First Circuit

Jungin Yoon

Boston College Law School

Boston, MA

Second Circuit

Jonathan Lent

Brooklyn Law School

New York, NY

Third Circuit

Ryan McCann

Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

Fourth Circuit

Casey Bouker

Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law

Raleigh, NC

Fifth Circuit

Rafael Saplala

Texas A&M School of Law

Fort Worth, TX

Sixth Circuit

Joshua Hiero

Vanderbilt Law School

Nashville, TN

Seventh Circuit

Rachel Lehmann

Chicago-Kent College of Law

Chicago, IL

Eighth Circuit

Alan Julien

University of lowa College of Law

Iowa City, IA

Ninth Circuit

Lisa Qian

Stanford Law School

Stanford, CA

Tenth Circuit

Grace Griggs

University of Oklahoma College of Law

Norman, OK

Eleventh Circuit

Jacob Needle

University of Miami School of Law

Miami, FL

Business

Alex Ofsie

University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce
Charlottesville, VA

Business

Boris Kanbin

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Business

Emilian Pitts

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

To qualify for this prestigious award, students must be nominated by either a professor or dean of their law school. The students undergo a rigorous evaluation process that includes letters of recommendation, submission of written materials, and a review of the candidate’s academic standing. The honorees are invited to attend the College’s annual Induction Ceremony and Events on March 19 - 21, 2026 in San Antonio, TX. There, students have an opportunity to interact with many of the most distinguished bankruptcy professionals and judges in the country. Many of the Distinguished Students honored by the College have gone on to make their own important contributions to bankruptcy profession.

Congratulations to the 2026 Distinguished Law and Business Students!

About the College: The American College of Bankruptcy is an honorary public service association of insolvency professionals who are invited to join as Fellows based on a proven record of the highest standards of expertise, leadership, integrity, professionalism, scholarship, and service to the bankruptcy practice and to their communities. Through its affiliated Foundation, the College provides grants to pro bono legal service programs, which fund projects that improve the quality of bankruptcy law and practice and access to justice. The College facilitates the effective domestic and cross-border application of bankruptcy and insolvency laws and the administration of justice in the courts through conducting professional educational programs, sponsoring the publication of scholarly reports, and maintaining the National Bankruptcy Archives. Underlying all of its work, the College is dedicated to enhancing professionalism, scholarship, and service in bankruptcy and insolvency law and practice, and to promoting excellence within the organization and across the insolvency profession.

For more information about the American College of Bankruptcy, or about the 2026 Distinguished Law and Business Students, please contact Executive Director CC Schnapp (ccschnapp@amercol.org).