(Judge Brown will be hosting Ch 7 & 13 home mortgage bankruptcy webinars on March 30^th and April 1^st , click here for more information.)

What do you think are the upcoming key developments to watch in regards to bankruptcy?

There are many issues arising out the 2005 amendments to the Bankruptcy Code; while some have been resolved by appellate decisions, including a few by the Supreme Court, many splits in bankruptcy court and appellate interpretations of the 2005 amendments still remain.

This contributes to variations in practice among the judicial districts.  There are also proposed changes to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure that will affect the filing and documentation of proofs of claims.

What is your background?

I retired in 2006 as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, and also had been designated to sit in the Middle District of Tennessee, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Michigan and Western District of Kentucky.

I also served a four-year term on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Sixth Circuit from 1999 through 2002.  I received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where I was elected to the Order of the Coif.

I’m a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, having served on its Board and Executive Committee, and am a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy.

I am the author or co-author of several texts, including Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, 2005 Bankruptcy Reform Legislation with Analysis 1st and 2d editions, Bankruptcy and Domestic Relations Manual, The Law of Debtors and Creditors, as well as bankruptcy form books, all published by Thomson Reuters.

I am also a principal contributing editor for Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 3rd.

I prepare a quarterly update of consumer cases for the Federal Judicial Center, which distributes those materials to all bankruptcy judges, and he is a speaker at the Federal Judicial Center’s annual seminars for bankruptcy judges.

I also speak regularly at seminars throughout the United States, on consumer bankruptcy topics.  I act as a mediator in bankruptcy-related disputes, have conducted mock trials, and have testified as an expert witness in bankruptcy court trials.

How did you get into the legal world?

I started out as a teacher on the college level, but always had a desire to go to law school.

How did you become an author?

My first publication was with West, resulting from my speaking on the subject of exemptions at a national meeting of bankruptcy judges.  I was asked by two co-authors to help with a new publication, the Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, which has continued to be a unique publication that is revised annually.

Do you have any advice for other individuals who might want to become a West Author?

Focus on finding a subject area in which you have experience or expertise, and spend time thinking about what the potential audience for the publication would be.  Basically, you will want to “sell” to the publisher why your book would be a worthwhile publication for both you as author and for the publisher.  It helps greatly if you are interested in seminar presentations, which provide a great way to promote your publication.

What is your favorite part about your trips to West?

I’ve enjoyed getting to know both the editorial people and individuals involved in marketing.  I’ve found it helps the publications in which I’m involved if I contribute ideas about promotion of the publication.

What surprised you most about West?

Obviously, the size of the facility in Eagan is impressive, and in both Eagan and Rochester, I learned more about the many areas of work, other than legal, in which Thomson Reuters is involved.

Who is another person in the legal world you’d most like to meet?

Anyone on the Supreme Court.

What is your favorite law-related movie?

To Kill a Mockingbird

When you were studying for your bar exam, what was your favorite snack?

I’ve tried to forget everything about the bar exam.

What was the first concert you ever went to?

My first live concert was Sonny and Cher — wow that dates me.

Who is your favorite sport team?

Since I spend part of my time in Colorado and part in Tennessee, I have to have favorite teams in both places.

Free Bankruptcy Webinar dealing with home mortgages in Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy

Presented by Judge William H. Brown

Join us for an information-packed webinar by a distinguished bankruptcy judge offering you expert guidance on the following topics:

•  Claims litigation in consumer bankruptcies concerning home mortgages
•  Treatment of home mortgages in Chapter 13 plans—what plan provisions are permissible and what plan provisions violate section 1322(b)(2)
•  How mortgage creditors have been alleged to have violated the automatic stay, Chapter 7 plan provisions and discharge injunction
•  Foreclosure prevention in bankruptcy—what works and what doesn’t work

Choose the time that works for you:
•  March 30 at 12:00pm CST    

•  April 1 at 10:00am CST        

Webinar Agenda:
•  30-minute presentation
•  10-minute product demo
• Q&A

This complimentary one-hour course will follow a fictional client through the legal research process using WestlawNext. It discusses how WestlawNext makes many of the difficulities of legal research easier and less time consuming through focusing on relevant resources and documents, verifying and expanding your research, and efficiently managing your results. 

You can take this CLE course on demand or attend one of our live sessions with a moderator, who can answer your questions in real time. The course is free, but you have to pre-register for the live sessions – and you can do that right now!

WestlawNext Research Expert Webinars are your chance to get answers to your questions. Each 30-minute live webinar includes 20 minutes of instruction followed by 10 minutes of live Q&A with the audience.

The first two series of webinars, held in June and July, had hundreds of participants and resulted in dozens of great audience questions (which you can see our WestlawNext Q&A page.) So don’t miss out -  register for one of the new sessions below.

Learn about:

• KeyCite tabs
• Sorting, filtering, and searching within citing references
• A new graphical view of a case’s history
• Most Negative Treatment Citation, and more

Monday, August 30, 2 pm – 2:30 pm CDT
Tuesday, August 31, 1 pm – 1:30 pm CDT
Thursday, September 2, 11 am – 11:30 am CDT

Learn about:

• Filtering and searching research history
• Dragging and dropping documents and text snippets into folders
• Organizing, filtering, and searching within folders, and more

Tuesday, September 14, Noon – 12:30 pm CDT
Wednesday, September 15, 2 pm – 2:30 pm CDT
Thursday, September 16, 11 am – 11:30 am CDT

“America is a nation that conceives many odd inventions for getting somewhere, but it can think of nothing to do once it gets there.” – Will Rogers

America has always prided itself as a land of innovation, with numbers to back up that claim. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved more than 167,000 utility patents in 2009 – a rate of more than 19 patents an hour, 24 hours a day.

If your work involves patent prosecution or litigation, Westlaw Patents has the content and tools to help you keep pace. And now there’s a quick, easy way to get up to speed on Westlaw Patents content and tools: Short online lessons for our most popular products.

We came up with the eLearning series after hearing a handful of customers confess that they don’t always understand what some of our patent products are intended to do or how to use them. And we took their advice and kept the lessons short and sweet: Most lessons require just 2 or 3 minutes of your time.

To access these lessons, sign on to the West eLearning Center, then click on the Westlaw Patents link on the left side of the page. (It’s the last item in the list.)

We’ve divided the self-paced lessons into two categories – litigation and prosecution – with several choices in each list. Two of the most popular modules include

• Using KeyCite to Verify and Expand Patent Research – Learn how to use KeyCite to go beyond the text of a patent and view its context.
• Searching Markman Orders – Save hours of work and frustration by searching and finding claim construction orders on Westlaw.

And check back later this summer for a new self-paced lesson on Claims Locator, our latest “invention” that will enable you to search for claims without knowing the exact terminology.

More info on Westlaw Patents is available on the West website. And we didn’t invent the quotes above – we found them in Uncle Anthony’s Unabridged Analogies, which is available at a 10% discount to Westlaw Insider readers. Check it out!

And if learning how to apply your finely honed Boolean skills to WestlawNext isn’t enticement enough, we’ll pick an attendee in each session to win a new Apple iPad just for being there!

Although WestlawNext simplifies searching, we haven’t taken away the option of constructing a Boolean query using Terms & Connectors. Find out how power researchers can still use their craft within the WestlawNext platform and get more relevant, inclusive results.

We want to hear from you. Please suggest a topic or submit a question for future webinars.

IPAD GIVEAWAY: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to residents of the 50 US/DC with Internet access as of 6/14/10. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends 6/30/10. Subject to official rules.

Top Five Reasons Firms Use Case Notebook
Thursday, June 17
2 p.m. CDT
Register Now

West Case Notebook makes it easy for your litigation team to enter and share key facts, insights, notes, documents, main characters, evidence, legal research and more. With Case Notebook, all your essential case information, notes and analysis can be accessed in a single click, wherever you go.

During this live, interactive webinar, we’ll discuss how law firms use West Case Notebook…

• To effectively analyze case information
• To allow your entire litigation team to collaborate efficiently
• To save time
• To save money
• To gain a competitive edge

…And we’ll answer your questions, too. We can’t wait, and neither should you –  register  now!

To learn more about West Case Notebook, please call 1-800-328-9378 to speak with your dedicated attorney/trainer, or visit us online.

* While supplies last. Starbucks, the Starbucks logo, and the Starbucks Card design are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Starbucks U.S. Brands, L.C. Starbucks is not a participating partner or sponsor of this offer.

Our upcoming WestlawNext expert webinar series is your chance to get answers to your questions. Starting next week, We’ll answer the most frequently asked questions we’ve gotten about WestlawNext, then give you a chance to ask your own.

Each 30-minute live webinar will include a 20-minute instructional session and 10 minutes for the instructor to field your questions. And if that isn’t exciting enough, one person from each of the six sessions will win a new Apple iPad just for attending!

This webinar takes a quick look at how WestlawNext does many of the things power researchers told us they wished Westlaw could do.

Find out how power researchers can still use Boolean Terms & Connectors within the WestlawNext platform and get more relevant, inclusive results.

We’ll answer the most frequently asked questions we’ve gotten about WestlawNext, then give you a chance to ask your own.

Each live webinar will take just 30 minutes or less (including Q&A time), and you could win a new Apple iPad just for attending!

This webinar takes a quick look at how WestlawNext does many of the things power researchers told us they wished Westlaw could do.

Find out how power researchers can still use Boolean Terms & Connectors within the WestlawNext platform and get more relevant, inclusive results.

Would you like to learn how to save time and money? Don’t miss this live, interactive, online webinar showing you how West Case Notebook can make your practice more productive and efficient. Learn about the top five reasons to use West Case Notebook

• To effectively analyze case information
• To allow your entire litigation team to collaborate efficiently
• To save time
• To save money
• To gain a competitive edge

May 20th, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. CT

To learn more about West Case Notebook, please call
1-800-328-9378 to speak with your dedicated attorney/trainer. Or visit us online.