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Murray Drabkin papers, 1957-1999 (inclusive)

Extent:
10 linear feet
Abstract:
Murray Drabkin (1928-) was a commercial bankruptcy lawyer at Hopkins and Sutter in Washington, D.C. until 2001. He was a member of the National Bankruptcy Conference and co-authored the "Judges' bill," which, together with the "Commission bill," drafted by a federal commission to study bankruptcy laws, was the basis for the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. The collection, 1932-1999, includes materials relating to bankruptcy reform and the jurisdiction of bankruptcy judges in the 1970s and 1980s; records and papers of the National Bankruptcy Conference, where Drabkin was an active member; material relating to two important legislative projects formed by the National Bankruptcy Conference, the Code Review Project and the Insurance Insolvency Project; correspondence related to the activities of bankruptcy committees in New York and Washington, D.C.; and published manuals, reports, and reference books.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Robert B. Morton papers, 1973-1994 (inclusive)

Extent:
3 linear feet (about 3,000 items.)
Abstract:
Robert B. Morton (1912-2005) earned his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1935. In 1962, Morton became a judge in the United States Bankruptcy Court, a position he held until 1986. Upon his retirement from the court, Morton worked for Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock and Kennedy, a law firm located in Wichita, Kan. Morton was an active member in a number of bankruptcy and legal organizations, most notably the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, where he served as President from 1975 to 1976 and as Treasurer from 1980 to 1982. The collection, 1973-1994, includes correspondence, memoranda, handwritten notes, and related material regarding Morton's activities as a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges; as counsel to the bankruptcy department of Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock and Kennedy; and as an advocate for improved benefits for bankruptcy judges.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Leon S. Forman papers, 1978-2002 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.5 linear feet (about 200 items.)
Abstract:
Leon S. Forman (1915-2006) graduated from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1939. Forman joined the law firm of Blank, Rome, Comisky and McCauley in 1984, where served the remainder of his career. He was a member of numerous legal and bankruptcy organizations, including the American College of Bankruptcy and the National Bankruptcy Conference. The collection, 1978-2002, chiefly includes correspondence, reports, and related material regarding Forman's activity as a member of the National Bankruptcy Conference.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Henry J. Sommer papers, 1966-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
66.50 linear feet (90 boxes)
Abstract:
Henry J. Sommer is one of the leading figures in bankruptcy and consumer law. Born in 1949 in Rochester, New York, Sommer received his JD cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1974. After graduating from Harvard, he worked for Community Legal Services in Philadelphia as Project Head of its Consumer Law Project until 1996. In addition to his role with Community Legal Services, Sommer has served on bankruptcy rules committees and worked as editor-in-chief of Collier on Bankruptcy. The Henry J. Sommer Papers, 1966-2014, include National Bankruptcy Conference papers, materials from Continuing Legal Education seminars and other meetings at which Sommer lectured, copies of published manuscripts written by Sommer, and other material related to Sommer's work with consumer law and legal reform.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Judge Thomas Moore papers, 1979-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:
3 linear feet
Abstract:
The Moore Papers document Judge Thomas Moore's process co-writing Chapter 12 of Title 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. This collection contains research on family farm bankruptcies, historical material, competing legislation, legal analyses, speeches and testimonies. The papers are collected from 1979 to 1990 and contain many drafts of the Chapter 12 family farmer legislation adopted by Congress in 1987. Researchers should not that these papers are copies and the originals are located at East Carolina University's Special Collections Department.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Judge Judith Fitzgerald Collection of National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges records, 1972-2011 (inclusive) 2001-2003 (bulk)

Extent:
6 linear feet
Abstract:
Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald has more than 25 years of experience as a Bankruptcy Judge, having presided over matters in the Western District of Pennsylvania (where she was chief judge for five years) as well as in the District of Delaware, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This collection is comprised of records relating to the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. The materials date from 1972 to 2011, and are divided into four series: Administration; Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance; Mediation; Meetings.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Ralph H. Kelley papers, 1967-2004 (inclusive)

Extent:
24 linear feet
Abstract:
Ralph H. Kelley (1928-2004) was appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Sixth Federal Judicial Circuit in 1969. In 1993 he retired as Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee but remained the court's senior judge. He was a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Clerks and the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, where he served as President from 1985 to 1986. In 1980, Ralph Kelley was appointed to the Committee on the Budget of the Judicial Conference of the United States, where he served until 1990. The collection (1967-2004) includes letters and memoranda with the Administrative Office of the United States, congressional leaders, and bankruptcy judges; programs, promotional material, and other material relating to seminars, workshops, conferences, and other meetings in which Kelley was invited to participate; congressional testimony by Kelley before various congressional committees; essays and other writings generated by...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Kenneth N. Klee papers, 1969-1999 (inclusive) 1975-1998 (bulk)

Extent:
28.5 linear feet
Abstract:
Kenneth N. Klee spent his career analyzing bankruptcy law and advocating for pro-debtor reforms to the Bankruptcy Code. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1974 and joined to the California bar in 1975. He began his career as Associate Counsel for the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, a subunit of the House of Representatives' Committee on the Judiciary, where he advised Congress and helped draft legislation related to bankruptcy reform in the 1970s. He was also a consultant to the House Judiciary Committee from 1977 to 1982 and the Department of Justice from 1983 to 1985. Klee was a member of the National Bankruptcy Conference, an association of scholars and practitioners committed to the study of bankruptcy legislation and reform, where he was chair of the Committee on Legislation from 1992 to 1999. He worked at Stutman, Treister and Glatt and was a founding partner of Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff, and Stern, LLP. The collection, 1969-1999, includes papers relating...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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Joseph L. Cosetti papers, 1972-2001 (inclusive) 1989-1992 (bulk)

Extent:
3 linear feet (about 1400 items.)
Abstract:
Joseph L. Cosetti was appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 1980, where he served as Chief Judge until 1994. He served as President of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ) from 1991 to 1992. The NCBJ, which provides continuing legal education to judges, lawyers and other involved professionals, aims to secure a greater degree of quality and uniformity in the administration of the bankruptcy system and to improve the practice of law in the bankruptcy courts. Papers in the collection span the period of 1972-2001, with the majority of the documents created in the years 1989-1992. Chiefly represented are materials created by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and collected by the Office of the President from 1989 to 1992.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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William J. Weller papers, 1977-1986 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.3 linear feet
Abstract:
William J. Weller joined the Administrative Office of the United States Courts as Legislative Affairs Officer in 1976. In 1984 he was at the center of a lawsuit regarding his firing of United States Bankruptcy Judges over a dispute regarding their contract and status of employment. The lawsuit and pending legislation related to a broader dispute over the status of presidentially-appointed bankruptcy judges. Weller left the Administration Office in 1987. For more information about the issues surrounding the lawsuit, please see the Related Archival Materials note.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

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