Jack D. Ayer, Professor of Law Emeritus-at the University if California at Davis, who was a bankruptcy judge in Los Angeles-and counsel to the LA firm of Stutman, Treister & Glatt, in its day the premier West Coast business bankruptcy boutique. Prof. Ayer also taught at Stanford, Penn, Texas, NYU and Cardozo. At ABI he initiated the program of bankruptcy podcasts and finished a second edition of 'Bankruptcy in Practice' (with Michael J Bernstein). Professor wrote 50-odd academic articles, several on the implications for bankruptcy practice of modern finance theory.
Resident Scholar Letter
My most satisfying initiative as resident scholar at ABI was to conceive the format for the ABIPodcasts, and to record the first 10 interviews. I think the podcasts are a great addition to the overall package of information that ABI provides to members and the public. The podcasts were an enjoyable exercise for me and continue to be as both my successors, David Skeel and Lois Lupica - and ABI Executive Director Sam Gerdano - have proceeded with furthering the ABI Podcast program.
I also had the privilege of revising the Bankruptcy Overview, which ABI keeps in print for Congressional staffers, journalists and the like. I worked with an earlier version ably assembled by my predecessor, Margaret Howard (Resident Scholar Spring 2002), and others, but made obsolete by Congress with the adoption of BAPCPA in 2005.
Additionally, I was able to work on a new edition of "The Orange Book" Bankruptcy in Practice, an introduction to business bankruptcy for lawyers who didn't take the course in law school (we find it also sells to accountants, investment bankers, turnaround managers, and even some law students), once again with my co-author Michael J. Bernstein.
Fielding requests from the media directed from ABI also provided a challenge as the questions ran the gamut of bankruptcy and legal issues. Questions from trade, regional and national media ranged from general analysis on bankruptcy trends to clarifications on specific areas of the Bankruptcy Code.
Jack D. Ayer
Professor of Law
University of California - Davis