Hon. Mary E. Lopinot

Hon. Mary E. Lopinot was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Illinois on October 31, 2024. Immediately prior to her appointment, Judge Lopinot was a staff attorney at the Russell C. Simon Chapter 13 Trust operation from 2020-2024. Before joining the Chapter 13 trust operation, Judge Lopinot was a shareholder at the law firm of Mathis, Marifian & Richter Ltd. in Southern Illinois, focusing her areas of practice in bankruptcy law, tax procedure and general business law. During her legal career, Judge Lopinot represented many consumer and small business stakeholders in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcy proceedings, including debtors, creditors and bankruptcy trustees. Judge Lopinot also served as a Chapter 7 panel trustee in the Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis Division) from 2014 to 2017. She has also taught as an adjunct instructor in the paralegal studies program at Southwestern Illinois College since 2011.

Judge Lopinot attended Southern Illinois University (B.S. 1995) and St. Louis University School of Law (J.D. 1998).

Judge Lopinot has served on the board and executive committee of the Bankruptcy Association of Southern Illinois since 2012. She has presented on various bankruptcy and tax topics at continuing education seminars, as well as written on business and consumer bankruptcy issues. Mary was a contributing author to the 2018 update of Representing the Chapter 11 Debtor in the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education publication, Business Bankruptcy Practice Series.

Judge Lopinot and her husband, Mark Lopinot, have twin sons, Mark and Wyatt, both of whom recently graduated from college and are embarking on their own career paths as their mom starts this new chapter in her career. In her spare time, Judge Lopinot enjoys gardening, cooking and restoring/repairing old household items, particularly furniture, kitchen appliances & Christmas decorations.