The Atlanta Lawyer January/February 2011 | Page 11

section news Bankruptcy Section Update By Brad Alexander Baldwin Burr & Forman LLP [email protected] espite the hectic pace for many people in the Bankruptcy Section, members were able to enjoy a few moments of fun, recognition and praise the past few months. A delightful time was had by all at Bankruptcy Section’s social happy hour on October 6, 2010, and members used the occasion to meet, greet and welcome Judge Wendy Hagenau, who recently joined the bench as Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. D In December 2010, the Section hosted its annual CLE seminar on “Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Year In Review,” one of the best attended events that the Section sponsors. We are grateful to the following panel speakers who make the event such a success and have volunteered their time repeatedly for several years: Judge Paul Bonapfel, Judge Mary Grace Diehl, Beth Anne Harrill, James A. Pardo, Jr., Harris Winsberg, C. Edward Dobbs and Alfred S. Lurey. On October 22, 2010, the Bankruptcy Section was honored to receive the Community Service Award from the Atlanta Bar Association at the annual “Celebrating Service” luncheon. The Bankruptcy Section received the award for the “Credit Abuse Resistance Education” (or “CARE Program”) that the Section has sponsored for the past several years. The CARE Program is a financial literacy program presented by bankruptcy professionals to educators and high school students about the potential risks and dangers of credit abuse. The presenters are volunteers from the Bankruptcy Section, usually a two-person team consisting of a bankruptcy attorney and one of the bankruptcy judges from the Northern District, and the hour long presentations are made to classes of high school students here in the metro Atlanta area. Since 2006, the Section has visited dozens of high schools and presented to hundreds of students. The December seminar was made even more meaningful this year, as the luncheon was devoted to honoring Judge James E. Massey, bankruptcy judge for the Northern District. Judge Massey first joined the bench in 1993, and many admiring friends and colleagues were present to pay tribute to his career in the practice of bankruptcy law and his years of service on the court. Accepting the Community Service Award for the Section was Paul Baisier, who played a major role in the initial adoption and organization of the CARE Program by the Section, as well as coordinating and managing the program ever since. The Section is always looking for more volunteers to help and more high schools to visit. To learn more about the CARE Program, please visit the website at www.careprogram.us. If you are interested in participating or helping out, please contact Paul Baisier or one of the Section Board members listed at the Atlanta Bar’s website. The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association In the upcoming months, the Section plans to hold a seminar in February geared toward commercial bankruptcy issues, with the annual Pollard Award scheduled for early May. There are also plans to host monthly breakfast meetings for Section members. We hope it will become an established event in our yearly calendar, so be on the look out for further notices to follow. *** The Bankruptcy Sections Board includes Chair Brad Alexander Baldwin, Vice Chair/Chair Elect Paul M. Baisier, Secretary Jennifer Meir Meyerowitz, Treasurer John A. Thomson Jr, Immediate Past Chair, Tamara Miles Ogier, Members at Large Ron C. Bingham II, Alison M. Elko, J. Hayden Kepner, John W. Mills III, Scott B. Riddle, Richard H. Thomson, and Nancy J. Whaley. January/February 2011 THE ATLANTA LAWYER 11