SECTION UPDATE
Bankruptcy Section
By M. Regina Thomas
United States Bankruptcy Court
[email protected]
T
he Bankruptcy Section welcomed Brian McMahon,
PhD. to its member breakfast series on Tuesday,
November 18, 2014. Mr. McMahon, a partner with
Gate City Partners, LLC., is an Atlanta-based consultant
who helps attorneys and their clients prepare for the rigors of
a deposition. After years of research in social cognition, Mr.
McMahon created the Poise™: Psychological Preparation
for Deposition, to show lawyers how and why witnesses
react certain ways to the stress of giving a deposition. Mr.
McMahon received his BA from California State University,
San Marcos and MS and PhD degrees in organizational
psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The
Bankruptcy Section members were treated to an excellent,
informative discussion which will certainly be useful in their
practices going forward. Future programs are in the works
for the breakfast series which will continue in 2015.
The Bankruptcy Section’s Annual Bankruptcy and Commercial
Law Year in Review Program will be on Thursday, December
11, from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm at the Capital City Club. The
morning session (9:00 am to 12:15 pm) features Judges Paul
W. Bonapfel and Mary Grace Diehl of the U.S. Bankruptcy
Court, Beth Anne Harrill, law clerk to Judge Bonapfel, and
Harris Winsberg of Troutman Sanders. This session will
review the key commercial and consumer bankruptcy law
developments during 2014. Lunch will be served from 12:15
pm to 1:30 pm. The afternoon session (1:30 pm to 3:30 pm)
features Ed Dobbs of Parker, Hudson, Ranier & Dobbs and
Al Lurey of Kilpatrick Townsend. The afternoon session is
a comprehensive review of the significant developments in
commercial law during 2014. Attendees may register for only
the morning session, only the afternoon session, or both.
The annual program has been presented for over 20 years
and is considered by many to be one of the best of its kind
in the country. Registration is available via the Atlanta Bar
Association’s website.
For the 2014-2015 year, the officers and board members of
the Bankruptcy Section are:
Nancy J. Whaley (Chair), John W. Mills, III (Vice Chair/Chair
Elect), Ron C. Bingham, II (Secretary), Alison Elko Franklin
(Treasurer), John A. Thomson, Jr. (Immediate Past Chair),
Brett J. Berlin, B. Summer Chandler, Jeffrey W. Cavender,
Melissa Davey, Sage M. Sigler, Howard P. Slomka and M.
Regina Thomas (Members at Large).
If you have ideas or suggestions for Bankruptcy Section
activities or projects, please feel free to contact any of the
officers or board members. We look forward to a great year
and welcome your participation.
REFER CALLS TO LRIS
Remember, if your firm receives
those occasional calls regarding
legal issues that you do not handle,
please refer them to the Lawyer
Referral and Information Service at:
404-521-0777
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association
November 2014
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
41