At long last, we’re ready to announce the winner and runner-up of Bankruptcy Bill’s Bankruptcy Song Contest!

Thanks to everyone who submitted an bankruptcy song, to everyone who voted and shared their comments and to illustrator Gideon Kendall for suggesting the cartoon announcement prize idea.

Also thanks to our sponsors for their support of the first-ever (to our knowledge) Bankruptcy Song Contest and for collectively making a donation to the National Consumer Law Center in the amount of $25 for each song submitted (for which we received a nice thank you note from the NCLC’s Executive Director):

• Bruce Weiner (Rosenberg Musso & Weiner) – NYBankruptcyNet (Brooklyn, NY)
• George Haines & David Krieger (Haines & Krieger) (Las Vegas, NV)
• Russell A. Demott – Charleston Bankruptcy Blog (Charleston, SC)
• Nancy Rapoport (nancyrapoport.blogspot.com), the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV)

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2nd Place

Congratulations also to Arlene Robins of Woodbury, NY for her wonderful submission “BANKRUPTCY WIFE’S LAMENT”. Arlene will receive a t-shirt (or other item from our fabulous catalog of BAPCPA Man and Bankruptcy Bill merchandise on Zazzle.  (Note:  Arlene is the wife of good-humored Long Island bankruptcy attorney Craig Robins, who also has an excellent song entry titled “DEBT-FREE GIRL”.)

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The Bankruptcy Song Submissions

Once again, here are the song entries for Bankruptcy Bill’s Bankruptcy Song Contest:

1.  “AMEND IT MY WAY” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California)

2.  CABARET” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California) (Click song title or scroll down the page to see lyrics.)

3.  “DON’T CRY FOR ME HOUSEHOLD FINANCE” by Judge Sheri Bluebond (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California) 

4.  “DEBTS IN WRONG PLACES” by Judge Alan S. Trust (United States Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of New York)

5.  “‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE FILING” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

6.  “PHARAOH OBAMA – LET THE DEBTORS GO” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

7.  “THE BANKRUPTCY ABUSE SONG” by Mark Sippel, Esq. (Sippel & Carroll PLLC (Kingman, AZ))

8.  “DEBT-FREE GIRL” by Craig Robins, Esq. (Woodbury, NY)

9.  “BANKRUPTCY WIFE’S LAMENT” by Arlene Robins (Woodbury, NY)

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BONUS!

And if you just can’t get enough bankruptcy music, CLICK HERE to hear “Bankruptcy Lover“ by Bankruptcy Bill & The Fresh Starts.

Apologies for the wait, but we finally have the first new Bankruptcy Bill cartoon of 2010 out, a customized cartoon courtesy of Neiger LLP.

Bankruptcy Bill #23:  Neiger LLP Preference Action 3000
http://www.neigerllp.com/neiger-llp-preference-action-3000/

(CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FULL CARTOON ON THE NEIGER LLP WEBSITE)

FYI, we love coming up with original, customized cartoons.  If you’d like one yourself, just get in touch with us at bill@bankruptcybill.us.

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We’ll be taking a brief hiatus here at Bankruptcy Bill following creator Steven Horowitz’s induction into parenthood on December 28, 2009.  Below is a photo of Steven, his wife Wynne and their new daughter Helen along with BAPCPA Man,Bankruptcy Bill, Struck Finn and illustrator Gideon Kendall taken just one day after the big event.

Feel free to post comments below or send any well wishes to the family at bill@bankruptcybill.us.

Below are a few other examples of Gideon Kendall’s baby/child-related work:

The Caveman’s Guide to Pregnancy

The Caveman’s Guide to Baby’s First Year

Dino Pets

Howdy all you Bankruptcy Bill fans out there!  I’ve been in Austin, TX attending the 28th Annual Jay Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference presented by the University of Texas Law School at the Four Seasons Hotel, and I thought it’d be nice to share a little of what it’s like down here.

Note:  This site is best viewed using a Mozilla Firefox or Safari browser.  If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar.  Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.

FYI, this cartoon also appears in the Fall 2009 issue of the newsletter for the Bankruptcy Section of the State Bar of Texas along with a nice profile about the Bankruptcy Bill cartoons written by Eric Van Horn, a bankruptcy lawyer with Dallas firm Rochelle McCullough LLP and the writer of the Chapter 8 humor columns in the ABI Journal.  Also, thanks to Judge Alan S. Trust of the Eastern District of New York for his article in the Summer 2009 issue of the Bankruptcy Section newsletter (”Robes Without Stripes”) which provided helpful cultural background for the cartoon.

Highlights of the conference included:

1. Learning that both Professor Jay Westbrook and Judge Keith Lundin both have extensive collection of bankruptcy-related cartoons, and that both Texas and Tennesse have had bands comprised of musical bankruptcy judges who like to write and play bankruptcy-related songs.
2. Judge Lundin’s monogrammed bowling shirt with “High on BAPCPA” on the back.
3. A spirited discussion between Hugh Ray (McKool Smith) and Bruce Grohsgal (Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones) on the topic of “Who’s Really in Charge Here?  Reorganizations in the Shadow of Chrysler and GM.”
4. Learning that Byrnie Bass’ son Brett is a professional bass player and that he not only has played with Enrique Iglesias but currently plays in a band with former Spin Doctors lead singer–and my high school classmate–Chris Barron.  (Here’s an article about Brett from Lubbockonline.com.)
5. Cartoon brainstorming with Andrew Eckerman (Conway Mackenzie, Inc.), Melissa Hayward (Franklin Skierski Lovall Hayward), Jesse Moore (Hunton & Williams), Ian Roberts (Baker Botts), Tim Million (Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr) and Eric Van Horn (Rochelle McCullough).
6. Jogging around the lake and arriving at the Congress Avenue Bridge just in time to see the largest urban bat colony pour out for its evening activities.
7. Hearing Evelyn Biery (Fulbright & Jaworski) recount her role as Anna Nicole Smith for a previous bankruptcy conference musical send-up.
8. An in depth discussion of organic farming with Joe Martinec and Weldon Ponder.
9. The Third Annual Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference Cocktail Reception at Austin hotspot Lanai, hosted by the Young Lawyers Committee of the Bankruptcy Section of the State Bar of Texas.  (Thanks to Jay Ong (Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr), Layla Milligan (Staff attorney for Chapter 13 Trustee) and Eric Van Horn (Rochelle McCullough) for organizing!)
   

   "Ain't that Texas cookin' good!"

10. Obtaining valuable advice from Brian Abramson (Diamond McCarthy) on the topic of sleep training for infants.
11. Barbecue from Stubbs, Iron Works and (at the airport) Salt Lick.  (Thanks to Guy Clark for the inspiration!)
12. Keeping Austin Weird.
13. Having a chance to meet so many wonderful folks on my first-ever visit to the Great State of Texas.  The conference had an extremely friendly and collegial atmosphere, and everyone from associates to partners to judges were accessible and enjoyable to meet.

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Get your BAPCPA Man and Mortgantua T-shirts, Mugs, Cards and More!

*To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com.  Or order yourself a copy of Dino Pets, the wonderfully illustrated children’s book written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by BAPCPA Man’s favorite illustrator, Gideon Kendall.

Note:  If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar.  Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.

*Click here for Bankruptcy Bill #20 – Fantasy Bankruptcy #1, here for all previous Bankruptcy Bill cartoons, and here for a previous post on the connection between structured finance and fantasy football.

Here are bios for the highly respected Delaware bankruptcy lawyer Laura Davis Jones of the law firm Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones and for the Honorable Judge Arthur Gonzalez of the Southern District of New York who has presided over many of the largest bankruptcy cases including Lehman Brothers, Enron, Chrysler and Worldcom.

And for any fans (or fantasy football owners of) of Tony Gonzalez (another great Gonzalez) here’s info on Atlanta Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Atlanta Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Get your BAPCPA Man and Mortgantua T-shirts, Mugs, Cards and More!

*To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com.  Or order yourself a copy of Dino Pets, the wonderfully illustrated children’s book written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by BAPCPA Man’s favorite illustrator, Gideon Kendall.

LawShucks added its own take on Bankruptcy Bill’s Fantasy Bankruptcy in its Quick Shucks 10.08.09:

Fantasy bankruptcy is brilliant. Harvey Miller is the Adrian Peterson of the draft, but then do you go for the double-down strategy of picking Goldstein, or do you diversify and go with someone from K&E?

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Note:  If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar.  Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.

*Click here for all previous Bankruptcy Bill cartoons, and here for a previous post on the connection between structured finance and fantasy football.

Here’s more information about Matthew Feldman, the bankruptcy lawyer from Willkie Farr & Gallagher who was appointed to the Auto Task Force, as well as about Marcia Goldstein, chair of the Business Financing & Restructuring group at Weil Gotshal & Manges.  And, for what it’s worth, here’s more information about carpal tunnel syndrome.

Also, if you’re really into stats, go here for more information on the Bankruptcy Means Test, and for the Dallas Cowboy fans out there, here’s more info on Dallas Bankruptcy (Redskins fans need not click).

And lastly, here are some recent bankruptcy-relevant posts on Above The Law:

• Student Loan Bailout: House Hearing on Discharging Student Debts in Bankruptcy
• This Week In Layoffs: 10.04.09
• Morning Docket 09.17.09 – link to item about Jones Day and the Lehman bankruptcy
• Morning Docket 10.06.09 – link to item on foreclosures and apparent lack of lawyers

*To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com and gideonkendall.squarespace.com/journal.  Or order yourself a copy of Dino Pets, the wonderfully illustrated children’s book written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by BAPCPA Man’s favorite illustrator, Gideon Kendall.

Note:  If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar.  Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.

No new Bankruptcy Bill or BAPCPA Man cartoons this week, but we’ll be back with more next week.  Meanwhile, given new predictions of back-to-back recessions by Nouriel Roubini of the Financial Times (”The risk of a double-dip recession is rising“), it seems appropriate to reach back to the beginning of Bankruptcy Bill for a re-run of the bankruptcy wave cartoon:

*If you like what you see and want to support us, you can do it via sponsorship/advertising/syndication/other as well as by simply making a donation in any amount via PayPal.

*Click here to see all of the Bankruptcy Bill cartoons and here to see cartoons related to “law firms.”

*To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com and gideonkendall.squarespace.com/journal.  Or order yourself a copy of Dino Pets, the wonderfully illustrated children’s book written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by BAPCPA Man’s favorite illustrator, Gideon Kendall.

p.s.  Regarding copyright issues, our legal counsel, IP Aileen, says:  “Other bloggers/websites/publications:  You are more than welcome to post “Bankruptcy Wave” on your sites as long as you also include all of the text, links and images in this post, including this paragraph.  If you fail to respect our wishes, we’ll fix the economy so as to remove the need for any bankruptcy services (if you’re a lawyer) or any more coverage of the recession (if you’re a journalist/blogger).”

Note:  If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar.  Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.

*Update: In bankruptcy news today,  Michael Foreman has joined Haynes & Boones‘ New York office.  He was previously at Dorsey & Whitney.

*If you like what you see and want to support us, you can do it via sponsorship/advertising/syndication/other as well as by simply making a donation in any amount via PayPal.

*Click here to see all of the Bankruptcy Bill cartoons and here to see cartoons related to “law firms.”

*To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com and gideonkendall.squarespace.com/journal.  Or order yourself a copy of Dino Pets, the wonderfully illustrated children’s book written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by BAPCPA Man’s favorite illustrator, Gideon Kendall.

p.s.  Regarding copyright issues, our legal counsel, IP Aileen, says:  “Other bloggers/websites/publications:  You are more than welcome to post Strip #19 – Law Firm Raids on your sites as long as you also include all of the text, links and images in this post, including this paragraph.  If you fail to respect our wishes, we’ll send you back to Kirkland’s restructuring group (Chicago office).”

Ladies and gentlemen, debtors and creditors, we are pleased to share the debut single by Bankruptcy Bill & The Fresh Starts….

“Bankruptcy Lover“

http://bankruptcybill.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/bankruptcylovermp3.mp3

(Click either the link above or the image below to listen.)

Bankruptcy Bill & The Fresh Starts groupies can get their…

• Posters here: http://www.zazzle.com/poster_bankruptcy_bill_the_fresh_starts-228608539647711199
• Mugs here: http://www.zazzle.com/mug_bankruptcy_bill_the_fresh_starts-168135713990751518
• Hats here: http://www.zazzle.com/hat_bankruptcy_bill_the_fresh_starts-148439025032658748
  

Click here for the lyrics and explanatory notes as well as a note on copyright and use restrictions. (more…)

(To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com and gideonkendall.squarespace.com/journal.)

While Struck is not likely to win any awards for his pro bono bankruptcy service, here are some law firms and lawyers who have:

• George Cauthen of the firm Nelson Mullins in Columbia, SC won the Richland Sertoma Club Service to Mankind Award for his pro bono work in bankruptcy and other areas of law.

• New York State Bar Association 2009 President’s Pro Bono Service Award Winners
  • Kim Zinke (2nd Judicial District: Kings County)- Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project
  • Thomas Miller (6th Judicial District: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins counties) – Law Office of Thomas Miller, Binghamton
  • Barbara R. Ridall (8th Judicial District: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming counties) – Bulan Chiari Horwtiz & Ilecki, LLP, Buffalo
  • Simon Haysom (9th Judicial District: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester counties) – Simon Haysom LLC, Goshen
  • Hon. Robert J. Nicholson (Senior Lawyer), Oswego
  • Syracuse University College of Law Pro Bono Bankruptcy Practice Group (Law School Group), Syracuse

• Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP was recognized by the American Bar Association on August 3, 2009, for developing an innovative pro bono policy which requested that every lawyer in the firm perform 50 hours of pro bono work, every partner and counsel take or supervise at least one pro bono matter, and every new lawyer work on at least one pro bono matter.

If you know of someone else who deserves a mention for their pro bono bankruptcy work, feel free to post a comment about them.

p.s.  Regarding copyright issues, our legal counsel, IP Aileen, says:  “Other bloggers/websites/publications:  You are more than welcome to post Strip #18 – Pro Bono on your sites as long as you also include all of the text, links and images in this post, including this paragraph.  If you fail to respect our wishes, we’ll make you work for Weil Gotshal on an entirely pro bono basis.”

The site has been reorganized.  STR.I.P. Financing obtained.  Strip #17 – BAPCPA Man has gone effective.

• Thanks to Bruce Weiner of Rosenberg Weiner & Musso (www.nybankruptcy.net) in Brooklyn, NY for putting us over the top.  Bruce, by the way, is Chapter 11 debtor’s counsel to Stephen Baldwin according to Huffington Post and AP reports.
• We would also be remiss to not give a special thanks to 3-time contributor Nancy Rapoport, (http://nancyrapoport.blogspot.com), the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV)  and co-author of the book Enron: Corporate Fiascos and Their Implications for all of her support.
• And thanks to everyone else, lawyers and non-lawyers alike, for supporting Bankruptcy Bill.  Hope you enjoy the new strip and stay tuned for more to come.

(To see more of Gideon Kendall’s work go to www.gideonkendall.com and gideonkendall.squarespace.com/journal.)

p.s.  Regarding copyright issues, our legal counsel, IP Aileen, says:  “Other bloggers/websites/publications:  You are more than welcome to post Strip #17 on your sites as long as you also include all of the text, links and images in this post, including this paragraph.  If you fail to respect our wishes, we’ll simply send BAPCPA Man after you.  His powers are great and many.  Actually, we’re not even sure what they are.  Best to just not mess around.”

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Thank you to everyone who supported Bankruptcy Bill with a donation and/or by mentioning our effort on your site, including LawShucks.com which encouraged readers to support Bankruptcy Bill in a post about the lawyers involved in the GM case and then subsequently got itself a nice mention in a New York times articles on law firms that resulted in some extra traffic for us.

But the super-priority secured thank-you (a new creditor class recently approved by the…um….Eastern Western District of Delaware) goes to three people who stepped forward at the last minute, each making donations of $39 to ensure an extension of time to solicit donations for Bankruptcy Bill (at least for another week):

• Nancy Rapoport, (who has now donated twice) the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with specialties in bankruptcy ethics, ethics in governance, and the depiction of lawyers in popular culture.  She’s also the author of the book Enron: Corporate Fiascos and Their Implications (with Jeffrey Van Niel) and appeared in the movie Enron:  The Smartest Guys in the Room.  You can read her blog here.
• Marc Carroll, of Translations.com (a rare non-lawyer fan)
• Walter Swett, a staff member in Congressman Charlie Rangel’s office in New York (another non-lawyer fan, which on second thought perhaps isn’t so rare afterall)

Bankruptcy Bill loves you guys (to the extent that an animated lawyer is capable of love) and thanks you for not only enabling the publication of this strip, but for starting off the next strip $78 in the black.  And the next strip is……..

Strip #17 – BAPCPA Man!

Does whatever a BAPCPA can.  Please do your part to help us raise the remaining $222 we need to publish it.

CLICK HERE to make a donation via PayPal for Strip #17

• Please don’t make Nancy, Marc, Walter and the others do all the work again (unless your goal is to turn them into clients).  If everyone chips in a little bit, even $1.00, the pain will be spread nice and evenly and everything will work out fine, just like in the new GM tv ad.

A reminder that we are always open to various forms of STR.I.P. Financing to help us continue to publish future strips of Bankruptcy Bill (ideally with more frequency).  Please contact us to discuss sponsorship or syndication opportunities.

• “GM First Day Hearings”
  
  • Posters – now available for purchase at:  http://www.zazzle.com/gm_first_day_hearings_poster-228977388281472583
  • Mugs – now available for purchase at:  http://www.zazzle.com/gm_first_day_hearings_mug-168706767375752803

• To receive updates for new postings:E-mail bill@bankruptcybill.us with the word “update” in the subject field, or get the RSS feed. (Note:  The previous e-mail address–bankruptcybill @ zoho. com–was having some problems.  So apologies if you tried sending email to that address and didn’t hear back from us.)

• Here are links to see more of Gideon Kendall’s creative artwork as well as his Sketch Journal and a recent profile of Gideon in the Kensington Brooklyn Blog.

Thanks!

-Bill & Struck

p.s.  Regarding copyright issues, our legal counsel, IP Aileen, says:  “Other bloggers/websites/publications:  You are more than welcome to post Strip #16 on your sites as long as you also include all of the text, links and images in this post, including this paragraph.  If you fail to respect our wishes, then we’ll turn you into a Weil Gotshal first-year bankruptcy associate and force you to spend 17 consecutive weekends in the bowels of 767 Fifth Avenue (aka the “GM Building”) working on fee applications in the GM case.”

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A reminder that we still are seeking STR.I.P. Financing so that we can continue to publish future strips of Bankruptcy Bill (and preferably with more frequency).  Please contact us to discuss sponsorship.  And thanks to everyone who has contributed and/or bought some merchandise.

• “GM Bankruptcy” Mugs – now available for purchase at http://www.zazzle.com/general_motors_bankruptcy_mug-168929093027665439.




• To receive updates for new postings: E-mail bill@bankruptcybill.us with the word “update” in the subject field, or get the RSS feed.

• Here are links to see more of Gideon Kendall’s creative artwork as well as his Sketch Journal.

Thanks!

-Bill & Struck

p.s.  Regarding copyright issues, our legal counsel, IP Aileen, says:  “Other bloggers/websites/publications:  You are more than welcome to post Strip #8 on your sites as long as you also include all of the text, links and images in this post, including this paragraph.  If you don’t, then we’ll find you and make you drive a Chevrolet Cavalier from Detroit to Washington and testify before Congress at the next auto-industry bailout hearings.”

A reminder that we are always open to various forms of STR.I.P. Financing to help us continue to publish future strips of Bankruptcy Bill (ideally with more frequency).  Please contact us to discuss sponsorship.  And thanks to everyone who has purchased a bit of merchandise.

• “AboveTheLaw”
  
  • Posters – now available for purchase at http://www.zazzle.com/bankruptcy_bill_above_the_law_poster-228919838424232157
  • Mugs – now available for purchase at http://www.zazzle.com/bankruptcy_bill_above_the_law_mug-168286032811618539
• To receive updates for new postings: E-mail bill@bankruptcybill.us with the word “update” in the subject field, or get the RSS feed.

• Here are links to see more of Gideon Kendall’s creative artwork as well as his Sketch Journal and a recent profile of Gideon in the Kensington Brooklyn Blog.

Thanks!

-Bill & Struck

p.s.  Regarding copyright issues, our legal counsel, IP Aileen, says:  “Other bloggers/websites/publications:  You are more than welcome to post Strip #15 on your sites as long as you also include all of the text, links and images in this post, including this paragraph.  If you fail to respect our wishes, then we’ll get you laid off from your blog, leak news of it to Law Shucks and insist your anonymity be revealed by Thomas Lauria and the Chrysler Non-TARP Lenders.”