Adam G. Brief has been appointed as the Acting U.S. Trustee for Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, effective September 28. This appointment was announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees today.
Brief succeeds Patrick S. Layng, who is retiring after 36 years of service to the Justice Department, including 14 years as the U.S. Trustee in Region 11. The Attorney General can fill vacancies in the U.S. Trustee position under 28 U.S.C. § 585(a) by appointing an Acting U.S. Trustee.
Since joining the U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) in 2015, Brief has served as the Assistant U.S. Trustee in charge of the Chicago field office following a career in private practice that spanned 14 years. His work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois has led to several high-profile criminal prosecutions.
In addition to his role at the USTP, Brief is a frequent speaker at legal seminars and conferences and teaches a lawyering skills course at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School.
Brief holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Rutgers University Livingston College and a law degree from Seton Hall University. He also clerked for Judge Stephen Stripp of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey after law school.
Before joining the USTP, Brief spent six years as an investigator on a district ethics committee appointed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey while still practicing privately.
The mission of the USTP is to promote integrity and efficiency within the bankruptcy system for all stakeholders including debtors, creditors, and the public across its 21 regions and 89 field offices nationwide.
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