Geoff Berman

A now almost ten-year survivor of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, My book "The Sun I Up, I'm Vertical, It's A Good Day" is my effort to chronicle the ups and downs of undergoing treatment for cancer. Mine was a year-long journey from discovery, multiple forms of treatment and then remission. I tried then, and still do, to take the positive from each day. Yes, there are no guarantees in life and having "beaten" my cancer, I hope my outlook can help others who face the same type of battle get to tomorrow.

I'm retired from a 47 -year career in lending and administration of failed companies' post-confirmation estates and state law assignments for the benefit of creditors. Over the course of my career, I've seen failures across a broad range of industries. I've been a mediator, federal equity receiver and an examiner for the Central District of California bankruptcy court.

I had the privilege of serving as the President of the American Bankruptcy Institute in 2011-2012, and Chairman of the Board in 2013-2014. I served on the ABI's Commission for the Reform of Chapter 11, who report was published in 2014. I also wrote the ABI's book on assignments for the benefit of creditors, now in its 5th edition. I also was an executive editor of West Publication's Strategic Alternatives for Distressed Businesses (J. Friedland as the primary Editor) and a contributor of a number of chapters to that work over many years. I currently am an observer to the Uniform Laws Commission's Committee for the Study for the need for a uniform set of laws covering assignments for the benefit of creditors. That Committee is currently drafting a proposed set of statutes.

My days are filled with friends, family (my wife and I will celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary in March) and the joy of having been an active part of the insolvency community, our daughters' families, and still being asked to contribute to help strengthen the use of the state law alternative to bankruptcy.