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Honorable Neil W. Bason

Judge Tabs

Address/Contact

United States Bankruptcy Court
Central District of California
Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse
255 E. Temple Street, Suite 1552 / Courtroom 1545
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Chambers
(213) 894-6098 

Courtroom Deputy
(213) 894-4085
 
Court Recorder Contact
(213) 894-1276

Emergency Motion Contacts
(213) 894-6098 

 

Self-Calendaring
Self-Calendaring
Forms

Order Setting Combined Hearing on Disclosure Statement & Ch 11 Plan [MS Word Version] Rev. 06/21/23

Instructions:

  1. Lodge the proposed order after a status conference at which the Court establishes the relevant deadlines and hearing date.
  2. Do not make any changes to the text of the order. If the lodging party believes that any changes are essential then the proposed changes should be shown in "redlined" format and the Court will remove the redlining before issuing the order.

Sample Order re: Use of Cash Collateral

NOTE: The Chapter 11 Plan, Disclosure Statement, and Worksheet have all been superseded by the official forms available at these links: Chapter 11 Plan and Chapter 11 Disclosure Statement, also available on the court's main page under the Forms tab.

Instructions/Procedures

Instructions To Debtors’ Counsel: 11 U.S.C. §§ 506 & 522(f) issues 
Judicial Variance Statement for Judge Neil W. Bason
Procedures (Revised 09/20/23)
Sanctions Table
Video/Remote Trial Procedures [MS Word] [Sample Order] New

Chapter 13

Confirmation Hearings Calendar
Chapter 13 Trustee's Law and Motion Calendar (11:00 a.m.)

Phone/Video Appearances

Judge Bason's
Procedures for In-Person, Video & Telephonic Appearances

**Hearings in Judge Bason’s courtroom (1545) are now simultaneously (1) IN PERSON in the courtroom, unless the Court has been closed (check the Court’s website for public notices), (2) via ZOOMGOV video, and (3) via ZOOMGOV telephone.  You are free to choose any of these options, except that evidentiary hearings/trials must be in person in the courtroom (unless otherwise ordered). 

  • For chapter 13 matters, such as the procedures for showing the Chapter 13 Trustee proof of last-minute payments, check the Trustee’s procedures. 
  • For trials, see the two forms of sample trial procedure orders posted on Judge Bason’s portion of the Court’s website (www.cacb.uscourts.gov under Judges > Bason > Instructions/Procedures).  Meet and confer with other parties about the precise procedures you would like for your evidentiary hearing, and when appropriate lodge a proposed pretrial order.

For instructions to appear via ZoomGov (either telephonically or by video), please see the tentative ruling for the first matter on calendar for the date of your hearing (i.e., page 1 of the posted tentative rulings).  You do not need to call Chambers for advance approval.  ZoomGov appearances are free for all participants.  The audio (but not video) will be recorded as the official record.  See also https://www.cacb.uscourts.gov/news/zoom-video-hearing-guide-participants.

Appearances via CourtCall are no longer permitted (for technical reasons, it is not possible to have both Zoomgov and CourtCall running simultaneously).  Please continue to monitor this website for updates.  Thank you.

To appear by telephone or video, follow these procedures:

  1. Mute your microphone to avoid interfering with other hearings in progress.  If you are appearing by phone you can un-mute by pressing *6 on Zoomgov..
  2. Noise, poor sound quality, or lack of standard telephone/video etiquette must be immediately corrected or it will result in terminating your privilege to appear by telephone/video, and possibly other sanctions or remedies such as being disconnected from the hearing – you are permitted to use mobile phones etc., but you do so at your own risk. 
  3. Identify yourself for the record every time you speak.  Note: The judge permits parties to listen in without identifying themselves, subject to the usual rules about sealing the courtroom etc. 
  4. Recording or retransmission is strictly prohibited and may result in sanctions.
Effective 01/06/2022
Tentative Rulings
Tentative Rulings
Chambers Employment

JUDGE NEIL W. BASON
UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES DIVISION

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN CHAMBERS

TERM LAW CLERK:

  • Judge Bason is not currently hiring any term law clerks.

EXTERNS:

  • Suspended until further notice.

Information for Applicants: Employees of the United States Bankruptcy Court serve on an "AT WILL" basis and are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.

  • Due to the volume of applications received, communication will only be with those individuals who will be invited to interview for the position.
  • Interviewees are subject to a full National Crime Information Center (NCIC) background check and FBI fingerprint analysis.
  • The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement or to withdraw the announcement without prior notice.
  • The United States Bankruptcy Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
  • Applicant must be either a U.S. citizen or a noncitizen eligible for employment by the federal judiciary.

Applications:  Judge Bason accepts applications for his open law clerk position via online submission through the OSCAR website (https://oscar.uscourts.gov/), and accepts applications for his open law clerk and externship positions via hard copy submission to chambers at the address below, or via email to Jessica_Vogel@cacb.uscourts.gov.  Applicants must provide a cover letter, résumé, law school transcript, writing sample, and a list of at least three references, including telephone contact information.  

United States Bankruptcy Court
Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse
Attn: Jessica Vogel, Law Clerk to the Honorable Neil W. Bason
255 East Temple Street, Suite 1552
Los Angeles, California 90012

 

CLERKSHIPS IN JUDGE BASON’S CHAMBERS

For a description of Judge Bason’s clerkship opportunities and the terms of employment, please see his posting on OSCAR (https://oscar.uscourts.gov/).

EXTERNSHIPS IN JUDGE BASON’S CHAMBERS

Time commitment, and lack of payment.  Externships may be either full time or part time.  
Full-time:  five days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  
Part-time:  at least 16 hours per week, with at least two days 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  
The position is unpaid.

Experience.  Judge Bason prefers to grant externships to law school students who have completed at least the first year of law school, but does make exceptions.  Judge Bason also grants externships to law school graduates, and does not require that the extern take or pass the California bar exam.

Job Description.  Judge Bason’s externs are exposed to a wide variety of opportunities both in chambers and around the courthouse.  Externs are encouraged to sit in on hearings, including hearings held by any of the other Bankruptcy Judges or other Federal Judges in the building.  

An extern begins his or her semester by reviewing basic bankruptcy concepts and the Bankruptcy Code and Rules.  Law clerks carefully review each topic with the externs and Judge Bason discusses his stance on certain unclear or controversial areas of bankruptcy law that chambers staff see on a daily basis.  Externs are also encouraged to attend a day-long training conducted by bankruptcy judges and other highly experienced bankruptcy professionals, covering everything from jurisdictional authority to ethical limits for externs.

Once the initial overview is complete, law clerks work with the extern to teach him or her how to prepare Judge Bason for routine motions - i.e., relief from stay motions (see 11 U.S.C. § 362) and motions to avoid liens (see 11 U.S.C. §§ 506, 1322(b)(2)).  Law clerks spend a significant amount of time discussing the policy behind the workup and analysis before giving an extern his or her first assignment.  During this period, an extern attends Judge Bason’s hearings on these matters.  The extern also has the opportunity to observe Judge Bason’s chapter 11 calendars before which Judge Bason discusses the matter and any pertinent issues with the extern.  Judge Bason allows extra time during these discussions for the extern to ask questions.

Once an extern masters the analysis for routine motions/applications, Judge Bason and/or the law clerks also assign the extern either writing assignments based on substantively complicated motions or research assignments for Judge Bason’s long-term review of cases.  Depending on the complexity of the assignment, an extern may receive more than one assignment at a time.  The law clerks review each assignment and give the extern an opportunity to edit his or her writing before Judge Bason reviews the work.

If an appellate court publishes a pertinent decision during an extern’s time with Judge Bason, Judge Bason generally asks externs to review the decision and prepare for a discussion with chambers staff.  The extern should be prepared to discuss the facts of the case as well as the merits.

Externs receive a lot of contact and feedback from the law clerks and Judge Bason but they work independently and are encouraged to think outside the box.  They are expected to approach their work with dedication, professionalism, and enthusiasm.

About the Judge

Appointment(s):

Education:

  • Johns Hopkins University, B.A. 1984
  • Boston University School of Law, J.D. Magna Cum Laude 1988; Law Review

Career Record:

  • 1988-89, Law Clerk, Chief Justice Paul J. Liacos, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
  • 1989-92, Associate, Palmer & Dodge; Edwards & Angell, Massachusetts
  • 1992-00, Private practice; Hovis, Smith, Stewart, Lipscomb & Cross etc., San Francisco, California
  • 2000-08, Law Clerk, Hon. Dennis Montali (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California, and Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit)
  • 2008-09, Special Counsel, Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin, P.C., San Francisco, California
  • 2009-11, Special Counsel, Duane Morris, LLP, San Francisco and Los Angeles, California

Private Practice Specialization:

  • Commercial bankruptcy and insolvency practice, including a focus on secured creditor representation and substantial representation of trustees, receivers, debtors/borrowers, guarantors, unsecured creditors, prospective purchasers of assets out of bankruptcy, parties to executory contracts and unexpired leases, equity holders, and other parties in interest
Judge Location: 
Los Angeles