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Professional Staff |
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559-435-9800 |
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Riley Walter has over 28 years experience in bankruptcy, reorganization and insolvency law as well as agricultural law and PACA. He is Av rated by Martindale-Hubble and a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. He is certified as a Business Bankruptcy Specialist by the American Board of Bankruptcy Certification.
Riley specializes in complex insolvency and reorganization matters. He has handled hundreds of cases under Chapter 11, 12, 9, and 7 representing debtors and has represented many committees, trustees, secured creditors and unsecured creditors, as well as receivers and examiners. He is a former Chapter 7 trustee and a member of the alternative dispute resolution panel for this district.
Riley has been lead counsel on many of the largest Chapter 11 cases filed in the Eastern District of California. He is admitted to all California courts, the Eastern, Northern and Southern districts of California, the Districts of Arizona and Montana, the Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
By virtue of being in the San Joaquin Valley, Riley also has substantial expertise in agricultural law matters, including PACA and producers’ liens.
Riley has widely written and spoken on insolvency and agricultural topics at the local, state, and regional levels.
Riley has been active in legal organizations where he has served as chairman, a director or a member of such organizations as the California State Bar Agribusiness Committee; American Bankruptcy Institute; Central California Bankruptcy Association; California Bankruptcy Forum, Federal Bar Association, San Joaquin Chapter; Central California Receivers Forum: and the Fresno County Bar Business Law and Agricultural Law Sections. He is currently a delegate to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and Co-Chair of the Eastern District delegation.
Additionally, Riley is active in various civic matters including the Fresno Business Council, Lyle’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Central Valley Business Incubator. He has served as a director or trustee of The Fresno City and County Historical Society, Fresno Metropolitan Museum and Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture. He has also taught Agricultural Management at California State University, Fresno, Cal Poly-SLO, and Cal Poly-Pomona and Agricultural Law at San Joaquin College of Law.
When not practicing law, Riley enjoys adventure travel and California Native American archeology.
Riley can be reached by e-mail: rileywalter@W2LG.com |
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Practice Focus Concentrating in Business Transactions, Commercial Real Estate, Creditor Representation and Bankruptcy
Education · Juris Doctor, 1981 University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
· Bachelor of Science, 1978 California State University, Bakersfield, Business Administration
Experience Mr. Wilhelm has been practicing since 1981. He was the managing partner for over ten years of McCormick Barstow, the largest law firm in Central California. In 2008 he left that firm to form Walter & Wilhelm Law Group. He has spent a substantial portion of his career in the insolvency arena representing creditors, debtors, trustees, and creditor committees. He has appeared in bankruptcy courts in Fresno, Modesto, Bakersfield, Salinas, San Jose, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. He has also appeared before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel. His clients have ranged from the largest financial institutions to individuals represented on a pro bono basis. A sampling of his clients include banks, savings and loans, mortgage lenders, municipalities, churches, title companies, developers, manufacturers, real estate agents, agricultural growers, lenders and processors, insurance companies, and individuals from all walks of life.
Additionally, Mr. Wilhelm has handled a variety of complex business transactions throughout his career. He has represented lenders, borrowers, landlords, tenants, buyers and sellers in a variety of commercial transactions. He has organized corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies for a wide range of client needs. He represents the owners of a number of shopping centers. He has also been involved as counsel in a variety of roles in issuance of bonds.
Professional and Civic Associations Mr. Wilhelm is a founding member of the Central California Bankruptcy Association and served on its Board for six years, including being a past president. He is also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Christian Legal Society, Fresno Compact, and is a Board member of the Fresno Business Council. He also serves as chair of the Joint Task Force for School Business Partnerships.
Publications and Lectures Mr. Wilhelm has spoken and written extensively on issues regarding bankruptcy, real estate, landlord/tenant and related topics.
· Author: “Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Law,” updated for 2009
Michael can be reached by e-mail: mwilhelm@W2LG.com
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Deborah K. Boyett practices in the areas of corporate and business law, trusts and estates, probate and real property. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2001 after graduating from San Joaquin College of Law. Deborah earned her bachelors of Art degree from University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, majoring in both music and communication arts.
Deborah is a member of the State Bar of California and the Fresno County Bar Association, and she is a member of the Trusts and Estates Sections of both organizations. She is admitted to practice before the California Courts and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Northern Districts of California.
Deborah served as the Editor-in-Chief of the San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review from 2000-2001. She is the author of “The Effect of Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliot, Inc. on Nongeneric Commodities: A Narrow Focus on a Broad Rule.”
As a babyboomer, Deborah has a keen interest in the legal needs and planning opportunities of this generation born between 1946 to 1964. From estate planning, asset protection and wealth transfer planning to business succession and long-term health care considerations, Deborah particularly enjoys assisting “boomers” who are concerned with caring for their own parents as well as their children and grandchildren.
Deborah has been a guest speaker for entrepreneurial classes, addressing business entity formation and operations. She also speaks before audiences of all ages on the benefits of estate planning and wealth preservation.
Deborah is a prior business owner, having operated an advertising and public relations firm in Fresno. She has served on the boards and in leadership positions of several nonprofit organizations, including the Rotary Club of Fresno Airport, the Rotary Club of Fresno Sunrise (Past President), the Fresno Advertising Federation (Past President), the American Advertising Federation (Past District Governor), the Girl Scouts Golden Valley Council, and the vestry of St. Mary’s Anglican Church.
Away from the office, Deborah enjoys time with her two sons, travelling, sporting events, and playing the piano for her church.
Deborah can be reached by e-mail: dboyett@W2LG.com
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Peg T. Watson |
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Danielle J. Bethel |
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Elizabeth Waldow became an attorney with the Walter & Wilhelm Law Group upon her admittance to the Bar in 2009. She Graduated with Distinction in 2009 from the San Joaquin College of Law. While in law school Ms. Waldow was the recipient of the Moot Court Best Brief Finalist, Delta Theta Phi Scholarship Key, Leon Peters Scholarship, and awards for academic excellence. She was a member of the San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review with a published article in regards to Clean Water Act jurisdiction following the Supreme Court’s opinions in Rapanos v. U.S. Army Corps, San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review volume 17. Elizabeth was active in the Student Bar and Delta Theta Phi, she participated in both organizations throughout law school and was involved in various activities to raise funds for scholarships.
Prior to joining the Walter & Wilhelm Law Group, Ms. Waldow worked for many years as a federal law enforcement officer and park ranger at Yosemite National Park. Concurrent with the first three years of law school, she was the court liaison officer prosecuting misdemeanor cases in federal magistrate court. Ms. Waldow has appeared in over twenty bench trials and represented the National Park Service in contested motions; arguing issues involving due process, search and seizure, separation of powers, and states rights.
Ms. Waldow has also served as park ecologist and resource management specialist in various National Parks. She was a training development team member and instructor for conservation law and resource protection. This included responsibility for management of ecological restoration projects, overseeing environmental compliance in accord with the National Environmental Policy Act, authoring several environmental compliance documents, particularly in regards to wetlands restoration. In addition, she was certified in emergency medicine, wildland fire fighting, and is a graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Elizabeth also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from George Mason University with an emphasis in ecology. Ms. Waldow was formerly a Girl Scout leader for many years. Elizabeth is a member of the Mariposa United Methodist Church.
Elizabeth can be reached by e-mail: bwaldow@W2LG.com
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Riley C. Walter |
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Deborah K. Boyett |
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Michael L. Wilhelm |
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Norman D. Morrison IV |
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Prior to joining Walter & Wilhelm Law Group, Mr. Morrison practiced with firms in Bakersfield and Fresno, where his practice focused primarily on representing private individuals, business entities, agricultural clients and municipal and public agencies in a variety of transactional matters, as well as representing clients in litigation at both the State and Federal Court levels. Mr. Morrison graduated from McGeorge School of Law in 2000, where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi. Mr. Morrison received a dual-major Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice in 1996 from California State University, Stanislaus, where he was inducted into Psi Chi, a National Psychology Honors Society.
After graduating from McGeorge School of Law, Mr. Morrison was accepted into the Graduate Program in Agricultural Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, AR. The University of Arkansas School of Law offers the only agricultural law LL.M. program in the United States, with a curriculum specializing in the law of food, agriculture and the environment. Students in the Graduate Program in Agricultural Law study the full spectrum of law and policy; including issues pertaining to agricultural labor; bankruptcy of agricultural entities and individuals, including under Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code; legal issues involving environmental laws and regulations as pertaining to agriculture; Federal administrative law and procedures; Government Agricultural and Farm programs; issues relating to agricultural cooperatives; and similar. Mr. Morrison graduated from this program in May, 2001, and was awarded the LL.M. (Master of Legal Letters) degree. Mr. Morrison is one of only a few attorneys in California who has received this prestigious degree.
While in residence at the University of Arkansas Graduate Program in Agricultural Law, Mr. Morrison served as a Center Fellow and Graduate Assistant with the National Agricultural Law Center (formerly known as the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information), a program created by Congress. Mr. Morrison was responsible for researching and responding to inquiries regarding a wide variety of issues affecting and involving agriculture, including issues involving intellectual property rights, bankruptcy, environmental matters, and contractual matters.
Mr. Morrison is a member of the Advisory Panel to the San Joaquin College of Law Journal of Agricultural Law. He has previously served as a Board Member of the Kern County Teen Court; and regularly served as a judge pro tem for the Teen Court program. While practicing in Kern County, Mr. Morrison also assisted in advising and assisting high school students in the Mock Trial Program. For nearly twenty years he has been a member of the National Ski Patrol, and has also previously served as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for a rural community and as a volunteer firefighter-Emergency Medical Technician.
Mr. Morrison represents and advises clients in matters including litigation, business litigation, agricultural law, environmental law, and bankruptcy. His practice focuses on reorganization, insolvency, bankruptcy and commercial litigation. He has been admitted to practice before both State and Federal courts and is a member of the Fresno County Bar Association, the California State Bar, the American Agricultural Law Association, and the Central California Bankruptcy Association.
Norman can be reached by e-mail: nmorrison@W2LG.com
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Elizabeth E. Waldow |
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DeAnn L. Gorena |
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Peggy has nearly 16 years of bankruptcy experience. For the prior 21 years, she worked extensively in the real estate area-working with both the legal and lending aspects of residential and commercial real estate transactions. Along with the real estate experience she has an extensive banking background.
Peg is very active in purebred dog showing and activities related to dogs. She serves on the Board of a local Dog Training Club as well as the Giant Schnauzer Club of America. Although her Giants do well in the show ring, Peg has all of her Giants trained in obedience and to be Therapy Dogs and visits nursing homes, etc., with her dogs. The visiting to nursing homes is very dear to Peg's heart - the patients love to interact with the dogs and since most of the dogs that go to visit are small, she takes great pleasure in having her "Giants" visit and demonstrate their good behavior.
Peg also donates her time to work on many community projects concerning dogs - working with the public to educate people on what constitutes the responsible ownership of dogs; working with the local shelters at fund raising projects and judging at various fun events where children get to compete with their dogs - purebred or "All American".
Peg has been on the Planning Committee for numerous National Specialty Shows in the Giant Schnauzer Club and has used some of her dog club experience in planning large events to work on events in the Fresno Legal Community. She has assisted Riley Walter in the planning of various large events and enjoys working on the planning and drafting of the Programs and other paperwork so necessary for the success of a large event.
Ms. Watson can be reached by e-mail: pwatson@W2LG.com
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As the firm’s Office Administrator, DeAnn L. Gorena manages the business functions as well as the overall operations of our office. She joined Walter & Wilhelm in September 2008 bringing with her several years of administrative experience in the legal field. DeAnn assists the firm with various administrative/financial services including payroll and pension plan administration. She also assists the firm with our human resource needs including recruiting, selection, training and development, performance evaluations, salary administration, employee relations, motivation, counseling, disciplining, discharging, benefits administration, workers’ compensation, personnel data systems, job design, resource allocation and other human resource management functions for the legal, paralegal and support staff.
DeAnn is a California native and has resided in the Central Valley for over 20 years. She is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Cal Chamber and the National Notary Association (NNA).
DeAnn can be reached at dgorena@W2LG.com
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Danielle Bethel began working for Walter Law Group in 2000, concurrent with her graduation from San Joaquin College of Law’s Paralegal Program, and has been involved primarily in the field of insolvency since then. As a paralegal, Danielle draws on her experience in both insolvency planning, as well bankruptcy litigation, to assist our clients with their legal needs. Danielle is a proud member of the Central California Bankruptcy Association, and also has working knowledge in the area of family law.
Outside of work, Danielle enjoys spending time with her husband Norm, and their three sons. Additionally, Danielle stays active by volunteering her time as both a coach and board member for a local Junior Olympic fastpitch softball organization.
Danielle can be reached by e-mail: dbethel@W2LG.com
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Paul J. Bauer |
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Paul J. Bauer joins Walter & Wilhelm Law Group with extensive experience consulting and representing employers in all forms of employment litigation, including wrongful termination, sexual harassment, wage and hour violations, and many forms of discrimination. Mr. Bauer has a proven track record of leading cases toward dismissal at the early stages of litigation, as well as effectively negotiating settlements in a variety of forums. His strong advocacy skills translate into positive outcomes for clients.
As part of his practice, Mr. Bauer frequently advises employers on legal compliance and litigation prevention measures. He trains employers on human resources and business practices to minimize employee issues in the workplace. Mr. Bauer also serves as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association Consumer Account Panel.
Prior to returning to his hometown of Fresno where he has served clients the past three years on employment matters, Mr. Bauer worked for a national law firm defending private and public employers against lawsuits, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Fair Employment and Housing Act, and wage and hour claims before state and federal courts. He also served as a policy consultant to former California State Senator Charles S. Poochigian (R-Fresno).
Mr. Bauer is committed to serving the Central Valley community. He was appointed to serve as a board member for the Fresno Regional Workforce Investment Board and the Fresno County Blue Ribbon Business Committee. Mr. Bauer is also a board member for the Valley Crime Stoppers and an advisory committee member to the Bullard High School Law Magnet program.
Paul can be reached by e-mail: pbauer@W2LG.com
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