NAMWOLF Announces Bankruptcy Initiative

Milwaukee, WI, September 10, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) announced today it is launching a timely and important new practice area initiative called the Bankruptcy Initiative. The anticipated launch date for the new initiative is December 1, 2008. More information about the Bankruptcy Initiative will be available at NAMWOLF’s Annual Meeting and Law Firm Expo, scheduled for November 13 and 14, 2008, in Dallas, Texas.

In light of the recent surge in bankruptcy filings, the focus of the NAMWOLF initiative will be on the protection of creditors’ rights in the bankruptcy courts. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, there were over 96,000 consumer bankruptcy filings in the month of August, up 31% from last year, and business bankruptcy filings have increased by 40% in the first two quarters this year. With the collapse of the capital markets, $4 per gallon gas, slumping retail figures, rising foreclosures, and escalating suggestions that the U.S. economy is about to enter into a recession, the NAMWOLF Bankruptcy Initiative has been timed to allow Corporate America to tap into a nationwide pool of talented minority and women-owned law firms with bankruptcy credentials.

“In light of the current economic climate, there’s no doubt that bankruptcy has jumped to the top of NAMWOLF’s strategic plan, as far as informing Corporate America about the minority and women-owned law firm bankruptcy resources that NAMWOLF can offer,” says Emery K. Harlan, Chairman of the Board for NAMWOLF and a partner at Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “We are currently vetting the member firms with respect to their bankruptcy credentials and we plan to soon offer Corporate America a portfolio of qualified minority and women-owned law firms who regularly practice in the bankruptcy courts,” says Co-Chair of the Bankruptcy Initiative, Richardo Kilpatrick of Kilpatrick & Associates in Auburn Hills, Michigan. “We have already completed the preliminary stages of the vetting process and plan to offer national bankruptcy teams and local firms who focus on bankruptcy, from NAMWOLF’s roster of minority and women-owned law firms,” according to Kilpatrick, who is also a former president of the American Bankruptcy Institute. The Bankruptcy Initiative’s other Co-Chair is Daniel C. Fleming, of Wong Fleming in Princeton, New Jersey, who holds a certification in business bankruptcy law from the American Board of Certification.

The National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) was established in July 2001. The purpose of NAMWOLF is to encourage major corporations and public entities to utilize the services of minority and women-owned law firms. NAMWOLF's Law Firm Membership is comprised of AV-rated firms across the nation which represent major corporate clients. NAMWOLF assists its Law Firm Members in developing strategic alliances, coalitions, and affiliations with corporations, in-house counsel, and other legal trade associations. Through these efforts, NAMWOLF helps ensure the long-term survival of minority and women-owned law firms.

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