About me
Judge Elizabeth D. Katz was appointed to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts on March 13, 2017, and is assigned to the Western and Central Divisions. On April 17, 2018, Judge Katz was appointed to the First Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel. On December 10, 2022, Judge Katz was appointed to a four-year term as Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Massachusetts.
Judge Katz received her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont in 1991, and her law degree from Boston University School of Law, where she received the Edward F. Hennessey Award in 1994. From 1995 until 2007, Judge Katz was an Assistant District Attorney for the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office. She was Chief of the District Court Prosecutors from 2000 – 2007. Judge Katz was an associate at the firm of Katz, Argenio and Powers, PC from 2007-2008, and later became an associate at the Ostrander Law Office from 2008-2013 where she concentrated her practice on bankruptcy law. At Ostrander Law Office she represented a Chapter 7 Trustee in Adversary Proceedings, she counseled individuals and businesses in financial distress, and represented clients in bankruptcy cases. In 2013, she formed and operated The Law Office of Elizabeth D. Katz, focusing on criminal defense and bankruptcy law. Immediately prior to her appointment, Judge Katz had been a founding partner at Rescia, Katz & Shear, LLP, since 2015. An active member of the Hampshire County, Hampden County and Massachusetts Bar Associations, Judge Katz served as President of the Hampshire County Bar Association from 2012 to 2014. She was co-chair of both the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Western Massachusetts Bankruptcy Symposium and the Western Division of the M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy Program. After her appointment she continued to actively participate in both programs. In 2016, Judge Katz was awarded the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Community Service Award. Judge Katz is a frequent panelist and lecturer on bankruptcy law. From 2019 to 2024 Judge Katz taught consumer bankruptcy at Western New England University School of Law.
