College Columns December 2019 | Page 8

From The Chair

continued from page 2

Note that it mentions nothing about the 42-inch HDTV’s turning on at 3:00 a.m., a service which the Hotel Del Coronado provided us at no extra charge.

The rates at the Brown Palace are very favorable compared to DC and San Diego, and better yet, the Holiday Inn Express next door, which is connected by a covered walkway, is operated by the same management company, and the room rates there are even more attractive. The Induction Ceremony will be held at the Denver Art Institute, a 10-12 minute walk from the two hotels. Plus, the hotels are close to all manner of restaurants and law firms such that sites for the Circuit luncheons the day of the Induction Ceremony will be easily accessible. Finally, the light rail from DIA is inexpensive and efficient, and takes you to Union Station, which is about a mile from the hotels.

The board considered whether the Denver weather should tilt us toward Phoenix – where the hotel was much more expensive (due to the annual spring training invasion of baseball fans) and was far from the city – but the fact is that Denver and DIA know how to deal with the cold and snow should we hit a cold front, and research revealed that more flights are canceled in the DC area than at DIA at that time of year. However, as a modicum of insurance, the Induction Ceremony will be held on Friday, April 1 – yes, I know – rather than in the second week of March. As best as we can tell, that date does not conflict with any holidays or school vacations.

More details to follow, but in the meantime, please calendar the date.

Important Information Regarding The Reduction of Fees and Dues

While I hope that you became a Fellow of the College to take advantage of its educational programs and to spend time with first rate insolvency professionals from across the country and around the world, I realize that networking at ACB events and during telephonic committee meetings also can lead to business referrals. However, such business development is irrelevant to Fellows who spend most of their time representing consumer debtors or serving as chapter 7 or 13 trustees. Those professionals are important members of the College community, and their service on various committees, including the Foundation’s Pro Bono Committee, is invaluable.

In early November, about a week after the College Class of 2020 was selected by the Board of Regents, a longtime Fellow (whose practice does not include consumer matters) suggested that the College revisit the cost of induction and the annual dues for consumer debtor and trustee professionals. The request was prompted by the current $900 induction fee and the $400 annual dues - which are a burden on many such professionals. A reduction would not be extraordinary because the induction fees and dues for academics, judges and other government employees have been much lower for years.

After fully airing the issue, the Executive Committee voted to lower the induction fee for such professionals to $300 and the annual dues to $150 (both of which are greater than what academics, judges and other government employees are charged). The new structure will take effect on January 1, 2020, meaning that the induction fee reduction will impact those individuals who will be inducted in March, and the dues reduction will impact all Fellows who qualify. Those eligible are professionals whose practice is substantially the representation of consumer debtors and whose firm is comprised of five or fewer professionals. The reduction also applies to chapter 7 and chapter 13 trustees in firms of five or fewer professionals.

Shari and her staff will be reaching out to the 1 to 3 members of the Class of 2020 who may qualify. Fellows previously inducted who believe that they qualify should email Shari at [email protected] to request the reduction.

8