PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
February 28, 2002

LAWRENCE A. FRIEDMAN SELECTED AS DIRECTOR
OF EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR U.S. TRUSTEES

  WASHINGTON, D.C.-Attorney General John Ashcroft announced today that he has selected Lawrence A. Friedman of Southfield, Mich., to serve as Director of the Executive Office for United States Trustees (EOUST). Friedman will take office March 4, 2002.

  "I am confident that Mr. Friedman will carry out his mandate to act as an agent of positive change, working with the United States Trustees who serve under him to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the American bankruptcy system," Attorney General Ashcroft stated.

  The EOUST is the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the United States Trustee Program, a component of the Justice Department that promotes integrity and efficiency in the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. The EOUST supervises the operations of 21 regional United States Trustees and 95 field offices covering 88 federal judicial districts. The EOUST Director reports to the Associate Attorney General, who oversees various civil justice and law enforcement components in the Justice Department.

  "Larry Friedman's experience in the bankruptcy field makes him well-suited to lead the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees," Associate Attorney General Jay Stephens stated. "He is familiar with all aspects of the policy and practice of bankruptcy law, and will help guide the U.S. Trustee Program as it works to ensure the integrity of the bankruptcy process and to protect the system from fraud and abuse."

  Friedman founded the Southfield, Mich., law firm of Friedman & Kohut P.C. in 1995; prior to that time he practiced as a sole practitioner. His practice encompassed consumer bankruptcy, commercial bankruptcy and commercial litigation, insolvency, and real estate law. Since 1990, he has served as a Chapter 7 trustee in the Eastern District of Michigan, administering more than 10,000 Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases. He has also served as a trustee in Chapter 11 cases, including the consolidated cases of Universal Standard Health Care and the case of Jones Transfer Co.

  Friedman is the immediate past president of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, the professional association for Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees. A regular speaker on consumer bankruptcy issues, he has testified several times before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts regarding consumer bankruptcy provisions in the bankruptcy reform legislation.

  Friedman received his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich., and his undergraduate degree from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Federal Bar Association.

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