Appointments:

• Appointed in 1974 by the Judges of the District Court
• Reappointed August 27, 1986 and August 27, 2000 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Current term expires August 26, 2014)
• Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, March 1988 - December 2001; Chief Judge, 1999 to 2001
• Chief Judge, Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, 2003-2006

 Education:

• University of California at Los Angeles, B.S., 1962 (engineering); J.D., 1966

 Other Government Service:

• 1966-67, U. S. Treasury Department
• 1967-70, Los Angeles County Public Defender
• 1970-74, Assistant U. S. Attorney, U. S. Department of Justice

 Publications and Other Media:

• Bankruptcy Evidence Manual, West Publishing Co., since 1987, new edition published annually

 Awards:

• Franklin N. Flaschner Judicial Award, American Bar Association, 1987
• First American invited by Supreme People's Court, People's Republic of China, to lecture on bankruptcy law, 1988
• Judges' Award, Southern California Mediation Association, for distinguished service for promoting mediation in the courts
• Emil Gumpert Judicial ADR Award, Los Angeles County Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Service
• "2004 Outstanding Jurist," Los Angeles County Bar Association

Teaching:

• 1977-present, Faculty Member, Federal Judicial Center, Washington, DC
• 1975-present, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry (Law), University of Southern California

 Professional Memberships:

• Federal Bar Association, since 1971; National president, 1990-91
• Los Angeles County Bar Association since 1967
• Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, inducted 1992
• Board of Directors for the Western Justice Center, 1996
• Mensa, 1970