University of Pennsylvania Finding Aids

This collection contains a brief look into the life and career of Ahron Jay Cristol, the current chief judge of the Florida bankruptcy court, a lecturer in law of naval warfare, and a former US Navy aviator and lawyer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. The collection contains series of Cristol's work as a legal scholar and bankruptcy judge, including testimony given before the US House of Representatives, various speeches given at events and lectures, and a small series of legal opinions written by Cristol, including some written in poetic verse. Also included are some audio tapes of interviews given by Cristol and a series of personal photographs commemorating his career and service. The collection is a snapshot of the long, colorful, and impressive career of Judge Cristol.

A. Leo Levin, born in 1919 received his B.A. from Yeshiva University in 1939. He attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School and received his J.D. in 1942. Levin then took his first teaching job at the University of Iowa where he taught for two years before returning to his alma mater Penn Law School. Levin taught at Penn Law until his appointment as Director of the Federal Judicial Center in 1977. Levin participated in numerous legal professional organizations such as the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools and the Order of the Coif. Levin also served on a number of high profile judiciary committees such as the Legislative Reapportionment Committee from 1971-1973, the Commission on Revision of the Federal Court Appellate System from 1973-1975, and the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group. Levin produced or contributed to a number of publications related to the law including Dispatch and Delay: A Field Study of Judicial Administration in Pennsylvania with Edward A. Woolley and Cases and Materials on Civil Procedure with James H. Chadbourn. Levin's interests were not limited solely to the law as evidenced by his active role in the Jewish Community serving on numerous boards of Jewish centric organizations such as the Jewish Exponent, a weekly newspaper published in Philadelphia, the Jewish Federation of Jewish Agencies and the Jewish Publication Society.

This collection of papers contains documents from Judge A. Thomas Small's office between the years 1982 and 2009. Documents include correspondence, handwritten notes, research material, testimonies and drafted legislation. Small actively participated in the legislative process, and much of the collecion covers legislative issues such as the Marathon decision, the creation of Chapter 12 bankruptcy, the creation of Bankruptcy Appellate Panels, and the debate over Bankruptcy Administrators vs. Bankruptcy Trustees. Also included are papers documenting the long range planning process of the United States Judicial Conference and the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.

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Harry Dixon Jr. (1944-2006), a lawyer from Nebraska, wanted to form an organization with the dual purpose of providing Congress with expert and unbiased views on legislation and creating an institution that could keep the bankruptcy community aware of legislative activities affecting them. In February 1982, Dixon incorporated under Nebraska law this new organization which was to be called the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). The records of the American Bankruptcy Institute document two main areas of the organization: the history and operating activities of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the organization's professional activities, publications, and research on bankruptcy related issues. The materials date from 1982-2013, with the bulk from 1985-1996. Materials are largely in paper format, comprising correspondence, memos, facsimiles, resumes/c.v., financial records, by-laws, articles of incorporation, certificates, lease agreement, newsletters, marketing materials, clippings, press releases, scripts, white papers, meeting files which typically include agendas, minutes, and sign-in sheets, committee files, conference and seminar material, Library of Congress reports, information bulletins, Congressional reports, records, and bills, court records, briefs, procedures, Congressional hearing testimonies and remarks, publications, monographs, and other related printed matter. The records also include audiovisual materials such as photographs, VHS tapes, audio cassette tapes, DVDs, and CDs. The strengths of the American Bankruptcy Institute records are the documentation of the Board of Directors files; ABI conference and seminar files; ABI's effort to expand membership; Committee files; and the organization's analysis of bankruptcy legislation from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Extensive areas of analysis by ABI include the U.S. Trustee Program which include numerous oversight hearings; Chapter 7 Substantial Abuse; Chapter 12 Family Farmer Bankruptcy; additional bankruptcy judgeships; the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984 (BAFJA) including the Bankruptcy Survey Project conducted by the ABI after the law (BAFJA) went into effect; judicial salaries; leveraged buyouts (LBO); pension plans and retirement benefits; proposed amendments to bankruptcy rules and forms; significant Supreme Court cases; S. 1985 National Bankruptcy Review Commission Act, S. 1559 Bankruptcy Technical Corrections Act, and testimonies before various Congressional committees from 1989-1996.

The American Law Institute (ALI) was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American law. An association of practitioners and scholars known as the “Committee on the Establishment of a Permanent Organization for Improvement of Law” published a study that recommended a lawyers’ organization be formed to improve the law and its administration. The committee was chaired by Elihu Root and counted Learned Hand, Benjamin Cardozo, and Samuel Williston among its members. This photograph collection is comprised of portraits of ALI directors, presidents, members, and staff. Also included are photographs from the Annual Meeting, including the 1st Annual Meeting in 1923.

The American Law Institute (ALI) was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American law. Former Penn Law Dean William Draper Lewis was the Institute's first director, running the organization's operations out of his campus office. The ALI was conceived as a representative gathering of the American Bar (including Judges, Lawyers, and Law Professors) for the stated mission "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work." To that end, the ALI has held annual meetings since its inception to adopt its restatements and other codification projects, discuss drafts, analyze pending legislation and aspects of the law, set policy, and initialize new projects. The collection, 1923-1995, includes correspondence, addresses and remarks, reports on codification projects and other ALI-related activity, annual meeting programs, yearbooks, proceedings, and related records regarding activity at the ALI's annual meetings.

The American Law Institute (ALI) was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American law. Former Penn Law Dean William Draper Lewis was the Institute's first director, running the organization's operations out of his campus office. The ALI was conceived as a representative gathering of the American Bar (including Judges, Lawyers, and Law Professors) for the stated mission "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work." To that end, the ALI has held annual meetings since its inception to adopt its restatements and other codification projects, discuss drafts, analyze pending legislation and aspects of the law, set policy, and initialize new projects. The collection, 1923-1995, includes correspondence, addresses and remarks, reports on codification projects and other ALI-related activity, annual meeting programs, yearbooks, proceedings, and related records regarding activity at the ALI's annual meetings.

Judge Arthur N. Votolato was the first bankruptcy judge to sit in Rhode Island, and for 44 years, he was the only U.S. bankruptcy judge to serve the state. He served on the First Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, Massachusetts and Maine panels. He was Chief Judge, Massachusetts’ B.A.P. from 1981 to 1984. The Judge Arthur N. Votolato papers is a small collection of material relating to Votolato’s work in bankruptcy law. The collection contains Bankruptcy Appellate Panel materials including correspondence, notes, and outlines, as well as case files, reports, publications including The Conference Newsletter, The Silver Whistle, and other related documents.

The collection, 1983-2003, chiefly includes issues of newsletters, as well as journals, devoted to organizational and legislative activity in the field of bankruptcy law.

The American Law Institute (ALI) was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American law. Former Penn Law Dean William Draper Lewis was the Institute's first director, running the organization's operations out of his campus office. The ALI was conceived as a representative gathering of the American Bar (including Judges, Lawyers, and Law Professors) for the stated mission "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work." The collection, 1922-2004, includes minutes, correspondence, reports, and related records regarding the activity of the American Law Institute's Executive Committee, Finance and Development Committee, Investment Committee, and Membership Committee.

In response to the proliferation of complex litigation cases and the myriad issues they raise, the American Law Institute commissioned a project which ultimately became known as Complex Litigation: Statutory Recommendations and Analysis. The report provides a timely and valuable resource for practitioners involved with the problems presented by complex litigation as it exists today, as well as for those concerned with developing a more just, fair, and efficient system for dealing with complex cases. The collection, 1986-1993, includes drafted and related materials pertaining to the creation of the American Law Institute project called Complex Litigation: Statutory Recommendations and Analysis.

The American Law Institute (ALI) was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American law. Former Penn Law Dean William Draper Lewis was the Institute's first director, running the organization's operations out of his campus office. The ALI was conceived as a representative gathering of the American Bar (including Judges, Lawyers, and Law Professors) for the stated mission "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work." The collection, 1924-2003, includes minutes, correspondence, reports, and related records regarding the activity of the American Law Institute Council.

Daniel Glosband is the International Bar Association’s official liaison of the Creditors Rights and Insolvency Committee to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and was one of the primary draftsmen of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency. Since its establishment in 1966, UNCITRAL has been recognized as the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. This collection consists of nine series covering correspondence, code references, drafts, articles, Glosband’s notes, organizational reports, and Glosband’s business travel documents dated 1888, 1937-1938, 1978-2005 and undated.

Judge David H. Adams is a retired American bankruptcy attorney and judge, having practiced privately many years and served as a US Bankruptcy Court judge. This collection includes his personal materials ranging from 1984-2006, consisting mainly of materials concerning the National Conference of Bankruptcy judges, in which Judge Adams was heavily involved, on its Board of Governors from 1996-1999, its secretary in 2000, and its president in 2004. The collection includes much correspondence between NCBJ members from 1984-2006, event and conference data from many of the yearly NCBJ conferences, as well as budget, committee, and resolution data from those years, illustrating the planning processes and behind the scenes information about the NCBJ and its activities, members, and meetings.

This project constitutes a report to the Institute rather than by the Institute. The first volume details the legal and social concerns that gave rise to the study in the mid-1980s, and distills contemporary scholarship dealing with how well various institutions—prominently, but not exclusively, tort litigation—have performed in addressing the human and economic problems created by personal injuries. The second volume undertakes an in-depth analysis of those facets of the tort system that have proved especially troublesome in recent years and presents the Reporters’ judgments about how the tort system should evolve in the future. The collection, 1985-1992, includes correspondence with foundations and other agencies who funded the project, correspondence with project members and other interested parties, reports submitted to Council, consultants and advisers, and publications of the study.

The Executive Office of the American Law Institute (ALI) performs the organization's major administrative functions, including fundraising, negotiating publication of ALI materials, and coordinating ALI projects. With most of the Reporters located at institutions all over the world, the office also serves as the central depository for the collection of records related to ALI projects. The collection, 1923-1999, primarily includes letters written by and received from staff in the ALI's Executive Office, including the Director and Deputy Director. For more detailed information about the scope and content of this collection, please consult the individual series.

The Federal Income, State, and Gift Tax Project consisted of a series of non-binding recommendations to students, teachers, litigators, and legislators as they dealt with the evolving tax code. The collection, 1946-1981 (bulk: 1949-1969), includes correspondence, meeting minutes, drafts, memoranda, commentary, outside publications, and related records concerning various tax-related projects conducted by the ALI from the mid-1940s to 1969.

In 1974, the American Law Institute began a new series of studies of federal income tax problems. The Federal Income Tax Project comprised a number of studies, including those of Subchapter C, Subchapter K, and Subchapter J of the Internal Revenue Code; a study of international taxation; and a study of generation-skipping transfers. The collection, 1974-1999, includes correspondence, meeting minutes, drafts, memoranda, commentary, and related materials concerning various tax-related projects conducted by the ALI from 1974 to present.

The Federal Judicial Center was established in 1967 to promote improvements in judicial administration in the United States courts. The center provides continuing education programs for the federal judiciary, including bankruptcy judges. The collection (1972-1985) includes presentations, transcribed to cassette tape, given by bankruptcy judges, scholars, and practitioners to participants of the Federal Judicial Center's workshops and seminars for bankruptcy judges.

In the late 1960s, the American Bar Association's Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities recommended that a codification of securities law be undertaken by the American Law Institute (ALI). The ALI approved the project, appointing Louis Loss as the reporter in 1969. The purpose of the project was to analyze, integrate, and improve an array of federal acts related to securities law. The American Bar Association played an active role in reviewing and advising the committee on its work. The ALI approved the Federal Securities Code on May 19, 1978. Loss continued working with the project's consultants, advisers, and other interested parties to prepare a final draft of commentary on the code. Although the ALI assumed no responsibility for Loss's comments, the organization authorized the publication of a Reporter's Commentary with the Federal Securities Code in 1980. The collection, 1968-1981, includes correspondence, meeting records, drafts, and other materials relating to the drafting of the Federal Securities Code, a project that sought to simplify and consolidate the law as it related to financial securities.

Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr. graduated from Swarthmore College in 1953 and received his LL.B. from Columbia University in 1954. Widely considered an authority on legal ethics, Hazard was Director of the American Law Institute from 1984 to 1999. During his tenure, the ALI worked on many important restatement and codification projects, including a Restatement of the Law Governing Lawyers and revisions to the Uniform Commercial Code. The collections, 1982-1999, chiefly covers Hazard's activities as Director of the American Law Institute from 1984 to 1999.

The Geraldine Mund Papers, 1989-2002 consist of correspondence and reports related to Mund’s tenure as a bankruptcy judge for the Central District of California. The collection contains three series that focus on committees formed to study unlawful detainer and bankruptcy mills, the creation of the Bankruptcy Act of 2005, and the need for additional bankruptcy judgeships for the Central District of California.

Henry J. Sommer is one of the leading figures in bankruptcy, consumer law, and civil rights. 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 lectured at University of Pennsylvania Law School and worked as editor-in-chief of Collier on Bankruptcy. The Henry J. Sommer Papers, 1975-2005, include National Bankruptcy Conference papers, materials from Continuing Legal Education seminars and other meetings at which Sommer lectured, copies of published manuscripts and articles written by Sommer, videotapes of Sommer and colleagues holding seminars that educated practitioners about the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, and related materials.

On March 9, 1989, Eastern Airlines, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization under the United States Bankruptcy Code. The In re Eastern Airlines Case Documents, 1989-1990, include court documents related to Eastern Airlines' corporate reorganization case, including an Examiner's Report.