never took bankruptcy in law school but were pressed into the bankruptcy practice because there was an urgent need for bankruptcy lawyers at the time and the expertise or specialty simply did not exist in their locale . ( For some of the stories I made minor edits for space limitation but you will get the gist .)
I turn first to the origin story of Judge Margaret Mann in San Diego :
“ I never took a bankruptcy class in law school and no attorneys in my firm practiced bankruptcy but , I was engaged to a bankruptcy judge ’ s law clerk . When the first recession after the enactment of the Bankruptcy Code hit in 1982 , our real estate clients were desperate for bankruptcy advice . I was the closest thing to an expert at the firm since my husband could at least tell me where to look for answers to our clients . I worked hard at educating myself . The law was so new at that time that younger attorneys had a chance to distinguish themselves .”
The origin story of Camille Hope , the Chapter 13 Trustee in Macon , Georgia is equally compelling .
“ My husband and I moved to Macon after graduating from Boston University Law School in 1977 . I was a staff attorney with the Middle District of Georgia Legal Services office . In 1981 , Judge Robert F . Hershner was new to the bankruptcy bench and had hired a new law clerk . Soon thereafter , the local Chapter 13 Trustee died in a car accident , and I applied to be the Chapter 13 Trustee although I had not taken a bankruptcy course in law school and had only filed one bankruptcy case , a chapter 7 case in my four and a half years with legal services . To prepare for my interview , I spent hours in the Mercer law library studying the old Act and the new Code . I read a law review article titled Chapter 13 Trustee , No Mere Disbursing Agent , explaining the expanded role of the Chapter 13 Trustee . I always believed that the knowledge I learned from that article was responsible for my selection by Judge Hershner to be the Chapter 13 Trustee . At the beginning of my trustee career , the new bankruptcy judge , the new law clerk and new Chapter 13 Trustee met regularly as a team to discuss issues to discuss issues and the most ideal and practical processes .”
continued on page 18
In This Issue
Welcomes and Farewells ................. 4
From the Foundation ....................... 6
From the Grants and Pro Bono Committee ....................... 8
Shari Bedker : Our Gratitude and Farewell .......... 10
Royal Yet Relevant !.......................... 12
Shari ’ s Next Adventure ................. 14
Doing the Splits !............................ 15
Our March Annual Meeting in Review .......................... 16
2023 Grantees ................................ 24
2023 DEI Grantees ......................... 26
2024 Patrons & Sponsors ........... 27
ACBF 2024 Donations ................... 33
Focus on Fellows ............................ 34
Upcoming Events ........................... 36
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