Steven Jay "Steve" Katzman

Steven J. Katzman’s unique and accomplished background includes over three decades of experience in both government service and private practice. A former United States Trustee for five federal judicial districts and federal prosecutor, Steven offers unparalleled trial, bankruptcy and complex litigation experience, specializing in complex insolvency, federal and commercial litigation.

During 2003-2008, Steven was appointed as the U.S. Trustee for the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Districts of Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, where he was responsible for oversight of over 100,000 bankruptcy cases filed annually. From 1991 through 1996, Steven also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, where he prosecuted bankruptcy fraud and related crimes, including mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud. From 1996 through 1999, he established and managed a new office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, in Youngstown. During his tenure as a prosecutor, Steven pursued numerous trials and appeals, including the prosecution of attorneys, accountants, and corporate officers for embezzlement, concealment of assets and tax offenses, complex bank and mail fraud cases and death threats to a federal bankruptcy judge.

In private practice, Steven was senior insolvency and federal litigation counsel for the Orange County, Calif., law firm of Albert, Weiland & Golden LLP. Prior to that, he was an associate with the Newport Beach, Calif., office of Buchalter, Nemer, Fields & Younger, and a law clerk for Bankruptcy Judge John E. Ryan in the Central District of California.

A recognized expert in his field of practice, Steven has also been designated as an expert witness in several cases, including both a federal government agency and the California State Bar.

Steven has been recognized in his field of practice by both Best Lawyers® and Super Lawyers®, and was selected by Best Lawyers® as 2013 Lawyer of the Year in the practice of Litigation-Bankruptcy in Orange County, California. He has served as the President of the Orange County Bankruptcy Forum, Conference Co-Chair of the California Bankruptcy Forum, and has been a frequent speaker at many national and regional legal associations, including the American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, the California State Bar, and the Justice Department’s national training facilities.

Academically, Steven received his law degree from the University of California – Davis, and his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of California – Santa Cruz. In his spare time, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, skiing, yoga, adventure travel, charity work and teaching cycle classes.