BANKRUPTCY/CREDITORS’ RIGHTS

Paula Steinhilber Beran

Tavenner & Beran PLC
Richmond
 

Title: Esquire/member/partner

Birthplace: Washington, D.C.

Education: Bachelor’s degree (cum laude), Randolph-Macon College; law degree and MBA, Wake Forest University

Children:  Annemarie C. Beran (19); Robert E. Beran Jr. (17)

Hobbies or pastimes:  Being the No. 1 fan for my children as they play competitive basketball

First job as a lawyer:  Staff counsel office for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit

Fan of: Christopher Newport University women’s basketball; Collegiate High School boys’ basketball

Favorite vacation spot:  St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Career mentors:  The Hon. Douglas O. Tice Jr., retired chief judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Lynn L. Tavenner, Esquire, the other founding member of my law firm, Tavenner & Beran PLC

What trends are you seeing in bankruptcy law? On the commercial side, large and small retailers, absent a discrete market niche, are certainly struggling and, as such, are seeking to restructure operations and balance sheets. Similarly, businesses in all aspects of the health-care industry are seeking restructuring alternatives in a greater percentage than other industries. Student loans are rapidly causing extreme liquidity crises on the consumer side.

What sort of topics do you lecture on in continuing legal education classes? My firm provides legal representation to (1) all entities in business reorganizations/liquidations and (2) trustees and creditors in all other aspects of bankruptcy/creditors’ rights.  As such, I lecture on related topics. In addition, as the legal profession moves toward a business, I think it is especially important for lawyers to remember the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct that govern our behavior.  I, thus, welcome the opportunity to speak on ethical issues in the bankruptcy arena.