Williams Mullen is pleased to announce that four attorneys have joined the firm’s Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Practice — Michael Mueller, Jennifer McLemore, Gus Epps and Bennett Eastham. All four previously worked at Christian & Barton. Mr. Mueller, Ms. McLemore and Mr. Epps join the firm as partners, while Mr. Eastham is an associate. Mr. Mueller is chair of the practice.
Together, they bring decades of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights experience to Williams Mullen and join an already strong team featuring Mike Kelly and Joe Mayes in the firm’s Virginia Beach office; Holmes Harden in Raleigh; and Tracy Schwarzschild, Chip Bliley and Alex Burnett in Richmond.
“This is a fantastic group of attorneys who will strengthen our bankruptcy team,” Finance & Real Estate Section Chair John Mercer said. “They bring a great deal of experience and will help us continue to offer comprehensive service to our clients.”
As a group, they focus their practices on insolvency law and financial restructuring, and they advise commercial creditors, business creditors, banks and credit unions in commercial restructuring and collections, insolvency, bankruptcy and bankruptcy litigation matters.
Mr. Mueller has more than 25 years of experience, is listed in Virginia Super Lawyers for Bankruptcy Law (2010-present) and is named among Virginia’s “Legal Elite” for Bankruptcy/Creditors’ Rights by Virginia Business (2005-present). He previously served on the board of governors for the Virginia State Bar’s Bankruptcy Law Section. He also is a former chair of the Richmond Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section and the Virginia Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Law Section. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Washington & Lee University School of Law.
Ms. McLemore has almost 20 years of experience and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Bankruptcy & Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency & Reorganization Law (2013-present); in Virginia Super Lawyers for Bankruptcy Law (2014-present) and in Virginia Business’s “Legal Elite” for Bankruptcy/Creditors’ Rights (2011-2017). Jennifer is a past chair of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC). She currently serves on the board of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). She was a member of Leadership Metro Richmond’s Class of 2016 and is a sustainer for the Junior League of Richmond. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Richmond.
Mr. Epps has more than 30 years of experience, during which he has served in various firm leadership posts, including as chair of both the Bankruptcy and Public Finance practices. He is also a former chair of the Richmond Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section. He has been named among Virginia’s “Legal Elite” for Bankruptcy/Creditors’ Rights by Virginia Business (2003, 2007-2011, 2013), and he earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia, and he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University.
Mr. Eastham is a 2018 graduate of the Washington and Lee University School of Law.