Elizabeth J. Austin

Elizabeth J. Austin is a member and chair of the Bankruptcy Section of Pullman & Comley, LLC's Litigation Department in Bridgeport, Conn., where she represents financial institutions, creditors' committees, debtors and trustees in both reorganizations and liquidations and related bankruptcy court litigation. Previously, she was the Assistant U.S. Trustee for the Southern District of New York, where she oversaw all chapter 11 proceedings filed in the district, including such major cases as Refco, Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Delphi, Calpine and Dana Automotive. She argued crucial motions in major cases, including the U.S. Trustee's motions for examiners and trustees in the Refco, Delta and Adelphia cases. She also oversaw the appointment of creditors' committees, including equity committees, in all major cases. Before joining the Office of the U.S. Trustee, Ms. Austin had been chair of Pullman & Comley's Bankruptcy Section, where she represented major creditors in the chapter 11 cases of three airlines, debtors and creditors' committees, official com- mittees of working interest and royalty owners in numerous oil company bankruptcies, and debtors and creditors in real estate cases involving shopping centers, apartment complexes and office build- ings. She has trial experience in both state and federal courts and has written on many aspects of bankruptcy law. Most recently she was a contributing author and editor to Examiners in Bankruptcy Cases: A Guide for Examiners, Courts and Practitioners, 2013-2014 Edition, published by Thom- son Reuters Westlaw. She also wrote a case study titled "Alternatives to Bankruptcy for Insolvent Nursing Homes," published by the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, and on matters related to bankruptcy fraudulent transfer avoidance, the bankruptcy collection process, bankruptcy ethics and the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994. She also has lectured on bankruptcy law before nu- merous professional groups. Ms. Austin received her B.A. from University of Nebraska at Lincoln 1979 and her J.D. from the University of Nebraska School of Law in 1982.