Judge Erwin I. Katz Joins Greenberg Traurig
By:  Greenberg Traurig, Press Release, January 6, 2003

CHICAGO — Greenberg Traurig today announced retired bankruptcy judge Erwin I. Katz has joined its national reorganization, bankruptcy and restructuring practice as an of counsel and will be based in the firm’s Chicago and Delaware offices.

Katz spent the last six months of his 14-year tenure on the Chicago bankruptcy bench sitting in the United States Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, where he heard sophisticated bankruptcy cases and mediated matters for other judges. While on the bench, Katz mediated cases for the district court and bankruptcy court in matters related to class action, creditors’ rights, discrimination cases and partnership dissolutions. In the bankruptcy area, he has mediated plan disputes, discharge issues, cross-border insolvencies, liens and claims.

Katz practiced law in Chicago for 25 years before assuming the bench. Before this, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago, where he handled civil, criminal and appellate matters.

A member of the national panel of neutrals for commercial cases of the American Arbitration Association and JDR Inc., Katz is certified as a mediator by the Institute for Dispute Resolution of DePaul University and the Center for Dispute Settlement. He is a former director of the ADR program for the bankruptcy court for the Northern District of Illinois and is a member of the ADR committee of the United States District Court. He chaired the Civil Practice Committee for the Chicago Bar Association and is a past delegate to the Illinois State Bar Association. In addition, Katz is an adjunct professor with the DePaul University Law School and teaches mediation skills to judges for the Federal Judicial Center.

Katz is also active in Jewish community affairs. He is former chairman of the board of the Arie Crown Hebrew Day School and is a member of the board of the Hebrew Theological College and the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs. He is an ordained rabbi and is affiliated with the Bet Din of the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

A frequent author and lecturer, Katz was named by Turnaround & Workouts as one of the nation’s top bankruptcy judges. He holds a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Yeshiva University.

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Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with 1,500 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The firm is ranked seventh on The American Lawyer's Am Law 100 listing of the largest law firms in the U.S., based on number of lawyers.

Greenberg Traurig serves clients from offices in: Albany, NY; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Atlanta, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Morristown, NJ; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Silicon Valley, CA; Tallahassee, FL; Tokyo, Japan; Tysons Corner, VA; Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, FL; Wilmington, DE; and Zurich, Switzerland. Additionally, the firm has strategic alliances with the following independent law firms: Olswang, London and Brussels; Studio Santa Maria, Milan and Rome; and Hayabusa Kokusai Law Offices in Tokyo.