Practical Tips from Three Former Chief Bankruptcy Judges on How to Maximize your Mediation (Presented by the Federal Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Law Section)

Hon. Harlin DeWayne Hale, Mediator & Arbitrator | JAMS

Hon. Harlin DeWayne Hale (Ret.) joined JAMS after nearly 20 years on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, including service as Chief Judge.

• Education & Credentials

Judge Hale earned his J.D. from the Paul M. Hebert School of Law at Louisiana State University (1982), where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an Associate Editor of the Louisiana Law Review, and his B.S. from Louisiana State University (1979).

• Recognition & Leadership

He received the American Bankruptcy Institute’s William L. Norton Jr. Judicial Excellence Award in 2019, the American Inns of Court Bankruptcy Inn Alliance Distinguished Service Award in 2021, and the Dallas Bar Foundation’s Justinian Award in 2024.

• Professional Involvement

Judge Hale is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a member of the American Law Institute, and a member of the Honorable John C. Ford American Inn of Court. A respected educator and speaker, he served for 15 years as a visiting professor at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where he taught creditors’ rights.

• Experience

During his judicial tenure, he presided over thousands of bankruptcy cases, authored more than 160 opinions, and was cited favorably by the U.S. Supreme Court in Czyzewski v. Jevic Holding Corp. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Hale built a distinguished private practice focused on bankruptcy, banking, real estate, and complex business litigation, including serving as the regional partner overseeing the bankruptcy practice at Baker & McKenzie in Dallas. His experience spans complex Chapter 11 restructurings, health care insolvencies, and other significant commercial matters. His combined experience on the bench and in private practice gives him a practical and balanced perspective on complex bankruptcy and insolvency disputes.

Hon. Craig A. Gargotta, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge | Western District of Texas

The Hon. Craig Gargotta (J.D. ‘19) was appointed to the bench on October 1, 2007. He was then appointed Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Texas on November 2, 2021.

• Education & Credentials

Judge Gargotta has a B.A. and M.A. from Texas A&M University and his J.D. from St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio, Texas.

• Recognition & Leadership

Judge Gargotta currently serves as a Master in the Larry E. Kelly Inn of Court and Director of the Texas Aggie Bar Association.

• Professional Involvement

Judge Gargotta is a member of the NCBJ, Federal Bar Association, and Larry E. Kelly Inn of Court. He serves as an Associate Editor for the American Bankruptcy Law Journal and is an adjunct professor at St. Mary’s Law School. Judge Gargotta has spoken at numerous bar conferences on a local and national level.

• Experience

After law school he clerked for the Honorable Ronald B. King, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Texas. He then served as an Asst. U.S. Attorney for 17 years prior to taking the bench.

Hon. Alan S. Trust, Mediator & Arbitrator | JAMS

Hon. Alan S. Trust (Ret.) is a former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge and seasoned mediator who joined JAMS after more than 18 years on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York, including service as Chief Bankruptcy Judge from 2020 to 2026.

• Education & Credentials

Certified as a mediator since 1989, he has extensive experience mediating complex bankruptcy, business, commercial, insurance, professional liability, and real estate disputes. Judge Trust earned his J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where he was selected to serve on the Law Review.

• Recognition & Leadership

In 2023, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. appointed Judge Trust as the sole bankruptcy judge observer to the Judicial Conference of the United States. He was inducted as a Judicial Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in 2025 and was named to Law360’s Bankruptcy Editorial Advisory Board in 2026. Judge Trust has received the Conrad B. Duberstein Memorial Award for Excellence and Compassion in the Bankruptcy Judiciary and the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors’ Judicial Service Award.

• Professional Involvement

He also helped establish the Eastern District of New York Bankruptcy Court’s Pro Bono Mediation Program and was designated by the Second Circuit to mediate matters in multiple federal districts. A frequent educator and speaker, he taught bankruptcy law at St. John’s University School of Law from 2009 to 2025 and regularly contributes to CLE programs nationwide.

• Experience

During his judicial tenure, Judge Trust presided over more than 40,000 bankruptcy cases and 2,500 adversary proceedings, issued over 110,000 orders, and authored more than 120 published opinions. Before joining the bench, he spent more than 20 years in private practice as a founding partner of two law firms, focusing on bankruptcy, business, commercial, and real property matters.

Jon Lieberman, Senior Attorney | McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLP

Jon Jay Lieberman is National Chapter 11 Counsel at McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLP.

• Education & Credentials

Jon was a Louise Taft Semple Classics Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Cincinnati, and of its College of Law.

• Recognition & Leadership

He is former Co-Chair of ABI’s Consumer Bankruptcy Committee for which he was designated Committee Person of the Year, former Co-Chair of ABI’s Legislation Committee, and former Education Director of ABI’s Commercial and Regulatory Law Committee. Jon currently serves as Special Projects Leader of ABI’s Bankruptcy Litigation Committee. A former Air Force Officer, he is Co-Chair of Outreach for ABI’s Veterans and Servicemembers Task Force, and is a former member of ABI’s 40 under 40 Selection Committee. Jon currently serves on the Editorial Board of The Federal Lawyer, the journal of the Federal Bar Association, and is Secretary of FBA’s national Bankruptcy Law Section. He is a Board Officer of the Southern District of Ohio Bankruptcy Bench-Bar Conference, and former leader of the Southern District of Ohio’s American Bankruptcy Law Forum. Jon is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati Bar Association, and is former Chair of the CBA’s Real Property Law Committee.

• Professional Involvement

Nationally, Jon is very active in the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Federal Bar Association. Jon serves as both an Associate Editor and a Coordinating Editor of the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, and is co-author of the ABI book “Thorny Issues in Consumer Bankruptcy Cases.” Locally, Jon is former Co- Chair of the Consumer Bankruptcy Subcommittee of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio Attorney Advisory Committee, and is currently a member of the Chapter 11 subcommittee.

• Experience

Jon’s practice focuses on representing financial institutions in bankruptcy proceedings, including Chapter 11 matters, trial-level litigation, and appellate advocacy, bringing extensive experience in bankruptcy litigation and complex contested matters across multiple jurisdictions nationwide.

SESSION 1 – Practical Tips from Three Former Chief Bankruptcy Judges on How to Maximize your Mediation | Hon. Harlin DeWayne “Cooter” Hale & Hon. Craig A. Gargotta & Hon. Alan S. Trust & Jon Lieberman | 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Jon Lieberman will moderate a panel discussion on bankruptcy mediation with three retired Chief Bankruptcy Judges – Harlin DeWayne “Cooter” Hale (NDTX), Craig A. Gargotta (WDTX) and Alan S. Trust (EDNY). The speakers will discuss their decades of experience with bankruptcy litigation, mediations and settlements, present tips on how to best prepare yourself and your clients for mediation, and maximizing the mediation process.