ABI Scholar Authors New Book on BAPCPA

Prof. Nathalie Martin, ABI's fall 2005 Robert M. Zinman Resident Scholar, is the author (with her husband and colleague Stewart Paley) of the forthcoming book The New Bankruptcy Law and You, published by John Wiley & Sons. The book is the first full-length work designed to help consumers understand the changes brought on by the new bankruptcy law. From the decision to file for bankruptcy to the final discharge and beyond, the new book guides consumers through the milestones in both chapter 7 and chapter 13 procedure. The book also covers practical household financial issues from the consumer perspective: budgeting, saving, investing and the economics of credit. Highly readable and accessible to the consumer, the book also treats the important but often-overlooked emotional and psychological aspects of spending and debt.

Prof. Martin teaches bankruptcy and business law at the University of New Mexico School of Law, having joined the faculty in 1998. She will assist ABI's public education and outreach on BAPCPA during the critical period leading up to and after the Oct. 17 effective date of the new law. "We are delighted to have Nathalie as the new Zinman Scholar," said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. "She's the ideal person to help explain to the media the practical dimensions of the significant new provisions we'll all be dealing with under BAPCPA."

New Staff Joins ABI

Monica Brown joined the ABI staff in August as a staff accountant. She has more than four years of experience in payables, receivables, grant administration and collections in the nonprofit sector. She also is experienced in association membership and office management for organizations such as the National Community Pharmacists Association, National Sheriffs Association and Fairfax (Va.) County Public Schools. She has a degree from Northern Virginia Community College and is pursuing a B.S. from George Mason University. Monica reports to Kathy Sheehan, ABI's Chief Financial Officer.

Legislative Committee Chair Named

ABI President John D. Penn has named R. Scott Williams (Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker; Birmingham, Ala.) as the new co-chair of the Legislative Committee, succeeding Hon. George Paine II. Before entering private practice, Mr. Williams served Sen. Howell Heflin (D-Ala.) as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. An ABI member since 1993, he has also served on the advisory board of the ABI Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop. Hon. David Houston III (N.D. Miss.) continues to serve as co-chair of the committee.

Get Certified Before the New Law Takes Effect

The new bankruptcy law provides that courts will take into account board certification when awarding attorney fees under §330. The American Board of Certification is offering its exams several times this fall (covering current law). You can prepare for the exams with a handy and affordable CD-ROM prepared by board-certified ABI members. The CD includes materials on consumer bankruptcy, business bankruptcy, ethics and creditors' rights. Sample exam questions and answers are also included. Member price is $195.

First "Mid-Atlantic" Program Exceeds Expectations

More than 200 insolvency professionals attended the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop, held in Aug. 4-6 at the Hyatt Regency Resort on Maryland's Eastern Shore. We thank the program's co-chairs, Skip DiMassa (Duane Morris; Philadelphia) and Laura Davis Jones (Pachulski, Stang et al.; Wilmington, Del.) for their hard work in planning the workshop topics and organizing an advisory board of more than two dozen members from the region (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio). Judges Mary F. Walrath (D. Del.) and Judi Fitzgerald (W.D. Pa.) served as judicial chairs. Nine judges from the region served on the faculty for the three-day program, along with the regional U.S. Trustee. Six break-outs and two plenary sessions on commercial bankruptcy issues offered nine hours of CLE credit. The resort was popular with guests, who are already planning their return for next year's program.

Advisory Board members were: Mitchell B. Arden (Phoenix Management Services Inc.; Chadds Ford, Pa.); Howard Brod Brownstein (NachmanHaysBrownstein Inc; Narberth, Pa.); Mary F. Caloway (Klett, Rooney, Lieber & Schorling PC; Wilmington); Neal D. Colton (Cozen O'Connor; Philadelphia); Tobey M. Daluz (Ballard, Spahr; Wilmington); Michael S. Etkin (Lowenstein Sandler PC; Roseland, N.J.); Brett D. Fallon (Morris, James, Hitchens & Williams; Wilmington); Bonnie Glantz Fatell (Blank Rome LLP; Wilmington); Gregg Galardi (Skadden Arps; Wilmington); Jean Gardner (Bowne of Philadelphia; Philadelphia); Neil Gilmour III (Executive Sounding Board Associates; Wilmington); Robert Alan Kargen (White and Williams LLP; Philadelphia); Andrew C. Kassner (Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP; Philadelphia); Steven K. Kortanek (Klehr, Harrison, Harvey, Branzburg & Ellers LLP; Wilmington); Richard M. Kremen (Piper Rudnick LLP; Baltimore); Selinda A. Melnik (Edwards & Angell LLP; Wilmington); Richard M. Meth (Pitney Hardin LLP; Morristown, N.J.); Prof. Charles W. Mooney (University of Pennsylvania Law School; Philadelphia); Francis A. Monaco (Monczak and Monaco PA; Wilmington); Pasquale J. Nigro (Deloitte; Philadelphia); Norman L. Pernick (Saul Ewing LLP; Wilmington); Robert G. Sable (McGuire Woods LLP; Pittsburgh); Maria Aprile Sawczuk (CPT Group Inc; Wilmington); J. Jeffrey Schwartz (Benesch, Friedlander et al.; Cleveland); Paul M. Singer (Reed Smith; Pittsburgh); Prof. David A. Skeel (University of Pennsylvania Law School; Philadelphia) and Dean Vomero (Bridge Associates LLC; Cleveland).

ABI also thanks the many financial sponsors of food events and optional programs. Major sponsors included Algon Group LLC, Bridge Associates LLC, Miles & Stockbridge PC, Delaware Claims Agency LLC, Greenberg Traurig LLP, The Bayard Firm, The Trumbull Group, TRG, Ashby & Geddes PA, Liquidity Solutions Inc., Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads LLP and SSG Capital.