Louis H. Kornreich

Widely recognized as an effective mediator, leader, and problem solver.

After a distinguished 40 year career as one of Northern New England’s top reorganization specialists, the last 14 of which were spent on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine where he served as Chief Judge, Lou Kornreich joined Bernstein Shur to provide mediation services in the private sphere. While on the bench, Lou sat for extended periods of time as a visiting bankruptcy judge in the Districts of Delaware and New Hampshire and as an appellate judge on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit.

During his tenure on the bench, Lou was a sought-after judicial mediator in the Bankruptcy Court and the U.S District Court, and was held in high esteem by the bench and bar and for his multifaceted approach to mediation and his skill at helping parties achieve comprehensive and pragmatic solutions in difficult cases.

Lou is a registered mediator in the Southern District of New York, the District of Delaware and the District of Massachusetts. His mediation work covers bankruptcy matters and all aspects of civil litigation.

Lou is widely known and well-regarded for being a neutral facilitator who knows when to provide case evaluation and direction.

As a judge, Lou presided over some of the largest and most complex reorganization cases in Maine history, including Great Northern Paper, and two Canadian cross-border cases: Androscoggin Energy, a natural gas case covering several North American jurisdictions, and the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway case arising from the tragic Lac Megantic fire.

Lou is an author and sought-after speaker on mediation topics, presenting for ABI, NYIC and other groups including Touro Law School where he was the distinguished lecturer in the fall of 2017. Other notable presentations include an ABI national webinar on the issue of confidentiality in mediation and the ABI Portable Mediation Program. His recent published articles include several for the ABI Journal, including “Taking Mediation Online: The Practicalities and the Pitfalls”, “Bankruptcy Court: Religious Court’s Edict Violated the Automatic Stay”and “Achieving a Balance Between Absolute Neutrality and a Participant’s Desires in Mediation” as well as another recent article for the Maine Lawyer’s Review, “Recipes for Success: Tips and Techniques for a Mediated Settlement”.

He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute where he currently serves as a co-chair of Special Projects for the Mediation Committee. He is also a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, and is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy.