Barbara George Barton (retired)
Formerly Certified as a Specialist in Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law
Born:
Columbia, South Carolina, May 15, 1953.
Education:
University of South Carolina, B.A., 1974
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1977
Practice Areas:
Bankruptcy; Commercial Bankruptcy; Insolvency; Debtor and Creditor Rights; Corporate;Banking Law; Foreclosures.
Honors:
Certified Specialist, Bankruptcy Law,
American Bankruptcy Institute;
Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy;
Certified Specialist, Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor
Law, The Supreme Court of South Carolina;
Recipient, Billy Robinson
Public Service Award, 2000;
Best Lawyers in America, 2004-2019;
Super Lawyer, 2007-2019;
Turnaround Management Association,
Transaction of the Year (Less than $50 million), 2011;
Martindale-Hubbell, AV rating;
Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent
Women Lawyers, 2011;
Greater Columbia Business Monthly’s
“Legal Elite of the Midlands,” 2011;
America’s Most Honored Professionals, 2011;
Compleat Lawyer Award, 2003;
Member, South Carolina Board of Governors, 2005-2009;
Member, South Carolina Commission on Lawyer Conduct, 2003-2009.
Speaking Engagements:
American Bar Association Convention;
South Carolina Bankruptcy Conference;
South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association Seminars;
South Carolina Bar CLE;
South Carolina Bar Convention;
Seminars for NBI, NABT, S.C. Ind. Bankers Association;
South Carolina Bridge the GAP;
American Bankruptcy Institute;
University of South Carolina School of Law.
Membership:
Richland County and American (Member, Business Section) Bar Associations;
South Carolina Bar (Member: Board of Governors; Corporate, Banking and Securities Section);
South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association (President, 1994);
South Carolina Women Lawyers Association (President, 2002);
American Bankruptcy Institute;
NAWL;
IWIRC;
Turnaround Management Association
Admissions:
1977, South Carolina; U.S. District Court,
District of South Carolina;
U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit;
U.S. Supreme Court.
Biography:
Since being admitted to practice in 1977, Barbara has committed herself to the practice of bankruptcy law and has handled virtually every facet of bankruptcy cases and proceedings. She likes to say that she was a bankruptcy lawyer before practicing bankruptcy law was cool. She has represented creditors, debtors, trustees and creditors’ committees and has been involved in numerous adversary proceedings. Representative Chapter 11 cases, including both debtor and creditor representation, include steel mills, chemical plants, veneer plants, wire rope manufacturers, olive oil can manufacturers, furniture retailers, nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, telecommunications companies,transportation, trucking and moving companies, vehicle dealerships, office buildings, apartment complexes, agricultural operations, etc.
Most recently, Barbara received the Turnaround Management Association Transaction of the Year Award for her role in the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy of Park Seed and Jackson & Perkins. As attorney for the trustee for the Greenwood company, she successfully restructured the company, allowing it to retain 300 jobs and provide payment for creditors. She was also recognized as a finalist in the M&A Advisor’s 2011 Turnaround Awards in three different categories for her role in these Chapter 11 cases
In 1993 (the first year this was offered), Barbara was certified as a specialist in bankruptcy law by the S.C. Supreme Court. In 1996, she was certified as a specialist in business bankruptcy law by the American Bankruptcy Institute. She is a fellow (one of 3 in SC) of the American College of Bankruptcy. She has received numerous awards including the WES Robinson Public Service Award, for public service contributions in the bankruptcy field; the Compleat Lawyer Award, Gold Level (2003); and has been named to the Best Lawyers in America for 2004-2019. She has been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2007. Her Martindale Hubble Rating is AV.
She is very active in the bankruptcy arena and served as an officer in the SC Bankruptcy Law Association for many years including service as president in 1994-1995 and as Chair of the Convention Commission in 2000. She lectures and writes extensively on bankruptcy topics and has spoken before the SC Bar Association, the SC Bankruptcy Law Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, The National Business Institute, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, Bridge the Gap, USC School of Law, NAWLA and many others.
She is very active with the SC Bar Association and served on the Board of Governors until 2009. She chaired the Professional Potential Task Force for the SC Bar, exploring professional satisfaction in the legal profession. She served on the Board of the SC Women Lawyer’s Association for many years, as an officer, and served as president in 2002.
She has served as an arbitrator for the National Arbitration Forum and on the S.C. Commission on Lawyer Conduct, assisting in determinations as to attorney grievance matters. She currently serves on the Board of SC Legal Services. She has served on numerous boards for the community including service on the City of Columbia Advisory Board for 11 years, on the Board of Directors for Sistercare for six years, the Board of Directors for Town Theater and Friends of the Library.
Barbara graduated from USC School of Law in 1977 and began work with the U.S. Small Business Administration in a disaster program benefiting farmers. In 1978, she went on to work at the Federal Land Bank (now AgFirst), handling bankruptcies, foreclosures and other corporate issues. In 1982, she left to join the McNair Law Firm, where she was involved in the business section, handling corporate matters, bankruptcies, contract disputes, corporate takeovers and workouts. She has been with her current Firm since 1986.
