Grandy of Mathis of Mathis, Marifian, Richter & Grandy Appointed Chief Judge, United States Bankurpcy Court

Belleville, Ill., Feb. 09, 2010… Belleville-based law firm, Mathis, Marifian, Richter & Grandy, Ltd. (MMR&G), today announced that one of its shareholders, Laura Grandy, has been appointed Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Illinois.  Grandy will fill the seat currently held by Judge Kenneth J. Meyers, who will be changing to senior status, and overseeing only select cases. 

 

Grandy will be the only Federal bankruptcy judge in the Southern Illinois District and, more notably, the first female to be appointed a judgeship in the District.  Grandy brings to the bench more than 25 years experience representing a wide range of clients in matters involving corporate reorganizations, bankruptcy and banking. For the past 18 years, she has served as a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern Illinois District.  Highlights of her career include successfully arguing the case of Kawaauhau v. Geiger in the United States Supreme Court.  A unanimous decision was entered in favor of Grandy’s client. 

 

Grandy is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Bankruptcy Association of Southern Illinois, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, and the Bar Association of the Central and Southern Federal Districts of Illinois.  She has spoken on bankruptcy topics for numerous professional organizations and authored several chapters for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

 

According to Pat Mathis, a founding partner of MMR&G, “Laura is a tremendous professional; very astute in the matters of bankruptcy law and, through the years, has become a great friend and colleague.  We will miss her contributions to the law firm, but we are proud of her diligence in serving the public.”

 

Grandy has continually played an active role in the community, serving a multitude of organizations as a board member and/or volunteer, including the Violence Prevention Center (formerly known as the Women’s Crisis Center of the Metro East), the American Cancer Society, Family Hospice and United Way. She has also been a committee member on Wine, Dine and Jazz; Art on the Square; Belle-Scott and the Scott Heritage Park.  Grandy is proud to be a founding board member of Belleville East High School’s Lancer Improvement Association and Grant 110 Foundation. 

 

A life-long resident of St. Clair County, Grandy lives in Caseyville.  She has two children, Jules C. Grandy, 26, and Joseph M. Grandy, 23.

 

 Established in 1984, Mathis, Marifian, Richter & Grandy, Ltd. has emerged as one of the most trusted respected law firms in the St. Louis and Southern Illinois areas. Headquartered in Belleville, Ill., the firm also has offices in Clayton, Mo. and Nashville, Ill. MMR&G's principals and associates possess knowledge and experience in practice areas that include business law, taxation, estate planning, employee benefits, banking law, bankruptcy, and commercial and tort litigation. For more information, please visit www.mmrg.com.

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