Alexandria, Va.— ABI announces that Cullen Speckhart of Wolcott Rivers Gates (Richmond, Va.) has been selected as an emerging leader in ABI’s inaugural “40 Under 40” initiative. The initiative was launched this year to identify 40 of the top insolvency industry professionals under the age of 40, who will be formally recognized at ABI’s 2017 Winter Leadership Conference, taking place Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at the La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, Calif.

Speckhart is a shareholder and head of Wolcott Rivers Gates’ Richmond office. As co-chair of the firm’s Restructuring & Bankruptcy Litigation practice group, she is a specialist in bankruptcy, restructuring and financial litigation who frequently writes and speaks publicly on the legal implications of developments in the financial sector. Speckhart actively represents a wide range of parties to insolvency proceedings, including creditors, creditors’ committee members, creditors’ committees, trustees and foreign representatives. She serves on the advisory board of the Institute for Restructuring Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2015, Speckhart co-authored the ABI’s Chapter 15 for Foreign Debtors. She is a past president of the Tidewater Bankruptcy Bar Association and a member of the faculty of the William & Mary School of Law, where she teaches creditors’ rights and bankruptcy.

“Each of these 40 young men and women are distinguished by their extraordinary professional accomplishments and leadership in their communities,” said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano.

The “40 Under 40” winners are distinguished by professional achievements and service and were selected by a group of experienced professionals from ABI’s current leadership.

Nominations were submitted via the initiative’s website, through which professionals nominated themselves or a colleague. Membership in ABI was not required. Nearly 300 individuals started the rigorous applications process, and 195 entries were ultimately submitted for judging. Those selected were chosen from both large and small firms from every region of the country, and represent diverse practice areas such as law, finance, accounting, consulting, academia, government and more. Members of the selection committee were Patricia Redmond (chair) of Stearns, Weaver, Miller, Weissler, Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. (Miami), Nina Parker of Parker and Associates (Winchester, Mass.), Soneet Kapila of KapilaMukamal, LLP (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Katie Coleman of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP (New York), Derek Abbott of Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.), Eve Karasik of Levene, Neale, Bender, Yoo & Brill (Los Angeles), Doug Lutz Frost Brown Todd LLC (Cincinnati), Judge Deborah L. Thorne (N.D. Ill.; Chicago) of Illinois, Risa Wolf-Smith of Holland & Hart LLP (Denver) and ABI President Hon. Gene Wedoff (ret.).

Click here to view the full list of “40 Under 40” honorees.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 12,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.