WASHINGTON, D.C.--Attorney General Janet Reno has appointed
Brenda Moody Whinery, an Arizona native, as United States
Trustee to oversee the administration of bankruptcy cases
in the Judicial District of Arizona, the Justice Department
announced today.
Whinery, whose appointment as United States Trustee for
Region 14 runs for five years, will assume her duties today.
As United States Trustee, Whinery will play an important
oversight role in the administration of bankruptcy cases--appointing
and monitoring individuals employed to represent bankruptcy
estates, assessing the feasibility of reorganization plans,
reviewing fee applications of attorneys and other professionals,
and investigating and assisting in the prosecution of bankruptcy
crimes. The principal office for Region 14 is located in
Phoenix, Ariz.
Until December 31, 1997, Whinery was a shareholder with
the Phoenix law firm Ryley, Carlock & Appelwhite, where
she was co- chair of the Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights
Practice Group. Whinery joined the firm in 1985, and in
1993 she became a member of its board of directors.
Whinery has extensive experience in Chapter 11 commercial
cases. Among other appointments, she acted as co-counsel
to the unsecured creditors' committee in the Chapter 11
reorganization of America West Airlines; as counsel to the
unsecured creditors' committee in the jointly administered
Chapter 11 cases of the restaurant Bobby McGee's U.S.A.
Inc.; and as counsel for various major financial institutions,
insurance companies, and title insurance companies in bankruptcy
proceedings and restructurings.
Whinery received her Juris Doctor in 1985 from the University
of Arizona College of Law in Tucson, where she was Note
Editor for the Arizona Law Review from 1984 to 1985. In
1982, Whinery earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration with high distinction from the University
of Arizona in Tucson.
Whinery occupies a number of professional leadership positions.
Last October, she was selected by the Ninth Circuit Judicial
Conference to serve a three-year term as an Arizona Lawyer
Delegate to the Ninth Circuit. During 1996-1997, she headed
the Bankruptcy Section of the Arizona State Bar. Whinery
also sits on the board of directors of the Maricopa County
Bar Association's Bankruptcy Section. Furthermore, she was
named by Today's Arizona Woman as one of Arizona's 100 top
women in business in both 1997 and 1998.
Additionally, Whinery is a member of the Arizona Women
Lawyer's Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
She has written articles on bankruptcy for the Arizona Law
Review and the Arizona Bankruptcy Journal.
