Overview
Barack Ferrazzano is pleased to congratulate partner William J. Barrett, who was presented with the award for “Excellence in Public Interest Service" by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in conjunction with the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. This is the third consecutive year which the Court has honored Barack Ferrazzano’s pro bono work with this prestigious award.
Judge A. Benjamin Goldgar, on behalf of all of the judges of the United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Illinois, nominated Bill along with two other members of the bankruptcy bar for their work in creating "The Chicago Bankruptcy Help Desk Foundation, NFP." The Help Desk provides assistance to persons, often Chapter 7 debtors forced into bankruptcy by job losses, home foreclosures, or medical bills, appearing before the Bankruptcy Court who lack legal counsel. The award was presented at the Twentieth Annual Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service Award Ceremony on May 1, 2019 at the James B. Parsons Memorial Courtroom in Chicago.
Bill is the co-chair of the Firm's Bankruptcy & Creditor Rights Group. Over the last three decades, he has handled virtually all manner of complex bankruptcy issues, including representing secured creditors, landlords, franchisors, suppliers, avoidance action defendants and asset purchasers in Chapter 11 cases and other insolvency proceedings.
To learn more about previous Barack Ferrazzano winners, visit:
To learn more about the award, visit: https://www.fedbarchicago.org/event/20th-annual-awards-for-pro-bono-service/
About the Federal Bar Association
The Federal Bar Association (FBA) represents the federal legal profession. Consisting of more than 16,000 federal lawyers, including 1,200 federal judges, that work together to promote the sound administration of justice and integrity, quality, and independence of the judiciary. The Chicago Chapter has over 550 members and offers a wide variety of programs and events for judges and attorneys engaged in federal practice.
The mission of the FBA is to strengthen the federal legal system and administration of justice by serving the interests and the needs of the federal practitioner, both public and private, the federal judiciary and the public they serve.