Call Number:

NBA.057

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library

Extent:

4 linear feet

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of item], in the Norman H. Nachman Papers, National Bankruptcy Archives, NBA.057, Biddle Law Library, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA.

Date:

1983-1998 (inclusive) and 1990-1998 (bulk)

Creator:

Nachman, Norman H. and National Bankruptcy Archives

Abstract:

Norman H. Nachman (1909-2001) worked as a Chicago bankruptcy attorney for 60 years, served as President of the Chicago Bar Association, and helped to draft new bankruptcy code. His colleagues named him the "Dean of U.S. Bankruptcy Lawyers." This collection, dated 1983-1998, consists of materials relating to Nachman's career in bankruptcy law and includes case documents, reports on aspects of bankruptcy law, Nachman's daily appointment calendars, business correspondence dated 1992-1998, and various publications including law journals and books authored by his colleagues.

Norman H. Nachman was born in 1909. In 1932 in the midst of the Great Depression, he graduated from the University of Chicago law school and married Anne Lev. After serving 2½ years in the Navy during World War II in the Philippines and South Pacific, he returned to Chicago to continue practicing bankruptcy law. In 1950, he and two associates founded the firm Nachman, Munitz & Sweig. As his career progressed, he worked on various high-profile bankruptcy cases including Tucker Motors, AM International, Wisconsin Steel, and others in the Chicago area. He also participated in the drafting of new bankruptcy code which Congress adopted in 1979. In 1987 Nachman, Munitz & Sweig merged with Winston & Strawn, the oldest law firm in Chicago. Then in 1994, at 85 years old, Nachman changed firms to join McDermott, Will & Emory as a counsel.

Nachman served various organizations and appointments throughout his career. Appointed by Chief Justice Earl Warren in 1960, Nachman served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference of the United States. In 1963 and 1964, he served as President of the Chicago Bar Association. In May 1988, he was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules.

With 60 years of experience practicing bankruptcy law in Chicago, Nachman's colleagues named him the "Dean of U.S. Bankruptcy Lawyers." He died in 2001.

The Norman H. Nachman Papers cover the career of Nachman and his practice of bankruptcy law during the years of 1990-1998. The materials cover the practice of American bankruptcy law and Nachman's career in two Chicago firms: Winston & Strawn, and McDermott, Will & Emery.

This collection is divided into five series: Annotated Bankruptcy Case Documents; Bankruptcy Reports; Calendars; Correspondence; and Publications.

Included in the collection are annotated copies of court opinions originally published between 1983 and 1989, which have been marked up and described by Nachman. Also in the collection are his business correspondence from 1991-1998, his daily appointment books and a few Chicago Bar Association Court Calendars from 1991-1998, various law journals including one signed and sent from Elizabeth Warren and a signed and annotated publication by colleague Douglas Baird, and bankruptcy reports from the American Bar Association Forum on Health Law, American Bankruptcy Institute, and the National Bankruptcy Conference.

This collection is divided into five series, arranged alphabetically: Annotated Bankruptcy Case Documents; Bankruptcy Reports; Calendars; Correspondence; and Publications. Each series is organized chronologically. Bulk dates are 1990-1998 with annotated court opinions published between 1983 and 1989.