben’s involvement with the Commercial Law League of America started with his current firm when he was introduced to the League by some colleagues. He was astonished at how well it fit his practice. He subsequently became interested in leadership in CLLA and was appointed the Education Chair. He has held that role for the last two years.

Richard E. Grayson received his B.S. from the Boston University College of Communication in 1970, his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1978 and was admitted to practice by the Second Department in 1979. Other admissions include the United States Supreme Court (1982) and the United States District Courts for the Southern District (1979) and Eastern District of New York (1979).

He worked for the New York State Ninth Judicial District Grievance Committee in White Plains from 1978 to 1982. Since then, he has been in private practice in White Plains counseling attorneys with ethical problems, defending attorneys who are being investigated or prosecuted by the various grievance committees throughout the state, representing law school graduates who have been charged with cheating on the New York State bar exam, and assisting bar applicants who are under consideration by the Character and Fitness Committees. He also represents judges before the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

He has also testified as an expert witness and researches and writes ethics opinions for lawyers and law firms.

As an individual course provider certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board, he has presented or has been a panelist at more than 250 CLE ethics programs for attorneys, judges, and law school graduates. He has been chosen as one of the New York area’s “Best Lawyers” since 2012 in the category of Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law and is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell.

He is a member of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional

Discipline and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (the national organization of ethics counsel), and is the newly retired manager and the occasional first baseman and pitcher on the New Rochelle Bar Association softball team.

Michael A. Hynum is an Attorney licensed to practice law in all courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as US Federal Courts in the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, the US 3rd Circuit court of appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is a resident of Dauphin County and is a member of the Dauphin County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.

Born in Lebanon County, Attorney Hynum attended Annville-Cleona High School. He went on to attend Penn State University and obtained his Law Degree from the Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Attorney Hynum spent approximately eleven years working in the long-term health care industry, acting as Chief Executive Officer of a company providing care and services to elderly residents of Central Pennsylvania. He is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator, has served as administrator of a Personal Care Home and has experience in Adult Day Care Administration as well.

Hynum began his legal career with a Harrisburg-based Firm specializing in the representation of Long-Term Care facilities and in June 2004 founded his own Firm, Law Offices of Michael A. Hynum. In September 2006, upon hiring an additional attorney, the Firm name was changed to Hynum Law. Mike has considerable experience in both running and representing small businesses. Hynum currently focuses his practice on the representation of health care providers, as well as debt collection, administrative and governmental law, labor law, general business law, and litigation.

Marc Miceli’s practice focuses on all areas of insolvency law, with a special emphasis on state court general assignments for the benefit of creditors’ proceedings, federal bankruptcy proceedings, corporate liquidations, asset recovery and creditors’ rights. As part of his practice, Marc routinely represents court-appointed fiduciaries such as assignees, receivers and chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees in state and federal court proceedings where he serves as counsel in complex litigation involving contract disputes, debt collection, fraud, and preference and fraudulent transfer litigation.

Joseph A. Molinaro, born in Passaic, New Jersey, graduated from Upsala College in 1990 with a BA in Political Science and History. He graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1993 with a Juris Doctor degree. He was admitted to the New Jersey State Bar in 1994, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in 1997 and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2019. He is a member of the Bergen County Bar Association and the Commercial Law League of America. Mr. Molinaro established his own firm in 1999 and represents corporations in pursuing creditors’ rights issues including debt collection and business litigation. His firm’s service area includes all but the most southern counties within the State of New Jersey. His law firm is an associate member of the International Association of Commercial Collectors, Inc. and he is an affiliate member of the Commercial Collection Agencies of America. He is a member of the Executive Council of the Creditors Rights Section of the CLLA. He is the current chair of the CLLA Eastern Region. Mr. Molinaro has reported decisions in Global Landfill Agreement Group v. 280 Development Corp., D.N.J. 1988, 992 F. Supp. 692, and MSKP Oak Grove, LLC v. Venuto 875 F.Supp.2d.426 (D.N.J.2012). He has contributed articles to the Commercial Law World, magazine of the CLLA.

Don B. Scott is the president of Wright Holmes Inc. Since 1913, Wright Holmes has published a directory of commercial law firms in service to the creditor’s rights community. Don joined the industry after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in Economics and Business Administration. He has held numerous leadership positions in the industry including The Board of Governors of the Commercial Law League, Chairman of the Eastern District of the CLLA, President of the Association of Law List Publishers.

He has participated in three strategic planning conferences over the last 30 years for the CLLA. He has been a featured speaker at the American Bar Association, the NACM Collectors Association Conference, as well as numerous CLLA Education Programs. He was instrumental in creating the bonding insurance program in use by members of the Association of Law List Publishers.

During summers while a student at Vanderbilt Don was a salesman for CST company, a national commercial collection agency. In his community of Bedford in New York’s Westchester County he served two terms as a Town Councilman. Previously he served three terms as the president of his local school board. He is an avid golfer and an instrument rated pilot.

William Thrush is a shareholder and the Managing Partner of Friedman, Framme & Thrush. Bill is an experienced trial attorney and has tried cases at all levels of court throughout the state of Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Bill’s practice is currently focused on Banking and Commercial Finance, Commercial Loan Workout, Creditor’s Rights, and Corporate General Counsel Portfolio Management. In addition to his current practice focus, Bill has substantial experience in Contract Law, Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, Family Law, and General Litigation. In his spare time, Bill enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, coaching youth lacrosse, scuba diving, and playing guitar.

Presenters

Hon. Lisa G. Beckerman was sworn in as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York on February 26, 2021. 

Judge Beckerman received an A.B. from University of Chicago in 1984, an M.B.A. from University of Texas in 1986 and a J.D. from Boston University in 1989. From May 1999 until she was appointed to the bench, she was a partner in the financial restructuring group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. From September 1989 until May 1999, she was an associate and then a partner in the bankruptcy group at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. 

Prior to her appointment, she served as a co-chair of the Executive Committee of UJA-Federation of New York’s Bankruptcy and Reorganization Group, a co-chair and as a member of the Advisory Board of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s New York City Bankruptcy Conference, and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute from 2013 through 2019.

Judge Beckerman is a Fellow and a Member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Bankruptcy. She is a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ) and was a member of the 2021 NCBJ Education Committee. She is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for Boston University School of Law. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Tina’s Wish.

Ben Farrow was born in west Texas and raised in Colorado, Idaho and Louisiana attending Tulane University and the Louisiana State University for Law School. He worked as deckhand on the Mississippi River and in the Gulf of Mexico to pay for college and law school. After graduation and passing the Louisiana State Bar in 1992 he began his legal career as an Admiralty lawyer in New Orleans. He subsequently moved to Alabama and passed the Alabama Bar exam in 2000. He practiced as an insurance defense attorney for a few years and then found work at his current firm in 2002, becoming a partner in 2006. In 2015 he obtained his license to practice in Mississippi and the firm opened its Jackson office that same year.

Ben’s involvement with the Commercial Law League of America started with his current firm when he was introduced to the League by some colleagues. He was astonished at how well it fit his practice. He subsequently became interested in leadership in CLLA and was appointed the Education Chair. He has held that role for the last two years.

Richard E. Grayson received his B.S. from the Boston University College of Communication in 1970, his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1978 and was admitted to practice by the Second Department in 1979. Other admissions include the United States Supreme Court (1982) and the United States District Courts for the Southern District (1979) and Eastern District of New York (1979).

He worked for the New York State Ninth Judicial District Grievance Committee in White Plains from 1978 to 1982. Since then, he has been in private practice in White Plains counseling attorneys with ethical problems, defending attorneys who are being investigated or prosecuted by the various grievance committees throughout the state, representing law school graduates who have been charged with cheating on the New York State bar exam, and assisting bar applicants who are under consideration by the Character and Fitness Committees. He also represents judges before the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

He has also testified as an expert witness and researches and writes ethics opinions for lawyers and law firms.

As an individual course provider certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board, he has presented or has been a panelist at more than 250 CLE ethics programs for attorneys, judges, and law school graduates. He has been chosen as one of the New York area’s “Best Lawyers” since 2012 in the category of Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law and is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell.

He is a member of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional

Discipline and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (the national organization of ethics counsel), and is the newly retired manager and the occasional first baseman and pitcher on the New Rochelle Bar Association softball team.

Michael A. Hynum is an Attorney licensed to practice law in all courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as US Federal Courts in the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, the US 3rd Circuit court of appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is a resident of Dauphin County and is a member of the Dauphin County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.

Born in Lebanon County, Attorney Hynum attended Annville-Cleona High School. He went on to attend Penn State University and obtained his Law Degree from the Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Attorney Hynum spent approximately eleven years working in the long-term health care industry, acting as Chief Executive Officer of a company providing care and services to elderly residents of Central Pennsylvania. He is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator, has served as administrator of a Personal Care Home and has experience in Adult Day Care Administration as well.

Hynum began his legal career with a Harrisburg-based Firm specializing in the representation of Long-Term Care facilities and in June 2004 founded his own Firm, Law Offices of Michael A. Hynum. In September 2006, upon hiring an additional attorney, the Firm name was changed to Hynum Law. Mike has considerable experience in both running and representing small businesses. Hynum currently focuses his practice on the representation of health care providers, as well as debt collection, administrative and governmental law, labor law, general business law, and litigation.

Marc Miceli’s practice focuses on all areas of insolvency law, with a special emphasis on state court general assignments for the benefit of creditors’ proceedings, federal bankruptcy proceedings, corporate liquidations, asset recovery and creditors’ rights. As part of his practice, Marc routinely represents court-appointed fiduciaries such as assignees, receivers and chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees in state and federal court proceedings where he serves as counsel in complex litigation involving contract disputes, debt collection, fraud, and preference and fraudulent transfer litigation.

Joseph A. Molinaro, born in Passaic, New Jersey, graduated from Upsala College in 1990 with a BA in Political Science and History. He graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1993 with a Juris Doctor degree. He was admitted to the New Jersey State Bar in 1994, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in 1997 and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2019. He is a member of the Bergen County Bar Association and the Commercial Law League of America. Mr. Molinaro established his own firm in 1999 and represents corporations in pursuing creditors’ rights issues including debt collection and business litigation. His firm’s service area includes all but the most southern counties within the State of New Jersey. His law firm is an associate member of the International Association of Commercial Collectors, Inc. and he is an affiliate member of the Commercial Collection Agencies of America. He is a member of the Executive Council of the Creditors Rights Section of the CLLA. He is the current chair of the CLLA Eastern Region. Mr. Molinaro has reported decisions in Global Landfill Agreement Group v. 280 Development Corp., D.N.J. 1988, 992 F. Supp. 692, and MSKP Oak Grove, LLC v. Venuto 875 F.Supp.2d.426 (D.N.J.2012). He has contributed articles to the Commercial Law World, magazine of the CLLA.

Don B. Scott is the president of Wright Holmes Inc. Since 1913, Wright Holmes has published a directory of commercial law firms in service to the creditor’s rights community. Don joined the industry after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in Economics and Business Administration. He has held numerous leadership positions in the industry including The Board of Governors of the Commercial Law League, Chairman of the Eastern District of the CLLA, President of the Association of Law List Publishers.

He has participated in three strategic planning conferences over the last 30 years for the CLLA. He has been a featured speaker at the American Bar Association, the NACM Collectors Association Conference, as well as numerous CLLA Education Programs. He was instrumental in creating the bonding insurance program in use by members of the Association of Law List Publishers

During summers while a student at Vanderbilt Don was a salesman for CST company, a national commercial collection agency. In his community of Bedford in New York’s Westchester County he served two terms as a Town Councilman. Previously he served three terms as the president of his local school board. He is an avid golfer and an instrument rated pilot.

William Thrush is a shareholder and the Managing Partner of Friedman, Framme & Thrush. Bill is an experienced trial attorney and has tried cases at all levels of court throughout the state of Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Bill’s practice is currently focused on Banking and Commercial Finance, Commercial Loan Workout, Creditor’s Rights, and Corporate General Counsel Portfolio Management. In addition to his current practice focus, Bill has substantial experience in Contract Law, Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, Family Law, and General Litigation. In his spare time, Bill enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, coaching youth lacrosse, scuba diving, and playing guitar.