This registration form is for Wednesday, November 18, 2:00–4:00 p.m. ET
This program was also presented on August 24 and September 14, 2026.
| MCLE Credit: | 2.0 pending |
| Live-Interactive Credit: | 2.0 pending (all dates, all formats) |
Designed for an open, interactive discussion, this program will explore the tools available in bankruptcy to investigate, identify, and recover assets, with a focus on Rule 2004 examinations and related discovery mechanisms. Our speakers will review available tools, when their use is appropriate, when they cross the line, and how to deploy them effectively and strategically. The speakers will cover legal standards and practice pointers while suggesting what should be avoided and how to deal with potential pushback.
Registration Deadlines:
| Webcast: | 10 minutes prior to seminar. If you register for a webcast the day of the seminar, your e-mail receipt will include a link to launch the seminar and download the materials. |
| Telephone: | 10 minutes prior to seminar Call (434) 979-8253 to register up to one hour prior to the seminar |
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $40 if you cancel or transfer your registration to a different seminar after the link to the materials has been e-mailed by Virginia CLE®.
Full refunds or transfers are available up to two days after a webcast in the unlikely event that you experience technical difficulties.
MCLE Credit Caveat: The MCLE Board measures credits by the time you spend in attendance. If you enter a seminar late or leave it early, or both, you must reflect those adjustments accurately in the credits you report on your credit reporting form. A code will be given at the end of the seminar, which must be written on your MCLE form.
Private recording of this program is prohibited.
Can’t Attend?
E-mail distance_ed@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program is made available as an online or USB seminar.
E-mail publications@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program’s seminar materials are made available for sale.
2:00 | Striking Gold: Bankruptcy Rule 2004 and Other Investigative Strategies to Locate Recoverable Assets |
4:00 | Adjourn |
Kelly M. Barnhart, Esq., Chapter 12/13 Trustee / Suffolk
Sara A. John, Esq., M. Richard Epps, PC / Virginia Beach
Kelly M. Barnhart, Esq., Chapter 12/13 Trustee / Suffolk
Kelly M. Barnhart serves as a Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Trustee for the Newport News and Norfolk Divisions of the Eastern District of Virginia. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Barnhart was a partner at Roussos & Barnhart, PLC, where her practice focused on bankruptcy, corporate reorganizations, corporate finance, and farm insolvencies. In private practice, she represented debtors, creditors, and trustees.
Ms. Barnhart earned her Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2002 and spent her third year as a visiting student at the University of Notre Dame School of Law. She was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 2004.
Ms. Barnhart is an active leader in the legal community. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar, where she previously served as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Bankruptcy Law Section, and the Virginia Bar Association, where she is a past Chair of the Bankruptcy Section. She is also a past President of the Tidewater Bankruptcy Bar Association and continues to serve on its board, as well as on the board of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation.
A frequent speaker on bankruptcy-related topics, Ms. Barnhart has presented at local, regional, and national conferences. She has been recognized as a Rising Star and Super Lawyer, named to Virginia’s Legal Elite, and selected as one of Lawdragon’s leading bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers.
Ms. Barnhart is a contributing author to the Virginia CLE publication Bankruptcy Practice in Virginia and serves as a lecturer for the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Restructuring Master Class.
Sara A. John, Esq., M. Richard Epps, PC / Virginia Beach
Sara A. John has been representing creditors in bankruptcy proceedings for 20 years. Her practice focuses primarily on representation of auto finance companies and credit unions. She also represents creditors in state law matters, foreclosure proceedings, and real estate closings.
Ms. John received her Bachelor of Arts in Government and U.S. History from the College of William and Mary in 1999. She earned her Juris Doctor from Regent University in 2002. She was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in October 2002.
Ms. John is a past president of the Tidewater Bankruptcy Bar Association, and the incoming president of the Virginia Chapter of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC). She serves as the Risk Management Alumni Advisor to the Beta Delta Chapter of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority at the College of William and Mary.
