We are very much looking forward to our Fall Luncheon on October 13, 2010. Judge Randy Newsome will be our featured speaker. As many of you may know, Judge Newsome has undertaken a number of oral histories that are stored in digital form at the National Bankruptcy Archives at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Judge Newsome has developed an incredible skill in interviewing the greats in our profession and will regale us with the trials and tribulations of that process as well as providing us with excerpts of the interviews that you will find both humorous and engaging. The College, along with our partner, LexisNexis, helped underwrite this very significant project. If you haven’t already registered for the Fall Conference, you may do so by clicking here.

As you may have heard, and indeed as you may have experienced, our Circuit Educational Programs and Regional Meetings are now in full swing. The lead off event, the gathering of the Fellows from the Eighth and Tenth Circuits, was held on August 20th and 21st in Kansas City, MO. Besides an educational component, this session included two phenomenal dinners, and a tour of the Nelson-Atkins Museum on Saturday.

The Kansas City event will be followed on September 20th by a high level Educational Session in Chicago which is being produced by the Seventh Circuit Fellows under the direction of Steve Towbin. The Seventh Circuit program will be led off by Diane Swonk, Mesirow Financial’s Chief Economist, who will update attendees on the fallout on the recent financial crisis. This will be followed by a discussion on examiners led by Neal Batson, Dennis Connolly, and Anton Valukas, with Dan Murray as Moderator. Finally, Bill Brandt, Slayton Dabney, David Kurtz and Marc Levinson, with Lew Rosenbloom as Moderator, will enlighten the attendees on the prospects for municipal bankruptcies.

On the heels of the Seventh Circuit event, the Sixth Circuit Fellows will be having a two day session on September 24th and 24th in Memphis. The educational component will include a Chapter 13 case update by Hank Hildebrand III, as well as a Chapter 11 update by Judges David Kennedy, Shelley Rucker, and Tracey Wise, with Greg Shaaf and Mike Coury moderating the session. As one would expect in Memphis, there will be a BBQ and live music on Friday night and a tour of Graceland Saturday afternoon.

The Seventh Circuit program will be followed by an Eighth Circuit Program on October 20th and a Fourth Circuit Symposium under the direction of the duo of Mark Ellenberg and Denise Neary on October 22nd that will deal with companies that are “too big to fail”. Finally, the Eleventh Circuit has scheduled a program for November 8th.

We are extremely grateful to Sally Neely, Chair of our Education Committee, and Hon. Nancy Dreher, Chair of our Events Committee, for encouraging these College activities. Their efforts have made a significant difference towards our collegiality, one of the many goals of our organization.

Please keep in mind that these programs are open to all Fellows regardless of his/her home Circuit so you should feel free to attend those that interest you from either an educational or social perspective. And, as always, Shari has posted information about the programs and how to RSVP on our website.

The International Bankruptcy Course is now operating on all eight cylinders. The technical problems that plagued this program in the early years have been resolved with the help of Ralph Mabey and others and we are looking forward to an exciting term. The Course is currently scheduled to be videocast this spring 2011 with several law schools. The final list of participating schools is not yet finalized, but in 2010, the following 9 law schools participated: University of Utah Law School, Columbia, Boston College, Tulane, SMU, Arizona, Indiana, Pepperdine and Denver. College Fellows are also invited to view the videocast. If you would like a login, please email college@amercol.org. Even if you do not practice in the international area, you will find participation in this program a hugely rewarding experience.

For the first time the College is participating in the production of a program at the NCBJ. Fellow Bruce Leonard has agreed to take on yet another project in order to bring the highest level of intellectual endeavor to the widest audience. Bruce could have chosen to do this under the auspices of any one of the international organizations that he serves but he chose to do it in the name of the College for which we are grateful. The program is called “International Issues and Controversies: Chapter 15 and Beyond” and is scheduled for 10:20 am Thursday, October 14th. Please be sure to attend.

The College provides its high level academic, intellectual and pro bono programs through the efforts of its Fellows. Many of you have provided invaluable support to our programs for which we are grateful. And, many of you have participated in our Patrons and Sponsors program which helps underwrite the efforts of the College in these areas. Unfortunately, because of the economic downturn and the mergers of various firms, this past year we lost about $20,000 in such sponsorships. Inasmuch as this program represents a portion of our budget, we would urge you to continue your firm’s participation in this program. Having said that, the College remains financially very strong. A team, led by Al Koch our Treasurer, together with a number of our Fellows, are undertaking a review of the College’s investments in order to see if we can generate more income in part to make up for the shortfall in the Patrons and Sponsors program. We are confident that we will be able to continue to provide the services to our members and the outside community through our strong fiscal management.