Judge Small Announces Retirement
Article Date: Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Official word regarding the retirement of Judge A.
Thomas Small of Raleigh was issued today by the U.S. Bankruptcy
Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. His retirement
date is Sept. 1.
Judge Small, who serves as a vice president on the North
Carolina Bar Association Board of Governors, announced his
intentions to retire several months ago. A 1969 graduate of the
Wake Forest University School of Law, Judge Small has served more
than 25 years on the Bankruptcy Court, including seven years as
chief judge from 1992-99.
The press release regarding Judge Small's retirement follows in
its entirety.
For Release: August 5, 2009
Bankruptcy Judge A. Thomas Small announces
retirement
United States Bankruptcy Judge A. Thomas Small will
retire on September 1, 2009, after more than 26 years as judge of
the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Judge Small served as Chief Judge from 1992 to 1999 and from 2006
to 2007.
During his tenure as bankruptcy judge he presided over thousands
of consumer cases as well as large corporate cases such as Roses
Stores, Midway Airlines, SpectraSite, First Corp., International
Heritage, Anderson Homes and St. Lawrence Homes.
He was president of the National Conference of Bankruptcy
Judges, and was a board member of the Federal Judicial Center, the
American Bankruptcy Institute, and the American College of
Bankruptcy.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist appointed Judge Small to chair
the Federal Bankruptcy Rules Committee, and to be the first
Bankruptcy Judge Representative to the Judicial Conference of the
United States.
Judge Small is a member the Editorial Board of the leading
bankruptcy treatise, Collier on Bankruptcy, and was recently
elected Vice-President of the North Carolina Bar Association.
Judge Small, along with the late Bankruptcy Judge Thomas M.
Moore, was one of the primary authors of Chapter 12 of the
Bankruptcy Code, which saved thousands of family farms from
foreclosure during the farm crisis in the late 1980s. He also is
the architect of the chapter 11 fast track for small businesses in
chapter 11, which has been adopted by many bankruptcy courts across
the country.
Chief Bankruptcy Judge Randy D. Doub said that Judge Small's
experience, influence and knowledge have made him one of the top
Bankruptcy Judges in the nation. "We will greatly miss his service
but wish him well in retirement."
Bankruptcy Judge J. Rich Leonard, who served with Judge Small for
seventeen years on the Eastern District Bankruptcy bench said,
"Judge Small's contributions to the bankruptcy system have had many
positive effects and will continue to do so for years to come. I
have thoroughly enjoyed being a colleague with Judge Small."
Judge Small is a graduate of Duke University and the Wake Forest
University School of Law. Prior to serving as bankruptcy judge,
Judge Small was employed for 13 years with First Union (now
Wachovia/Wells Fargo) National Bank and was Vice-President and
Associate General Counsel with the bank's Legal Division.
Judge Small's successor will be named by the Fourth Circuit Court
of Appeals. Judge Small and his wife, Judy Jo plan to travel and
enjoy their grandchildren during retirement.
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Press Release issued by the United States Bankruptcy Court-Eastern
District of North Carolina. For questions, contact Sharon Angel at
252-291-6413. For interviews or questions for Judge Small, you may
contact his chambers at 919-856-4603.