This month we profile Robert T. Ladd, who was elected to the ABI Board of Directors in May. A CPA, Mr. Ladd is a partner with Arthur Andersen LLP in Houston and Southwest Regional Director of the firm's Corporate Recovery Services and Corporate Finance Practices. Prior to joining Arthur Andersen, he was president of First City Asset Servicing Company, which managed the liquidation of $1 billion of assets for First City, Texas and Collecting Bank, N.A. In addition, he served as chairman of the Unsecured Creditors' Committee of Drexel Burnham Lambert Group Inc.

Mr. Ladd received his MBA in Finance and Accounting at the University of Texas at Austin and his undergraduate degree in Economics and Managerial Studies at Rice University. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Urban Land Institute.

Membership on the Move

During the summer months, the ABI has travelled to a variety of conferences to attract members from a wide range of disciplines. In May the ABI exhibited at the Association of Insolvency Accountants Annual Conference in San Francisco. In July the ABI attended the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Conference on Bankruptcy in Washington, as well as the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees National Conference in Portland, Ore.

For the first time, ABI participated in the National Auctioneers Association's (NAA) Trade Show, held in July in Oklahoma City. The ABI recently established a relationship with the NAA offering discounted ABI memberships to its members.

This month the ABI will attend the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees Annual Conference in Tucson, Ariz. Members are invited to visit the booth and tell colleagues to stop by as well to learn about the benefits of membership in ABI.

The ABI staff has completed work on the 1998-1999 Annual Membership Directory, which will be mailed to you this month. Plans are also underway to integrate portions of the directory into ABI World, ABI's Internet site, including e-mail addresses, to provide members with a convenient online source of contact information. The online directory will be updated on a monthly basis. ABI thanks West Group again for its generosity in printing and mailing the directory to the entire membership.

The ABI is continually seeking new features to offer our members. If there is a service or product (discounted software, access to resources, etc.) that you think ABI should offer its members, please let us know. Drop us an e-mail at [email protected] or contact ABI Headquarters at (703) 739-0800.

ABI's membership growth can be attributed in part to the members who encourage colleagues to take advantage of the benefits of membership. If you would like a supply of membership brochures to share, please contact ABI.

Members in the News

Joseph S.U. Budoff, a member of the ABI Board of Directors, has joined the law firm of Shechtman Levy & Halperin in its Boston office. Mr. Bodoff, certified by the American Board of Certification in business bankruptcy law, serves on the organization's Board as well. A long-time active ABI member, he recently completed a five-year tenure as co-chair of the ABI Unsecured Trade Creditor Committee.

Terry L. Myers, a partner in the law firm of Givens, Pursley & Huntley LLP in Boise, Idaho, was named the new U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Idaho. Mr. Myers will immediately begin a 14-year term by succeeding the retired Hon. Alfred C. Hagan. After graduating from Idaho State University, Mr. Myers served as law clerk in the Idaho Supreme Court and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boise. He was in private practice for 14 years before succeeding Judge Hagan.

Charles M. Tatelbaum has joined the Connecticut-Florida law firm of Cummings & Lockwood in its Naples, Fla. office. Formerly with the firm of Johnson, Blakely, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns of Tampa, Fla., he joined the firm's Litigation Group as a partner and will lead its full-service Creditors' Rights Group in handling complex business litigation matters, loan restructurings, UCC issues, workouts, commercial foreclosures and bankruptcies, including chapter 7 liquidations and chapter 11 organizations. He is a former member of ABI's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

David A. Greer, a principal in the Norfolk, Va. law firm of Hofheimer Nusbaum P.C., was appointed chair of the Consumer Bankruptcy Committee for the American Bar Association Business Section at the ABA meeting in Toronto. He regularly presents a discussion of recent developments in consumer bankruptcy law to the committee. He also was a speaker for a program on landlords' claims in bankruptcy at the section's spring meeting in St. Louis.

Robert W. Neumann, a CPA at Morrison & Company P.A. in Paramus, N.J., has been named the head of the firm's Bankruptcy Division and will oversee the areas of insolvency and reorganization.