BANKRUPTCY
SECTION UPDATE
BANKRUPTCY
By M . Regina Thomas United States Bankruptcy Court , NDOG regina _ thomas @ ganb . uscourts . gov
The annual David Pollard Award Luncheon and Spring Bankruptcy CLE held on May 12 , 2016 at the Capital City Club was a tremendous success . CLE attendees enjoyed an excellent program featuring presentations on The Changing Landscape of Garnishment Law in Georgia ( Schulyer Elliot , David Kleber and David Webster ), Credit Report Issues Arising after a Consumer Filed Bankruptcy ( Samantha Tzoberi , Paul Sieg , Jason Esteves and Robert Solomon ) and Select Evidentiary Issues for the Bankruptcy Practitioner ( Hon . Paul Baisier and Grant Stein ).
Following the CLE program , the Honorable C . Ray Mullins , Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia , was honored with the prestigious Pollard Award . Judge Mullins , who was introduced by his longtime court colleague , the Hon . Joyce Bihary ( Ret .) and former Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton colleague , Todd Meyers , shared this special event with his wife , Beverly , and nearly 200 colleagues from the bankruptcy community .
The Bankruptcy Section will continue its work on these programs in the upcoming board year : � Adversary Proceeding Project – providing representation for pro se plaintiffs and defendants in adversary proceedings ;
� Credit Abuse Resistance Education ( CARE ) – a nationwide program supported by the American Bankruptcy Institute through which judges and members of the Bankruptcy Section present financial literacy programming , including responsible use of credit ; to provide pro bono representation to low income debtors with the assistance of volunteer mentor attorneys ;
� Low Income Creditor Assistance Project - an initiative founded in 2013 by the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation ( AVLF ) and the Bankruptcy Section to provide low income judgment creditors with free legal assistance in bankruptcy cases ; and
� Reaffirmation Project - introduced in 2007 , in collaboration with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society , the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia , the Clerk ’ s Office for the Bankruptcy Court , and the Office of the United States Trustee for Region 21 , this program provides free legal counsel to unrepresented debtors seeking to enter into reaffirmation agreements in bankruptcy cases . This successful program has provided much needed assistance to thousands of chapter 7 debtors in metro Atlanta .
The Bankruptcy Section is pleased to announce the Officers and Board Members for the 2016-2017 year :
Officers Alison Elko Franklin ( Chair ) – Dentons US LLP Jeffrey Cavender ( Chair Elect ) – Troutman Sanders LLP Sage Sigler ( Treasurer ) – Alston & Bird LLP B . Summer Chandler ( Secretary ) – Chandler Law Firm LLC John W . Mills , III ( Immediate Past Chair ) – Barnes & Thornburg LLP
� Georgia State University College of Law Bankruptcy Assistance & Practice Program – an innovative program that provides the opportunity for law students
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER 41