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Jonathan Luke, ’14, was invited to attend the Midwestern Regional Bankruptcy Seminar (MRBS) as a Distinguished Law Student. The event features two days of continuing legal education presented by panels of judges, bankruptcy trustees, and practitioners from around the country. Luke’s selection as a “Distinguished Law Student” means his expenses were paid for attendingthe event, which was held in Cincinnati August 21 and 22.

Luke is pursuing a career in bankruptcy law, and is working at the Law Office of Alan Culwell, LLC in Fishers. He plans to open a debtors' practice at the firm once admitted to the Indiana bar.

“We are proud of Jon's demonstrated commitment to a business practice with an emphasis on bankruptcy work,” said Professor Max Huffman. “He has been a great student. Jon is our second recipient of the prestigious Midwest Regional Bankruptcy Seminar Distinguished Student award, which speaks volumes about Jon's own preparation but also reflects well on the quality and reputation of our corporate and commercial coursework."

Luke said he took every bankruptcy course offered by the law school.

“My law school bankruptcy coursework included a class in bankruptcy law taught by Professor Huffman and a corporate restructuring class taught by Professor Nicholas Georgakopoulos,” Luke said. “Those instructive classes prepared me in many ways to understand and build upon much of the material discussed at MRBS. I also applied what I learned in class to a law review note I wrote on joint tenancies and bankruptcy, a note now accepted for publication in the Indiana Law Review.”

Luke was IU McKinney’s first extern during the Spring 2014 semester to work in the chambers of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James M. Carr of the Southern District of Indiana.

“This externship allowed me to experience how a bankruptcy court functions and permitted me to address real-life issues while drafting such documents as bench memoranda and orders for the court,” Luke said.

Attending the seminar was a great jump-start to his intended career path, Luke said.

“Being invited to participate in the (MRBS) opened the door to an excellent professional experience that, along with classes I took at IU McKinney, truly helped me prepare for a future career in bankruptcy law.  MRBS introduced me to bankruptcy judges and practitioners from Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky and built upon much of the material I studied in my bankruptcy and general coursework at IU McKinney.”