Foley announced today that Christopher Celentino, Mikel R. Bistrow and Kathryn M.S. Catherwood have joined the firm as partners in the San Diego office, working in the Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice. Prior to joining Foley, all three were members of the Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring group at Duane Morris LLP.
“Adding such an exceptional team of bankruptcy and finance attorneys to our San Diego office further advances our reputation and capabilities in California and across the country,” said Jay O. Rothman, chairman and CEO of Foley. “Their wide-ranging, national experience in business reorganization, creditor’s rights and transactional finance will be a tremendous asset to our clients involved in these areas.”
Foley’s Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice is one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious. Its highly regarded attorneys have extensive experience in all aspects of bankruptcy law and practice, and have represented various constituents in several of the largest and most complex Chapter 11 cases in the United States.
“The addition of these prominent attorneys helps solidify Foley’s standing as a firm that is uniquely positioned to represent clients in high-profile bankruptcy, insolvency and finance matters,” said Van A. Tengberg, managing partner of Foley’s San Diego and Del Mar offices.
“We look forward to the contributions these highly regarded attorneys will make to our talented group of bankruptcy and finance partners on the West Coast,” said Andrew B. Serwin, chair of recruiting for the San Diego and Del Mar offices.
Celentino focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, business reorganization and creditor’s rights, with a specialty in the crossover of family law and bankruptcy. He represents both creditors and debtors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases, as well as court-appointed trustees in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 cases. Active in various professional and trade organizations, Celentino is one of only a few San Diego attorneys certified as a business bankruptcy specialist by the American Board of Certification. He is president of the California Bankruptcy Forum and previously served on the national partners board of Duane Morris LLP and as managing partner of its San Diego office. Additionally, he was named a “Super Lawyer – San Diego” (Law & Politics, 2007-2010); listed in the 2005-2006 edition of Who’s Who in American Law</EM>; and was selected as a San Diego Top Attorney (San Diego Daily Transcript, 2011). He has served in various leadership roles with the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum, Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum, California Bankruptcy Forum, California State Bar Association Insolvency Law Committee, Bankruptcy Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association and San Diego Financial Lawyers Group. He also serves as a mediator for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California.
Bistrow has extensive experience in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, workouts, creditor’s collection and remedies, commercial finance and lending, and Uniform Commercial Code, representing borrowers and lenders in real and personal property loans and secured transactions. She is also certified as a business bankruptcy specialist by the American Board of Certification and was formerly a member of the Duane Morris LLP national partners board. Bistrow has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (1995-2011) and in The Best Lawyers in San Diego (2001, 2005-2011). In 2010, she was named one of San Diego’s Top 25 Lawyers by San Diego Metropolitan magazine, and she was selected as a San Diego Top Attorney (San Diego Daily Transcript, 2007). Bistrow was also named a “Super Lawyer – San Diego” (Law & Politics, 2007-2011). She is a former co-chairperson of the Uniform Commercial Code Section of the California State Bar.
Catherwood represents creditors, debtors and trustees involved in workouts, commercial litigation, bankruptcy and lender liability/secured creditor matters. She also represents clients in mechanic lien litigation as well as license disputes. A frequent author and speaker on bankruptcy law topics, Catherwood is a member of the California Bar Association, the San Diego County Bar Association, past president of both the San Diego and California Bankruptcy Forums and director and vice president of the Law Library Justice Foundation. Additionally, she was named a “Super Lawyer – San Diego” (Law & Politics, 2007, 2011) in the area of bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights.
Bistrow and Celentino will also act as the Western Regional co-chairs of Foley’s Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice.
With approximately 900 attorneys in 21 offices, Foley & Lardner LLP provides award-winning business and legal insight to clients across the country and around the world. Our team-based approach, innovative technology, and focus on value and client service are continually recognized by our clients and the legal industry. In a recent survey* of Fortune 1000 corporate counsel, Foley received a top 10 ranking out of more than 500 firms for our strong client focus, breadth of service, innovation, and value for the dollar. In addition, Foley was a Top 10 firm on the U.S. News – Best Lawyers® 2010 “Best Law Firms” list, based on the total number of first-tier metropolitan rankings, and CIO magazine recognized Foley for technological innovation that enhances business value by naming the firm to its prestigious CIO-100 list.
*The BTI Consulting Group (Wellesley, Massachusetts)