BIG BOOK OF BANKRUPTCY FUNNIES
said the magic words, “You are hired.”
Cal also said, “I think that we will work
well together. Welcome aboard!”
I was ecstatic, on top of the world.
I’m sure I shook his hand a little too
enthusiastically.
During my four-month tenure, Cal and
his career law clerk (then Ms. Kathleen
Lax) took time to teach me how to
craft a brief, present issues, and be
professional. (Eventually, Kathleen
Lax was appointed as a bankruptcy
judge. From 1987 to 2010, Judge Lax --
ultimately serving and retiring as Judge
Kathleen Thompson -- was on the
bankruptcy bench in the San Fernando
Valley Division of the Central District of
California.
Cal always displayed good humor and
a positive attitude in chambers.
One afternoon (just before mounting
the bench), Judge Ashland said to me,
“Now let’s go out there and see what’s
in all of their little pointed heads.”
Another time, I remember a pro se
debtor asking Judge Ashland, “Are
you a mean judge?” Cal smiled and
responded, “No, but some days, I wish
I was a mean judge!”
Cal and I enjoyed sharing jokes and
humor about the law. When my term
was up, Cal gave me a copy of his
personal legal joke book. I treasure the
book because it reminds me not to take
life too seriously.
When Judge (then attorney) Ashland
first moved to Los Angeles from
Iowa, Ashlandʹs first job was with the
bankruptcy and collections boutique
now known as Sulmeyer Kupetz.
After receiving a stellar written letter
of reference from Judge Ashland, I
also began my own 35‐year career
at Sulmeyer Kupetz. For the last 18
years, I have been a partner at Hinds
& Shankman, LLP specializing in
creditor rights and remedies, financial
and business litigation, and corporate
36
CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY JOURNAL
restructuring.
Judge
Ashland
never
stopped
mentoring his former clerks. I distinctly
recall my early appearances before
Judge Ashland. After we completed
the business at hand, Judge Ashland
would sometimes ask me a personal
question. Such as, “Have you made
any mistakes yet?” or “Do you have
any clients in jail?” (That second
question always worried me a little.)
After a calendar, Cal might invite me
into chambers to chew the fat about
daily life.
Cal was also a friend. When Judge
Ashland learned that my sister died,
he adjourned court. Cal, Kathleen Lax,
and Sheri Bressi (his deputy clerk)
called to ask what they could do to help
me and the family. I was truly touched.
Cal set a great example of what it
means to be the best person and
attorney that one can be.
Finally, just to be clear, I did not have
access to Judge Ashland’s Big Book
of Bankruptcy Funnies until after I won
my fair share of Bankruptcy Joke for a
Buck competitions.
That is my alibi, Professor Bovitz, and I
am sticking with it.
More about the Big
Bankruptcy Funnies.
Book
of
I’ve had the privilege to read Judge
Ashland’s Big Book of Bankruptcy
Funnies. (T he Consumer Bankruptcy
Journal thanks Judge Ashland’s
widow, Ilse, and the Ashland family for
permitting us to review and refer to a
few selections from the joke book.)
The Big Book of Bankruptcy Funnies
includes over a hundred cartoons from
many major publications.
In one cartoon (Peanuts, December 2,
1980), Linus reminds us that Abraham
Lincoln -- unlike Snoopy, the dog/
Winter 2018
attorney -- was always able to find his
way to the courthouse when he was a
practicing lawyer.
Another cartoon shows two judges
in a private conversation. One judge
whispers to the other, “Did you ever
have a day when you don’t give a
damn about the rules of evidence?”
This reminds me that bankruptcy
judges may not enjoy our excessive
evidentiary objections.
The Hon. Barry Russell, U.S.
Bankruptcy Judge, Central District
of California, is an exception to this
rule on evidentiary objections. Judge
Russell is the author of the Bankruptcy
Evidence Manual (more than 1,200
pages on evidence). At $581.85, Judge
Russell’s book is probably the most
expensive paperback available from
Amazon. Don’t check the “OK to deliver
by drone” box or Amazon might hurt
someone.
Over the years, Paul Shankman
cut out published cartoons from the
newspaper, dropped the published
tag lines, added his own cutting-edge
bankruptcy lines, and sent these to
Judge Ashland. Judge Ashland placed
many of Mr. Shankman’s Franken-
toons in the Big Book of Bankruptcy
Funnies.
The Big Book of Bankruptcy Funnies
included an article from the August
7, 1978 edition of Family Circle. This
was an excerpt from Barbara Seuling’s
book, “You Can’t Eat Peanuts in
Church & Other Little Known Laws.”
For example, “In Connecticut, the
law states that if you are beaver, you
have a legal right to build a dam.”
(Compare the cost of this little gem to
Judge Russell’s book. At 85 cents, You
Can’t Eat Peanuts in Church & Other
Little Known Laws is probably the least
expensive paperback available from
Amazon.)
The Big Book of Bankruptcy Funnies
includes an undated article from the
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys