Alexandria, Va. — The American Board of Certification (ABC) announced that Joseph A. Peiffer of Ag & Business Legal Strategies (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) received its inaugural ABC Certified Attorney of the Year Award, established to recognize board-certified attorneys who embrace and reflect the ideals of certification and the insolvency profession more broadly. Peiffer has held a certification in Business Bankruptcy from the ABC since 1994, and he served on the board of directors of ABC and its predecessor organization from 1994-2010. He has occupied every office within ABC, participated on its faculty and standards committee, and, as President from 2007-08, successfully managed the relocation of ABC’s headquarters from Virginia to Iowa, implemented the full digitization of ABC’s records, and modernized its application review process.

Peiffer is the founder of Ag & Business Legal Strategies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During the farm crisis of the 1980s, he clerked for Hon. William Thinnes, the busiest farm bankruptcy judge in the U.S. at the time. Peiffer has represented family farmers in debt restructuring and bankruptcy since his clerkship, helping farmers preserve assets and minimize taxes. He also has worked to improve bankruptcy laws as they relate to farmers, having suggested to Congress the chapter 12 tax de-prioritization and increased chapter 12 debt limits that make chapter 12 more accessible and effective for family farmers. Peiffer received his undergraduate degree in agriculture from Iowa State University and his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

The American Board of Certification (ABC) is a nonprofit organization committed to providing progressive and responsible leadership in the field of legal specialization. ABC offers separate certification programs in business bankruptcy, consumer bankruptcy and creditors’ rights law. ABC certification is designed to recognize lawyers who have met discrete, rigorous and objective certification standards. For more information, please click here.

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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 nearly 10,000 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.