Office of Research and Planning

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
May 22, 2002

U.S. TRUSTEE SELECTS NEAL BATSON
AS EXAMINER IN ENRON CORP. BANKRUPTCY CASE

     NEW YORK, N.Y.-United States Trustee Carolyn Schwartz announced today that she will seek court approval for the appointment of Atlanta attorney Neal Batson as examiner in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Enron Corp.

     The examiner is authorized to investigate and report on transactions involving Enron Corp. and related entities, including transactions not reflected on Enron's balance sheets. This authority is set out in the Bankruptcy Court's order of April 8, 2002, which also directs the examiner to file an initial report within 120 days after entry of the order approving his appointment.

     "I reviewed at least two dozen excellent candidates for this post, taking particular care to select a candidate of stature, independence, and expertise," Schwartz stated. "Mr. Batson is recognized as one of the top bankruptcy practitioners in the country, and is widely respected for his integrity as well as his intellect. In addition, he and his firm have agreed to detailed restrictions to avoid conflicting professional relationships that sometimes arise in large and complex bankruptcy cases."

     Batson is a partner in the national law firm Alston & Bird LLP. In addition to serving as counsel for parties in major corporate bankruptcy cases, Batson was the court-appointed examiner in the Chapter 11 case of Southmark Corp., a real estate and financial services conglomerate with stated assets of more than $8.5 billion.

      Batson received his law degree in 1966 from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was editor in chief of the law review and a member of the honorary society Order of the Coif. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1963. He clerked for Judge Griffin B. Bell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1966 and 1967.

     Batson's professional affiliations include: chairman of the American College of Bankruptcy since 2001; member of the National Bankruptcy Conference, a selective organization of top bankruptcy professionals; fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; former vice chairman of the Business Bankruptcy Committee of the American Bar Association's Section on Business Law; by appointment of the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, member from 1993 to 1999 of the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States; panel member of the American Arbitration Association; panel member of the Register of Mediators for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, and former president of the Atlanta Bar Association.

Contact:
Jane Limprecht, Public Information Officer
Executive Office for United States Trustees
(202) 305-7411

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