COMMUNITY
In Memoriam : The Honorable W . Homer Drake , Jr .
DOROTEYA N . WOZNIAK James Bates Brannan Groover LLP dwozniak @ jamesbatesllp . com
PHOTO CREDIT : NEWNAM TIMES-HERALD
The Bankruptcy Section is saddened by the recent passing of Retired U . S . Bankruptcy Judge W . H . Drake . Jr . Judge Drake was the Valedictorian of the 1950 graduating class of Newnan High School , a graduate of Mercer University Undergraduate and the School of Law ( 1954 A . B . and 1956 LL . B ), and was a lifelong supporter of his alma matter . After graduating law school , he enrolled in the U . S . Army where he served as an officer in the Judge Advocate General ' s Corps from 1956 to 1959 . Judge Drake then practiced law for several years before being appointed as United States Bankruptcy Judge in 1964 . He retired in 2021 , becoming one of the longest serving federal judges .
Space does not allow us to adequately describe the depth , scope , and importance of Judge Drake ’ s contributions to the local and national bankruptcy bar . Judge Drake was a pioneer and a trailblazer in the Bankruptcy world and is universally respected in both the national and international insolvency arena . One of Judge Drake ’ s many lasting legacies is the leadership that allowed the passage of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 which , among many things , modernized the bankruptcy system into the current system we know and became the blueprint for other countries ’ insolvency schemes .
Judge Drake was also the founder of the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute , a respected and nationally recognized conference . He was also the first recipient of the Bankruptcy Section ’ s David W . Pollard Award honoring his contributions to bankruptcy law and practice ( 1994 ) and the recipient of the Atlanta Bar Association Leadership Award ( 1997 ). Judge Drake dedicated countless hours in support of the Atlanta Bar Bankruptcy Section as well as many other professional organizations such as the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges , Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute , and his namesake the W . Homer Drake , Jr . Georgia Bankruptcy American Inn of Court .
Doroteya Wozniak is Chair of The Atlanta Bar ’ s Bankruptcy Law Section .
20 December 2022 / January 2023