Barbara George Barton

Attorney
bbarton@bartonlawsc.com

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. Recipient: Billy
Robinson Public Service Award, 2000; Best Lawyers
in America, 2004-2007; Complete Lawyer Award,
2003. Speaker: ABA Convention; South Carolina
Bankruptcy Convention and South Carolina
Bankruptcy Law Association; South Carolina Bar CLE;
Seminars for NBI, NABT, S.C. Ind. Bankers
Association; S.C. Bridge the GAP; American
Bankruptcy Institute; USC School of Law. Member: South Carolina Board of Governors, 2005-; South Carolina Commission on Lawyer Conduct, 2003-. Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy.(Certified Specialist, Bankruptcy/Debtor-Creditor Law, The Supreme Court of South Carolina)

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; IWIRCs.

Admissions: 1977, South Carolina, U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit and 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. 

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 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 2004-2005.  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. 

In addition, she is very active with the SC Bar Association and currently serves on the Board of Governors and chairs the Professional Development Barriers Committee.   She continues to serve on the Board of the SC Women Lawyer’s Association where she has served on the Board and as an officer for many years, including service as president in 2002. 

She serves as an arbitrator for the National Arbitration Forum and is currently serving on the S.C. Commission on Lawyer Conduct. 

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 AgSouth), handling bankruptcies, foreclosures and other corporate issues, primarily for the state of North Carolina.  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.

She has been happily married for 30 years to John Barton who is an attorney in private practice handling primarily white collar criminal defense matters.  She is the proud mother of Bobby Barton (18) and Katie Barton (17).