Lawyer running Providence Place mall will become US bankruptcy judge in R.I.
'The court is confident that attorney Dorsey's experience with receiverships, insolvency, and distressed asset proceedings and strong ties to the Rhode Island community will make him a valuable addition to the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island as well as to the First Circuit,' Barron said.
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Barron also thanked Finkle 'for her many years of dedicated and distinguished service.'
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With the judicial appointment, Dorsey will have to step down as a court-appointed receiver for
Dorsey and his law partner W. Mark Russo were named the mall's court-appointed receivers, and
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In May, they reversed course on a
Also, earlier this year, Dorsey essentially granted a pardon to Michael Townsend, who was banned from the mall after he and others artists were found to have maintained a fully furnished
Throughout his legal career, Dorsey has been a civil litigator focused on state receiverships and court-supervised insolvency and distressed asset proceedings. He is often appointed by state and municipal courts as a commissioner, special master, or receiver.
Since 2010, Dorsey has practiced at the
Dorsey received a bachelor's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in 2007, and a law degree from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2010.
Dorsey is a member of the Thurgood Marshall Law Society, and the Rhode Island Black Business Association. From 2015 to 2016, he served on the board of directors of the Quonset Development Corporation, and he served on the board of directors of the Roger Williams University Law School Alumni Association from 2018 to 2024.
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The state Superior Court appointed Dorsey as the program coordinator of the team that developed the COVID-19 Business Recovery Program, which provided a roadmap for business owners to consider in protecting business interests in light of the effects of the pandemic.
The US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island is a single judge court, with one place of business at 380 Westminster St. in Providence. The court handled
Bankruptcy laws enable people or businesses who can no longer pay their creditors to organize their affairs, liquidate their debts or create a plan to pay them off, and get a fresh start. Bankruptcy judges decide matters involving the bankruptcy code, which sets out how the parties involved in a bankruptcy case should proceed.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
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