Welcome Class 36 –“ You Did A Thing”!!
Jennifer Hagle, Sidley Austin LLP Chair, Board of Regents
It is no small feat to gain admission to the American College of Bankruptcy. Our College Fellows represent“ the best of the best” in the restructuring community, having demonstrated the highest standard of professionalism, character, integrity and leadership among bankruptcy specialists. The Portrait Gallery in Washington, D. C. always provides a beautiful backdrop to welcome our new inductees and this year was no exception. Colleagues, friends and family gathered in our nation’ s capital in record numbers to celebrate one of the strongest and most diverse classes to date.
Speaking of diversity, let’ s take a quick look at the Class 36 statistics –
• 38 % female & 62 % male;
• 16 % age 44 and under; 43 % age 45- 54;
• 11 % academic; 3 % consumer; 8 % financial; 3 % government; 11 % judicial; 62 % attorney;
• 21 states represented; and
• International representation – Australia, Hong Kong and Switzerland. Class 36 represents a truly impressive array of worldwide talent ranging across all practice areas, ages and locations!
But what now? How do we sustain the energy, enthusiasm and momentum generated during the induction weekend? The answer is by getting involved with all
that the College has to offer in a manner that fits your interest and passion. And to share the obvious, this message is intended for all Fellows, not just our newly minted class. I promise you, it will be one of the most professionally and personally rewarding things you have done. Here are just a few ideas –
Education- One of the College’ s core strengths is to identify educational programs for sponsorship and develop programs designed to advance its educational purpose. A great way to build on this strength is to continue to attract the best and brightest students out of law school and recruit them into the bankruptcy practice – and then continue to support their careers by expanding their knowledge base and creating networking opportunities through interesting and engaging educational programming. Be sure to check out this year’ s class of Distinguished Law Students – involvement with the Distinguished Law Students Committee is a great way to assist in identifying and cultivating the up-andcoming restructuring talent – which is key to building the pipeline of future Fellows.
Public Service / Pro Bono Work- Nowhere is the College’ s mission better reflected than with respect to its expansive pro bono efforts. The Pro Bono Committee works tirelessly to identify clinical and other community programs devoted to providing debt counseling and other legal services to low-income individuals and families. Through the award of significant grants, the College makes its mark every day in addressing the needs of underserved
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