Chapter 13 Trustee – Akron, Ohio

Effective October 1, 2008, the United States Department of Justice – United States Trustee Program appointed Keith L. Rucinski the Standing Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee for Akron, Ohio.

Mr. Rucinski is an Attorney and CPA. He has earned undergraduate and law degrees from The University of Akron. His undergraduate degree is in business administration with a major in finance and minor in economics.

Mr. Rucinski is admitted to practice law in the State of Ohio, United States District Court (Northern District of Ohio), United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Rucinski served the Chapter 13 Trusteeship in Akron, Ohio, as Staff Counsel and Controller with responsibility for all legal functions, financial reporting, and daily administration of the Trusteeship. He established and maintains the Trusteeship’s In-House Business Case Review Program. He has written the training manual on reviewing business cases which is used by many bankruptcy trustees in the United States.

In 2008, Mr. Rucinski established the Trusteeship’s Financial Management Instructional Course to help debtors complete the required course needed to earn a discharge pursuant to the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. The Trusteeship offers an in person class and sponsors on-line classes. Both classes are free of charge for people who have filed a Chapter 13 case in Akron, Ohio.

From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Rucinski has taught courses for the Ohio State Bar Association to teach attorneys how to understand and interpret tax returns and financial statements. From 2006 through 2012 he served on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel for the United States District Court (Northern District of Ohio) for bankruptcy and financial issues.

Prior to becoming Trustee, Mr. Rucinski worked eight years in corporate accounting and completed a legal internship with the City of Akron, Ohio, law department. In addition, he maintained a private law practice concentrating on taxes and business law issues. He has served as a financial and bankruptcy expert witness in domestic, criminal, and bankruptcy cases for private attorneys, local prosecutors, and the U.S. Department of Justice. He has been quoted by local and national media on bankruptcy issues.

Since 1998, he has taught over thirty graduate and undergraduate courses in taxes, financial statement analysis, accounting, and business law. He has served as adjunct faculty for The University of Akron, Kent State University, Myers University, and Stark State University. In 2009, he was inducted into the Financial Management Association Professional Honor Society by the University of Akron chapter.

Mr. Rucinski has published several articles on financial analysis and bankruptcy issues in the NACTT Quarterly (national bankruptcy trade publication), the Ohio CPA Journal, and Ohio Lawyer. He has co-authored an article on the new bankruptcy law titled, “Bankruptcy Reform – the 21st Century Debtor’s Prison”. See American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, Volume 12, Number 2, Winter 2004.

Mr. Rucinski has served as a seminar and workshop speaker for the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, the United States Department of Justice-United States Trustee Program, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Akron Bar Association, Cleveland Bar Association, Northern Ohio Creditors’ Association, Ohio State Bar Association, The Ohio Child Support Enforcement Agency, The Enrolled Tax Agents of Greater Cleveland, The National Association of Attorneys General, Eighth District Academy of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, The University of Akron School of Law, and Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Professional affiliations include: American Bankruptcy Institute, Akron Bar Association, Ohio Society of CPA’s, Ohio State Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, and life member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference.