Bankruptcy Judges Visit Campus
A career and networking session for students will be held at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Georgia State University College of Law during the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges 87th annual event in Atlanta.
The student session, "Developing a Successful Bankruptcy Career: Judges and Lawyers Share Their Secrets," and networking reception immediately following from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. will be held in the Speaker's Auditorium. The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges' National Bar Association Liaison Committee is sponsoring these events, which includes African-American federal judges and prominent lawyers attending the conference.
Students from the region's law schools and undergraduate colleges with interest in business law, restructuring, insolvency, bankruptcy or corporate or consumer debt solutions are welcome. Even those unsure of their career path should attend, according to NCBJ.
"This is a very welcoming group," says Jack Williams, professor of law who is helping coordinate the on-campus events. "This program promotes mentoring relationships between bankruptcy judges and students. It is designed to inform them about opportunities and the rewarding work that's available in the bankruptcy field."
Among the panelists speaking to students include Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Ohio.
"We help those pondering career decisions and how to pay for law school," Hopkins says. "The panelists we assembled have their own experiences to share. It's an opportunity for folks who would not otherwise have the opportunity to talk and meet with federal judges who handle thousands of cases."
Hopkins says bankruptcy is a fascinating area of the law that sometimes gets overlooked.
"Bankruptcy covers everything from sexy cases such as Enron and WorldCom to the average family who finds themselves upside down in finances," he says. "We help families get a fresh start and move on."
The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges includes in its membership nearly all of the federal bankruptcy judges. More than 2,000 professionals have participated in some of the largest bankruptcy cases filed in the United States and globally.